Fierceness, after Pacific Classic win, heads home to prep for BC Classic
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DEL MAR, Calif. – Fierceness, the decisive winner of the Pacific Classic on Saturday, will ship home to New York to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, while the top handicap horses in California – Journalism and Nysos – remain in the picture.
Journalism, odds-on runner-up in the Pacific Classic, “most likely” will train into the BC Classic, trainer Michael McCarthy said Sunday morning.
Nysos, the Pacific Classic program favorite who scratched with a foot bruise, is tentatively scheduled to run Sept. 27 at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said.
The star of the Pacific Classic was Todd Pletcher-trained Fierceness, who earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure for his 3 1/4-length 2:01 victory under jockey John Velazquez. Fierceness will fly home to Saratoga on Wednesday. Fierceness, 7 for 13 and a four-time Grade 1 winner, finished second to Sierra Leone in the 2024 BC Classic at Del Mar.
Journalism may have lost the battle Saturday, but he is still in the war. The 3-year-old was making his first start against older rivals in the Pacific Classic, and ran well. He rallied from last, finished more than six lengths clear of third, and was second-best.
“I thought he ran a very good race in defeat,” McCarthy said Sunday, tipping his hat to the winner. “Fierceness, when he’s on his game, is as good if not better than any older horse in the country.”
Journalism carried 118 pounds, six less than Fierceness, and earned a 102 Beyer. Notwithstanding the runner-up finish, McCarthy is satisfied it was the right call to keep Journalism home to face older horses in the Pacific Classic rather than ship again for 3-year-old races, such as the Travers or Pennsylvania Derby.
“The Pacific Classic’s right here in our backyard,” McCarthy said. “The horse had been on the plane, off the plane, on the plane, off the plane. He was deserving of a home game.”
Journalism has been a road warrior all season. He won the Santa Anita Derby, finished second in the Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness, finished second in the Belmont Stakes, and won the Haskell prior to his runner-up finish in the Pacific Classic. Journalism has raced this year at Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Pimlico, Saratoga, Monmouth Park and at Del Mar.
McCarthy said Journalism will forsake an autumn prep at Santa Anita, and train into the BC Classic. “Most likely, yes. That’s the plan,” he said Sunday.
Nysos, however, is a question mark after he scratched from the Pacific Classic. “He was fine early (Saturday) morning,” Baffert said. “Later on, they noticed he was a little bit sensitive on one (hind) foot, so we made the call (to scratch).”
Early indications are Nysos can recover quickly from the foot bruise. He may be on the mend already. “He looked better (Sunday),” Baffert said. “It’s all about timing.”
If Nysos recovers and trains well, Baffert said he would target the Goodwood, a 1 1/8-mile race on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. If he runs well in the Goodwood, Breeders’ Cup options for Nysos would be the BC Classic or, perhaps more likely, the BC Dirt Mile.
Nysos has never raced beyond 1 1/16 miles. He has won five of six, including the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 26.
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