Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Collected eyes return to turf
ARCADIA, Calif. – Collected will be considered for turf races at Del Mar this summer despite romping to three consecutive stakes wins on dirt at Santa Anita this year, the most recent of which was a 14-length score in Saturday’s Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes.
Collected is trained by Bob Baffert, who has a deep team of main track handicap horses. The group is led by Arrogate, the winner of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park and the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates this year.
Baffert has won graded stakes around two turns on dirt in recent months with the older runners Cupid, Danzing Candy, and Mor Spirit.
“They’re hitting on all cylinders,” Baffert said. “It’s fun to have those nice horses.”
Collected won the sixth stakes of his career in the $100,000 Precisionist at 1 1/16 miles.
Collected had two starts on turf at age 2 in 2015, winning a maiden race on the hillside course at Santa Anita in his debut and finishing second in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile. Baffert said Collected will work on turf in July after the stable relocates in the middle of next month.
“I want to get him to Del Mar and breeze him on the turf,” Baffert said. “He could be a double weapon, turf or dirt.”
Owned by Peter Fluor’s Speedway Stable, Collected would be a logical contender for the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on dirt July 22 if Arrogate were not scheduled to start in that $200,000 race.
As an alternative, Collected could be considered for the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf July 22 or the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf Aug. 20. In the long term, Baffert considers Collected a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on the main track at Del Mar on Nov. 3. Collected has won 7 of 10 starts and earned $660,500.
Battle of Midway eyes Haskell
Battle of Midway had no difficultly beating three overmatched rivals in Saturday’s Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita for his first stakes win. Sent off as the 1-10 favorite, Battle of Midway led throughout to win the race at 1 1/16 miles by 4 1/4 lengths.
His next assignment will be trickier.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is considering Battle of Midway for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 30, a race that could draw such prominent 3-year-olds as Classic Empire, the champion 2-yearold male of 2016 who was second in the Preakness last month; Belmont runner-up Irish War Cry; and Timeline, who won the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 18 and is unbeaten in four starts.
“He’s ready to try a Grade 1 again,” Hollendorfer said. “It may be the Haskell.”
Battle of Midway was second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April and third in the Kentucky Derby on May 6. Owned by Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm, Battle of Midway has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $550,000.
“He’s never run a bad race,” Hollendorfer said. “He needed to get a graded win.”
The next stakes for 3-year-olds on dirt in Southern California is the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby, a $200,000 race at 1 1/8 miles on July 15. Hollendorfer and trainer Doug O’Neill said Sunday they expect to have runners. Hollendorfer said he hopes to run Colonist, an allowance-class runner, and Grecian Fire, who won the Alcatraz Stakes on turf at Golden Gate Fields on May 14.
O’Neill is considering B Squared and Term of Art, who were second and third to Battle of Midway in the Affirmed Stakes, and Milton Freewater, who was 10th in the Snow Chief Stakes for California-breds on turf May 29.
Irap points to Indiana Derby
Irap, who won his second graded stakes of the year in Saturday’s Grade 3 Ohio Derby, is likely to start in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand on July 15, trainer O’Neill said Sunday.
Irap won the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes in a 31-1 upset April 8 before finishing 18th of 20 in the Kentucky Derby. In the Ohio Derby, Irap closed from sixth in a field of nine to win by a nose over Girvin, who was 13th in the Kentucky Derby.
Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, Irap has won 2 of 10 starts and earned $1,072,600. The $500,000 Indiana Derby is run at 1 1/16 miles.
O’Neill said Mopotism, who was 10th in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 5 and second in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on June 17, is scheduled to start in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks, a $200,000 race for 3-yearold fillies at 1 1/16 miles.