Midnight Mammoth to prep for Pacific Classic in San Diego Handicap

Midnight Mammoth gave race winner Skippylongstocking a fuss in Monday’s Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita before finishing second by three-quarters of a length.

The narrow defeat has left trainer Craig Dollase encouraged about Midnight Mammoth’s summer, and eager to start the 6-year-old gelding in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on July 26.

The $300,000 San Diego Handicap is a prep race for the main goal of the meeting, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 30. The winner of the $1 million Pacific Classic receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 1.

In the Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles, Midnight Mammoth was always near the front, and led briefly on the turn under jockey Armando Ayuso before yielding to Skippylongstocking.

“I think Armando had him in a good position,” Dollase said.

:: Santa Anita Clocker Reports are available every race day. Access now.

“The winner had a great trip. He ran all the way to the wire and so did ours.”

Midnight Mammoth finished six lengths clear of third-place finisher Extensive in the field of seven.

“He was game all the way,” Dollase said of Midnight Mammoth. “It was a really big race for him.”

Last summer, Midnight Mammoth won the Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Del Mar in July as a prep race for the Pacific Classic. Midnight Mammoth missed the Pacific Classic after incurring an injury in the days before the race. He did not race again until January of this year.

The Cougar II Stakes is not on the Del Mar stakes schedule this summer, much to the disappointment of Dollase.

“They took my Cougar away from me,” he said. “I’m not happy about that.”

The 2024 Cougar II Stakes had five starters. The race has been put “on hiatus,” a Del Mar official said in February.

Owned by Jeffrey Sengara, Midnight Mammoth has won 8 of 35 starts and earned $377,280. Midnight Mammoth was claimed by Sengara and Dollase for $50,000 in March 2023 and has since earned $305,130.

Dollase said Midnight Mammoth “looks pretty bright” in the days after the Gold Cup.

Midnight Mammoth has won his last two starts at the San Diego distance of 1 1/16 miles – allowance races at Santa Anita last May and on April 26.

“There is a nice little break until the San Diego,” Dollase said. “That could be a race we could target to give him a race over the track. Right now, all systems seem on go for that.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.