San Antonio Stakes serving as Pegasus World Cup prep

For the first time in the race’s 80-year history, Santa Anita Park’s San Antonio Stakes will run on opening day of the track’s winter and spring meeting, repositioned for older horses to prep locally for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

The move worked.

The Grade 2, $300,000 race — which also ran this year on Feb. 4 — attracted Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Collected as a headliner. Also in the field is Prime Attraction, who won the Grade 3 Native Diver last out.

“I’ve had Stronach people calling me about the Pegasus the last three weeks,” trainer Jim Cassidy told the Daily Racing Form. “As far as I’m concerned, if he runs good in here you’ve got to take him.”

The Pegasus World Cup has nine of its 12 slots confirmed, with Prime Attraction among the handful of horses that could help fill out the field at Gulfstream Park. Normally, cost to run in the race is $1 million, but by purchasing slots available at last week’s deadline, the Stronach Group can now negotiate on an individual basis with connections to lure them.

Fear the Cowboy, winner of the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday last week at Gulfstream, could go, while recent Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap winner Sharp Azteca remains in limbo, with trainer Jorge Navarro saying he could have the horse ready if ownership commits. Never count out Hoppertunity, who has already won the San Antonio once this year and always seems to collect a check in graded stakes company.

As for Prime Attraction, a 4-year-old by Unbridled’s Song, Cassidy told DRF the colt has “got a lot of natural speed, but he’s the kind of horse you can’t take hold of, because he will take off and get in a speed duel going three-quarters in ten-and-something. That’ll be the end of him.”

Against Collected, that’s not an ideal scenario. But should Prime Attraction perform well in spite of it, he could be off to the richest race of his career.