Sadler and the Hronis brothers win third Pacific Classic in the last four years with Tripoli
DEL MAR, Calif. – There was a time when John Sadler was pigeonholed as a trainer of sprinters. Once he started winning around two turns, that morphed into his being labeled as a trainer who couldn’t win out of town.
Both notions have been buried under an avalanche of major winners, both locally and nationally.
Much of Sadler’s ascension over the past decade has been due to the support of owners Kosta and Pete Hronis, who play the long game, buying young horses they want to develop into top runners when they’re older, and often buying older horses in need of new locales.
The race that has become emblematic of their approach is the Pacific Classic, the top race of the meet at Del Mar. They first won it in 2018 with Accelerate, a horse they bought as a yearling who went on to be a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. They came back in 2019 and won with Higher Power, who was purchased as a 4-year-old, after he had raced nine times.
And on Saturday, for the third time in the last four years, they won it again, with Tripoli, who has found a new lease on life since the son of Kitten’s Joy was moved from turf to dirt.
Tripoli ($15), given a clever, pocket trip by Tiago Pereira, overhauled pacesetter Tizamagician coming into the lane of the 1 1/4-mile race and pulled away late to win the Grade 1, $1 million race by 1 1/4 lengths. Tizamagician finished 4 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Dr Post, who made a belated rally in the middle of the track after appearing to spin his wheels heading into the far turn.
Sheriff Brown, the longest shot of nine at 81-1, ran on for fourth, then came, in order, Independence Hall, Express Train, Royal Ship, Cupid’s Claws, and Magic On Tap.
It was a windfall for Tripoli. He earned a first prize of $600,000, nearly three times what he’d made in 13 prior starts combined, and he got a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, to be run at the same 1 1/4 miles, at Del Mar, on Nov. 6.
“This is what it’s all about, at this point, the latter part of my career, keying on the big races,” said Sadler, who now has 80 stakes wins at Del Mar, second only to Bob Baffert.
Tripoli seemed an unlikely Pacific Classic winner a few months ago. After winning his second start in a turf sprint in June 2020, he proceeded to lose his next eight races, all on turf. On May 1, with Sadler and the Hronis brothers at Churchill Downs to run Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World in the Kentucky Derby, Tripoli won a first-level allowance on the turf at Santa Anita, with Pereira getting the assignment because, as Sadler acknowledged, so many other riders were out of town. The Pacific Classic is Pereira’s first Grade 1 win in North America.
“Funny how things work,” Sadler said.
Sadler wasn’t about to mess with success. He did, though, decide to try Tripoli on dirt in his next race. On June 19, Tripoli switched surfaces and won a second-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita. That gave Sadler the confidence to try Tripoli in the Grade 2 San Diego, also at 1 1/16 miles, opening weekend at Del Mar. He finished second, splitting the two horses who wound up the top two choices in the Pacific Classic, Express Train and Royal Ship.
“He ran well in the San Diego, and we decided to train him up to the Pacific Classic and see how he did,” Sadler said. “He was training good and moving forward,” with Sadler saying he was cautious because, “He’s not a physically huge horse.”
On Saturday, racing at 1 1/4 miles for the first time, Tripoli continued his ascent. He was right on the heels of Tizamagician through a solid pace of 23.52 seconds for the quarter, 46.98 seconds for the half, and 1:11.73 for six furlongs, going comfortably, eager to do more. He was given a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.
Pereira got him outside Tizamagician rounding the far turn, and when they came off the bend he was clearly going the better of the two, and no one else was making an impact.
“The last three or four races, he’s improving,” Sadler said. “He’s trending the right way. He got an ideal ride and trip.”
Tripoli, 4, is out of the Tapit mare Love Train, and that Tapit blood “gives some toughness to him.”
“He likes to train,” Sadler said.
It’s been nearly three years since Sadler and bloodstock agent David Ingordo purchased Tripoli for the Hronis brothers as a yearling for $450,000. Sadler mused in the winner’s circle that he was afraid, the way Tripoli’s career began, that he’d overpaid.
But he and the Hronis brothers play the long game, and on Saturday, Tripoli rewarded their patience.