Richard’s Kid Wins Pacific Classic

(Edited Del Mar Thoroughbred Club report)

DEL MAR, Calif. – Richard’s Kid and jockey Mike Smith made it two straight victories in Del Mar’s signature race of the summer season with a narrow but authoritative triumph in the 20th running of the Grade I $1 million Pacific Classic Presented by TVG Saturday.

Outrun in the early stages of the mile and one-quarter contest, Richard’s Kid circled his opposition on the stretch, drove to the lead in deep stretch and then held off 12-1 longshot Crowded House, who was piloted by Corey Nakatani.

“I had no instructions (Smith said with a laugh; he had won this race on the same horse last year and trainer Bob Baffert was back east at Saratoga). The first three jumps out of the gate I said,  Oh, ho, here we go. Just like last year.’ He gathered himself and he was just going so easy. He was moving just like you’d want. I could tell they were going a little too slow, so I had him up there a little closer than I normally would. But it was easily done. Then it was just like d j  vu all over again. Pretty much just like that. He came running and he galloped out strong, too. He’s just a nice horse.

“You know, this is only the second time I’ve ever been on him. Last year (win in the Pacific Classic) and this. I just want to ride him once a year,” Smith said.

Dakota Phone, winner of the San Diego Handicap earlier this season, closed well from last to be third, a half-length behind Crowded House and a length in front of fourth-place Battle of Hastings in the field of ten older Thoroughbreds. Fifth was the 5-2 favorite The Usual Q.T., and he was followed in order by Temple City, Isle of Giants, Hold Me Back, Unusual Suspect and Awesome Gem.

Richard’s Kid, a five-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid owned by Zabeel International Racing Corp. and trained by Bob Baffert, accomplished the distance in 2:03.27 and returned $11.60, $5.60 and $3.80 while earning $600,000 to boost his bankroll past the $1.5 million mark, to $1,566,370. Additionally, since the Pacific Classic is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race, Richard’s Kid clinched a spot in the Breedeers’ Cup Classic November 6 at Churchill Downs.

“There had been a lot of talk about speed holding today, but Mike let him drop back and make his big run. He ran well on this racetrack. He’s two for two in the Pacific Classic. You can’t get any better than that. I just told Mike,  You remember your horse, you know how he runs. Mike just said we’re just going to break, let him drop back and let him run his race. And that’s what he did. He really fired off a slow pace and that’s hard to do,” Jim Barnes, assistant to Baffert, said.

Crowded House paid $10.60 and $6.40, while third-place Dakota Phone returned $4.80 to show. All starters carried 124 pounds in the weight-for-age race.

Richard’s Kid is the third two-time winner of the Pacific Classic, joining Skimming and Tinners Way on that list of repeat victors. For his career, Richard’s Kid has won eight of 26 starts.

The stakes win was the third of the meet for Smith and his third in the Pacific Classic. Only Garrett Gomez, with four wins, has more. Smith now has 31 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Baffert and his third in the Pacific Classic. Richard Mandella also has three Classic wins, but they both trail the late Robert Frankel who won the race six times. Baffert is Del Mar’s leading stakes winner all time and he now has 87 stakes firsts.

EL BRUJO IS BEST IN PAT O’BRIEN

In a supporting feature on the 11-race program, El Brujo and Joel Rosario led from start to finish to win the Grade I  $298, 000 Pat O’Brien Stakes by a half-length over Crown of Thorns, with 6-5 favored Smiling Tiger, hero of the Bing Crosby Stakes, third, 4 1/4 lengths farther back.

El Brujo, a son of Candy Ride, ran the seven furlongs in 1:21.70 and returned $9.60, $3.80 and $2.80 while earning $180,000 with his seventh win in 18 lifetime outings. Crown of Thorns, making his first start since being nosed out by Dancing in Silks in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last November, paid $3.40 and $2.40, while Smiling Tiger returned $2.20 to show.

El Brujo is owned by Arnold Zetcher who, a year ago, won the Pacific Classic with Richard’s Kid, Subsequently, Richard’s Kid was sold to the horse’s present owner, Zabeel Racing International Corp. Baffert also trains El Brujo who qualified for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint since the Pat O’Brien Stakes is a Win and You’re In race.

Rosario, seeking his second straight Del Mar riding title, booted in five winners to wrest first place from archrival Rafael Bejarano who was blanked. Rosario, who also won the Del Mar Mile on Enriched, leads 42-41 with eight days remaining in the Del Mar meeting.

Saturday’s attendance was 23,678.

ENRICHED WINS DEL MAR MILE

Enriched, half-brother to 2006 Pacific Classic winner Lava Man,  earned his stakes spurs today with a  game wire-to-wire triumph Saturday in the $190,000 Del Mar Mile, a supporting feature on the day of the 20th running of the $1 million Pacific Classic.

With jockey Joel Rosario in the saddle for his third consecutive win on the program, Enriched held on tenaciously in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:34.83 for the mile over the infield grass course.

Meteore, sent postward at 7-1, tried valiantly to overhaul the winner, but had to settle for second, a neck in front of Bruce’s Dream. Blue Chagall was fourth in the field of six runners. Golden Mexico was withdrawn from the original line-up.

The victory gave Enriched and automatic entry into the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Mile, as part of the “Win and You’re In Mile Division”.

Enriched, the lukewarm 2-1 favorite, paid $6.40, $3.80 and $2.60 while earning first money of $105,000. Since being claimed for $32,000 November 1 of 2009 at Santa Anita by trainer Doug O’Neill,  the son of High Brite and Li’l Ms. Leonard has won $340,676 with three victories, four seconds and three thirds in a dozen starts for new owners Glenn Sorgenstein and Joshua Kaplan of W.C. Racing, Mark Verge and Neil Haymes. The five-year-old California-bred gelding had been stakes-placed six times, but the Del Mar Mile marked his initial success in an added-money race.

Lava Man, also haltered by O’Neill, ranks as the greatest claim in Thoroughbred racing history, winning $5,170,103 after switching barns.

Meteore returned $6.20 and $3.20, while Bruce’s Dream, second choice in the betting, paid $2.60 to show.