Zipse: Geaux Rocket Ride leads 3-year-olds in Pacific Classic
Arcangelo zoomed to the zenith of the 3-year-old male division with a convincing score in Saturday’s Travers Stakes. It was his third straight graded-stakes win, and it will take some doing to knock the son of Arrogate from the mountaintop. The race for a championship is not over, however, and California’s sophomores will look to answer in Saturday’s Pacific Classic (G1).
The $1 million affair will give a trio of the West Coast’s top sophomores their first opportunity to prove themselves against Grade 1 older horses. And as a key prep for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, the 10-furlong signature event at Del Mar also will open a small window in which to surpass Arcangelo for the division lead. Leading the way is the Richard Mandella-trained Geaux Rocket Ride.
The son of Candy Ride is lightly raced but riding high after an impressive score in the Haskell Stakes (G1). A winner of three of his four lifetime starts, the only defeat he has suffered so far came in a solid runner-up finish to Practical Move in the San Felipe (G2) in March. Considering that defeat came after only a six-furlong maiden win, it was a strong effort.
Owned by Pin Oak Stud, he was scratched out of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) because of sickness, and his Hall of Fame trainer did not rush him back to the races. Returning in June in the Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita, he scored a facile victory in the 8 1/2-furlong race, which set him up perfectly for his statement win last time out at Monmouth Park.
Joining Geaux Rocket Ride among the trio of 3-year-olds ready to take on the challenge of facing older horses for the first time in the Pacific Classic are the Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight and the John Shirreffs-trained Skinner.
Arabian Knight has even less racing experience than Geaux Rocket Ride. The son of Uncle Mo made a big splash last fall with an eye-catching debut win at Keeneland. He then became an early favorite for the Kentucky Derby when he romped home in the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park in January.
Physical problems took him off the Derby trail, but the $2.3 million 2-year-old in training purchase made it back to the races in July. He battled on the early lead as the favorite in the Haskell before tiring to third. An improved effort in his second race off the layoff would make him a dangerous runner in the Pacific Classic.
Skinner has yet to win a stakes race, but the son of Curlin has long looked like one who could develop into a top horse for C R K Stable. He certainly has been knocking on the door.
Earlier this season, he rallied for third behind Practical Move in both the San Felipe and the Santa Anita Derby. Forced to miss the Kentucky Derby with a fever, he returned this summer to run second behind Reincarnate in the Los Alamitos Derby.
The three all are promising, and in the Haskell Geaux Rocket Ride already announced himself as one of the top sophomores in the nation. Still, defeating older horses at 10 furlongs is no easy task.
Leading the way among the older contingent expected for the Pacific Classic are Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) winner Defunded; Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Stilleto Boy; the top two from the recent San Diego (G2), which serves as the local prep for the Pacific Classic, Señor Buscador and Slow Down Andy; and the 2021 Pacific Classic winner Tripoli.
They are a solid bunch of California older males, but they are also very beatable if one of their younger rivals can step up to the occasion.
In the first 32 editions of the Pacific Classic, 3-year-olds have won only five times. Best Pal, General Challenge, Came Home, Dullahan and Shared Belief proved up to the challenge. Will Geaux Rocket Ride, Arabian Knight or Skinner add their name to that illustrious list?
2023 would seem like a good opportunity for it to happen for a sixth time. And if it does, the 3-year-old winner would likely need only a follow-up victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) nine weeks later to surpass Arcangelo for an Eclipse Award.