Garcia grateful for Classic win

DEL MAR, Calif. – The victory by Collected in the Pacific Classic on Saturday was a welcomed one for jockey Martin Garcia, who has had limited action at this meet in part because of a back injury sustained this spring.

Garcia has ridden in just 27 races at this meet at Del Mar, and the win by Collected was only his second victory. But the $600,000 first prize, of which he gets 10 percent, propelled Garcia all the way to ninth in earnings among his peers this summer at Del Mar.

“We needed that,” Garcia said Sunday. “I took a little break, didn’t want to push it. Now, I’m back.”

Garcia was hurt while trying to keep the promising Reach the World upright when that 3-yearold colt sustained a fatal injury in a workout at Santa Anita four months ago.

“It was really painful,” he said. “I went to therapy for two months, a lot of acupuncture.”

Garcia has been closely aligned for years with trainer Bob Baffert, and it has been both a blessing and a curse. Garcia is an integral part of the operation, working many of Baffert’s best runners, and even though he often does not ride them in races – like with Arrogate – he does get some good mounts, like Collected.

“He’s important. He’s like my stepson,” Baffert said. “He’s a big part of the team. He knows what I want, what I like.”

But Garcia’s association with Baffert has often left other trainers reluctant to use him, figuring if there’s a conflict, Garcia would ride for Baffert. Garcia recently hired agent Nelson Arroyo to represent him in hopes of getting more mounts.

“Nelson’s doing a good job of opening some doors with other trainers,” Garcia said. “That’s the key.”

Because of his reduced workload this year, Garcia is on pace to have his least-productive year of the decade. His mounts have earned more than $5 million in each of the past seven years, and in three of those years, they topped $10 million. This year, Garcia’s mounts have earned a bit more than $2 million. He was at $1.4 million before the Pacific Classic.

But Garcia, who has a sensational sense of humor, has retained his good nature through the highs and lows. An unraced 2-year-old who has worked well he’ll call “my secret weapon.” Garcia once worked in a deli in Northern California and cooks his own meals almost every day, joking that he only makes “frijoles and tortillas.” He’s passionate about his work. He’s always an early arrival for morning workouts.

“I like my job,” he said. “I love horses.”

Baffert pair targets Futurity

Zatter and St. Patrick’s Day, who ran one-two in their debuts in a strong six-furlong race for maiden 2-year-olds on Sunday, both are under serious consideration for the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity going seven furlongs on closing day, Sept. 4, trainer Bob Baffert said Monday.

Zatter, by Midnight Lute, is owned by the Zayat Stables of Ahmed and Justin Zayat, who owned American Pharaoh, the 2015 Triple Crown winner who is the older full brother of St. Patrick’s Day.

“I put them in together because if I wanted to give them a chance to run in the Futurity, they had to run yesterday,” Baffert said. “Zatter, he really gets over the ground. He’s fast. St. Patrick’s Day, he wants to go farther. He was down inside, and he could have easily given it up. He ran really well.”

American Pharoah lost his debut, then returned to win the 2014 Del Mar Futurity in his second start.

Classy Tune eyes Raven Run

Classy Tune, the 5 1/2-length winner of an allowance race for 3-year-old fillies Sunday, likely will be pointed to the Grade 2, $250,000 Raven Run Stakes on Oct. 21 at Keeneland for her stakes debut, trainer Simon Callaghan said Monday.

Classy Tune, by Maclean’s Music, has won her last two starts, both at Del Mar.

“She deserves a shot at a stakes after that performance,” Callaghan said. “We’ll probably go to the Raven Run.”

Business dips for Pacific Classic

Del Mar showed slight declines in attendance and allsources handle on last Saturday’s 11-race Pacific Classic program from the corresponding day in 2016.

Saturday’s program drew a crowd of 23,509, down 2.6 percent from 24,155 last year. All-sources handle was $24,929,218, a decline of less than 1 percent from the record of $25,126,232 set last year.

The attendance was the second lowest in the history of the Pacific Classic, which was first run in 1991. The 2015 race drew a crowd of 20,424.

Saturday’s 50-cent pick four drew a track-record pool of $1,576,876, surpassing the previous mark of $1,443,431 set on Pacific Classic Day in 2016.

SHIGEKI KIKKAWA Martin Garcia, who won the Pacific Classic aboard Collected last Saturday, has been limited recently by a back injury.