Streaking C Z Rocket notches Pat O'Brien win
DEL MAR, Calif. – Owner Tom Kagele was celebrating his 50th birthday. Trainer Peter Miller was celebrating the 11th anniversary of his marriage to his wife, Lani. And all on Saturday celebrated a Win and You’re In performance by C Z Rocket, who continued his recent transformation with his biggest win yet, in the Grade 2, $151,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes for older sprinters at Del Mar.
C Z Rocket was claimed for $40,000 by Miller on Kagele’s suggestion back in April, when Miller had a string at Oaklawn Park with assistant Felipe Souza. They took the horse to Churchill Downs, where he won once for $50,000, and then again for $62,500, prior to a victory at Keeneland against an upper-level allowance field. He wasn’t for sale that day.
After training earlier this month with Souza at Monmouth, C Z Rocket came to Del Mar, where he tuned up for the Pat O’Brien with a half-mile work last weekend.
C Z Rocket then stepped up Saturday into a graded stakes and kept his winning streak, which now stands at four, intact. He tracked the early pace of Law Abidin Citizen, ranged up three paths wide on the far turn outside Law Abidin Citizen and pace-pressing Flagstaff, battled with those two rivals to deep stretch, then got the best of both. C Z Rocket won by a half-length over Flagstaff, who was three-quarters of a length in front of Law Abidin Citizen.
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Blameitonthelaw was fourth, then came, in order, Giant Expectations, Manhattan Up, and P R Radio Star. Vertical Threat was scratched earlier in the day.
C Z Rocket ($4.20) was favored based on his sharp current form. He benefitted from a head’s-up ride from Flavien Prat, who had him close to a soft pace, and he was able to be close to begin with because he didn’t surrender ground by breaking poorly, something that has often plagued him.
“He broke well, and he usually doesn’t break well,” Miller said. “The pace was slow for a sprint. Flavien had him positioned perfectly.”
C Z Rocket was no more than two lengths behind through an opening quarter that was posted in 23.10 seconds and half in 46.04 seconds. He polished off seven furlongs in 1:22.25 on the fast main track.
The victory gave C Z Rocket a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7 at Keeneland, but even though he’s won going two turns, he’s far better around one turn, and Miller has fed him a steady diet of sprints since claiming him.
“He’s probably better around one turn,” Miller said.
C Z Rocket, 6, has now won eight times in 21 starts. The son of City Zip was gelded in March, prior to a two-turn race at Oaklawn. The day Kagele and Miller went for him was his first sprint since being gelded, and only the second time he had been risked for a tag. He broke poorly that day and finished fifth. He’s unbeaten since.
“His form was bad, but he’s a runner,” Miller said. “I like old class horses. Sometimes you can get them back to their old form.”
This was the second stakes win for C Z Rocket. He won the Kelly's Landing at Churchill Downs in June 2018 when with Al Stall Jr., his original trainer.