CITY OF LIGHT, ACCELERATE & DR. DORR HEAD SATURDAY’S GI GOLD CUP AT SANTA ANITA

By Mike Willman —-

Hronis Racing’s Accelerate and jockey Victor Espinoza win the Grade II, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes, Saturday, Februar 3, 2018 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia CA.
© BENOIT PHOTO

CITY OF LIGHT, ACCELERATE & DR. DORR HEAD SATURDAY’S GRADE I, $500,000 GOLD CUP AT SANTA ANITA; WON BY SEABISCUIT IN 1938, ICONIC GOLD CUP TO BE CONTESTED FOR THE 79TH TIME AT 1 ¼ MILES THIS SATURDAY

ARCADIA, Calif. (May 23, 2018)—With three consecutive graded stakes wins to his credit, trainer Michael McCarthy’s City of Light, John Sadler’s consistent, hard-hitting Accelerate and Bob Baffert’s upstart Dr. Dorr head a field of seven 3-year-olds and up going a mile and a quarter in the 79th running of the Grade I, $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita this Saturday. A race steeped in history, the inaugural Gold Cup was taken by the legendary Seabiscuit in 1938 and was run at Hollywood Park until the Inglewood, CA. oval was shuttered in December, 2013.

CITY OF LIGHT

Owner: Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren, Jr. Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Under McCarthy’s patient tutelage, this 4-year-old Quality Road colt has blossomed into one of America’s top rated older horses by virtue of a pair of Grade I wins here going seven furlongs, first on Dec. 26 in the Malibu Stakes and then on March 10, in the Triple Bend. A $710,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, he comes off a hard-fought neck win going a mile and one eighth in the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap on April 14. With an overall mark of 7-4-3-0 and earnings of $940,600, he, like several others, will be trying 1 ¼ miles for the first time.

ACCELERATE

Owner: Hronis Racing, LLC Trainer: John Sadler

Most recently second, beaten a neck by City of Light in the Oaklawn Handicap, Accelerate notched his biggest win two starts back when he cruised to a 5 ½ length win going a mile and a quarter in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 10. A four-time graded stakes winner, this 5-year-old full horse by Lookin At Lucky appears to be at the top of his game as he seeks his seventh win from 19 overall starts The beaten 6-5 favorite by City of Light at Oaklawn Park, Accelerate’s connections may opt to ease off what could develop into a fast early pace on Saturday. With $625,000 in the bank this year from three starts, his overall earnings now total $1,412,480.

DR. DORR

Owner: Natalie J. Baffert Trainer: Bob Baffert

A rising star in a deep and varied equine arsenal, this 5-year-old Lookin At Lucky gelding has won three races in a row here dating back to March 2, at distances of 6 ½ furlongs, a flat mile and most recently, a mile and one eighth. In an effort that served notice to the racing world that he’s now poised to become a major player, Dr. Dorr pressed the early pace and went on to a sensational 7 ¼ length win in the Grade II Californian Stakes on April 28, earning a career-high 108 Beyer Speed figure. Out of the Unusual Heat mare Jax El, Dr. Dorr, who is named for a prominent Southern California-based orthopedic surgeon, is owned by Baffert’s wife Jill and was bred in Kentucky by CHRB Commissioner Madeline Auerbach, the late actor Jack Klugman and Bob Baffert. With five wins from 11 starts and earnings of $288,320, he’ll be trying Grade I competition for the first time.

THE GRADE I GOLD CUP AT SANTA ANITA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 9 – Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

1. Little Scotty—Asa Espinoza—121
2. Accelerate—Victor Espinoza—125
3. Prince of Arabia—Stewart Elliott–121
4. City of Light—Drayden Van Dyke—121
5. Dr. Dorr—Joe Talamo–121
6. Pavel—Mario Gutierrez—121
7. Full of Luck—Flavien Prat–121

First post time for a nine-race card is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10 a.m. For additional racing information, please visit www.santaanita.com.

About Us
Santa Anita Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is North America’s premier supplier of virtual online horseracing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.