Roy H © Benoit Photo
Eclipse Award-winner Roy H, Breeders’Cup Dirt Mile winner Battle of Midway, two-time Bing Crosby Stakes winner Ransom the Moon, plus undefeated San Diego Handicap hero Catalina Cruiser top a vintage eight-horse line-up in Saturday’s 33rd running of the Grade II $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs.
Part of the Breeders’ Cup’s series of “Win and You’re In” qualifying events, the Pat O’Brien winner is guaranteed an all expenses-paid berth in the $1 million BC Dirt Mile in November at Churchill Downs.
Paco Lopez will be in from the east coast to pilot the Peter Miller-trained Roy H, who earned his Eclipse Award as the champion sprinter of 2017 by winning the BC Sprint at Del Mar last November. Most recently, he was runner-up to Ransom the Moon in the Crosby for the second straight year. Lopez rode Roy H to victory in the True North at Belmont Park in June of ‘17 and was aboard when the More Than Ready gelding was an unlucky second in the Crosby last summer, being pushed to the middle of the track turning into the stretch by the riderless Drefong.
Ransom the Moon, who will have regular rider Flavien Prat aboard for trainer Phil D’Amato, appears at his peak after he made it two straight in the Crosby a month ago with a brilliant come-from-behind performance.
Battle of Midway, victor in the BC Dirt Mile by a half-length over Sharp Azteca, returns to competition after a brief but unsuccessful stint at stud. Mario Gutierrez has the call from trainer Jerry Hollendorfer on the son of Smart Strike who has worked well for his comeback effort.
Catalina Cruiser, who will be piloted by Drayden Van Dyke for trainer John Sadler, is unbeaten in three starts, including a break-out victory in the San Diego Handicap July 21. He will be cutting back in distance from the mile and one-sixteenth of the San Diego to the O’Brien’s seven furlongs. Catalina Cruiser is the highly-regarded stablemate of 2018 Pacific Classic winner Accelerate.
The other four entrants in the O’Brien are Vorticity, Tiago Pereira; Threefiveindia, Joe Talamo; Horse Greedy, Stewart Elliott, and St. Joe Bay, Tyler Baze. Sadler also trains Horse Greedy, an allowance winner recently, and St. Joe Bay, fifth after setting the pace in the Crosby, while D’Amato also entered Vorticity and Threefiveindia, the latter making his West Coast debut after placing in stakes in New York.
According to allowance conditions, Roy H, Ransom the Moon and Battle of Midway are in at 123 pounds, two more than Catalina Cruiser and four more than Threefiveindia, Vorticity, Horse Greedy and St. Joe Bay.
Supporting feature on a ten-race program Saturday is the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes for three-year-olds running one mile. Entrants are Cool Bobby, Afleet Ascent, Yulong Warrior, Shivermetimbers and Tatters to Riches.
Post time for the first race Saturday is 2 p.m.