Pegasus or Santa Anita Handicap next for Midnight Storm

ARCADIA, Calif. – One day after Midnight Storm’s win in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita, the 6-year-old was being considered for two races. One thing is likely – Midnight Storm’s next race will be a Grade 1 on the main track.

Midnight Storm won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf last June and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile here in November. His last two starts have come on dirt, and he won them both – the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 27 and the San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Monday that Midnight Storm will start next in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, or the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 11, both Grade 1 races.

“We’ll make a decision in the next couple of days,” D’Amato said.

The Pegasus World Cup is the world’s richest race but is scheduled to draw Arrogate and California Chrome, the first two finishers of the BC Classic on Nov. 5.

The Big Cap is run at 1 1/4 miles over a track that Midnight Storm trains on regularly. A start in the Big Cap would give Midnight Storm 10 weeks between starts. The distance would be a test, but Midnight Storm won the Native Diver by 7 3/4 lengths.

In the San Pasqual, Midnight Storm led throughout and won by 1 1/4 lengths over Accelerate, who was third in the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 4. Dalmore finished third in the field of four, beaten 3 3/4 lengths.

Accelerate and Dalmore are likely to start in the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 4, their trainers said on Monday.