Arrogate 'just not where he was' in Breeders' Cup 2017 defeat

By Jonathan Lintner

What went wrong Saturday for Arrogate in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic?

Exasperated jockey Mike Smith said, simply, “Everything.”

If it wasn’t an inside post that did in the defending Classic winner, it was the Del Mar dirt. Or the fact — we can fully admit it now — that Arrogate ran his last great race in March at the Dubai World Cup.

“I just think the horse is not where he was,” said trainer Bob Baffert, who likened Arrogate's recent form to "a pitcher who can't find the plate."

Arrogate veered toward the rail out of the gate and had beaten just three of 11 contenders to the first turn — that after Smith said he planned to push for position at the start. Despite blazing fractions up font, he didn’t gain ground late, suffering a third straight loss.

All of them came at Del Mar.

“He just doesn’t seem to get ahold of this race track for whatever reason,” Smith said. “I hate to blame it on the track, but he’s shown it time and time again. I keep trying to talk myself into, ‘He’s going to like it one day.’ He just never did.

“Normally he’d gobble up ground going that fast. He did in Dubai. For some reason, he just doesn’t ever seem to get ahold of it here. I don’t know why. I’m lost for words, honestly."

Arrogate had trained well up to his final race before going to stud at Juddmonte Farm in Lexington, Ky., with recent works indicating he might be the colt of old. The stride was back. His head was down. He was in the bridle.

Thanks to the Dubai World Cup win, a victory in the first Pegasus World Cup and last year’s Classic victory, he’s the highest-earning racehorse of all time nonetheless, and in just 11 starts.

“He’s one of the greatest horses I’ve ever trained,” said Baffert, who before this year had won three straight runnings of the Classic, including the 2015 renewal with American Pharoah.

“Some horses, they’ll just — he’s so much better that. I’m disappointed to see him go out like that, because we know how great he is.”

With a last-to-first effort earlier in the year at Meydan, few could have predicted Arrogate would finish his career in a dead heat for fifth win longshot Gunnevera.

“He has given us the biggest thrills in racing,” Baffert said. He was hurting, but, “I feel worse for the horse."