Catapult, Collected beat sunrise

ARCADIA, Calif. – Catapult and Collected worked minutes before dawn Sunday at Santa Anita in advance of scheduled starts in Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, although Collected may not make the field for the BC Classic.

Catapult, bound for the BC Mile, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, the fastest of 71 works at the distance. Trainer John Sadler described the work as “sharp.”

Owned by Woodford Racing, Catapult won two Grade 2 turf races at Del Mar during the summer – the Eddie Read Stakes on July 22 and the Del Mar Mile on Aug. 19. In both races, Catapult closed from off the pace to take the lead in the final strides under jockey Drayden Van Dyke.

As of Sunday, Collected was not guaranteed a berth in the BC Classic, a race in which he finished second last year. The BC Classic drew 19 pre-entries but will be limited to 14 starters.

Collected was not among the 14 horses selected to start by a committee of racing officials after pre-entries were announced last Wednesday, and would need some horses above him to withdraw. Four of those horses also are pre-entered in the BC Dirt Mile, although one of them – Lone Sailor – is expected to start in the Classic. City of Light, pre-entered in the Classic and Dirt Mile, may run in the Dirt Mile.

On Sunday, Collected was the only horse to work seven furlongs, finishing in 1:25.20. Collected galloped out a mile in 1:40.60, according to Santa Anita clockers. Collected had splits of 25.20 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.80 for a half-mile. He finished the final three furlongs of the workout in 35.40.

Owned by Speedway Stable, Collected is winless in two starts this year – a seventh in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park and a fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby Championship on Sept. 22 at Parx Racing.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he has no alternative race in mind for Collected if the 4-year-old colt does not draw into the field. Breeders’ Cup entries were taken Monday.

“We’re all in,” Baffert wrote in a text message.

Rematch looms in Goldikova

Vasilika and Fahan Mura will meet for the second time in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf Sunday at Santa Anita. Both fillies had their final workout last Sunday.

Vasilika, who won the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes on Sept. 29 for her seventh consecutive victory, worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Vasilika won the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 1, a race in which Fahan Mura finished third after setting the pace.

Fahan Mura, trained by Vladimir Cerin, worked five furlongs in 1:01.60. Fahan Mura won the restricted Swingtime Stakes at a mile on turf here Oct. 7, her second win in a restricted stakes race this year. At Del Mar in July, Fahan Mura won the Osunitas Stakes on turf.

The $200,000 Goldikova Stakes is one of two Grade 2 races on the final day of the Santa Anita autumn meeting. The $200,000 Twilight Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf is the co-feature.

Kazan, second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 2 in his graded stakes debut, is a candidate for the Twilight Derby. Trained by Simon Callaghan, Kazan has been a workmate in recent weeks for Bellafina, the favorite for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs.

◗ Friday’s 10-race program includes two stakes – the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies for statebred 2-year-olds and the $70,000 Lure Stakes for turf milers. First post is noon Pacific.