Knightsbridge dominates the Pacific Classic with style, Benoit Photo
Del Mar Press
Godolphin’s Knightsbridge withstood a fierce battle on the lead through the first mile of the mile and one-quarter Pacific Classic at Del Mar Saturday, then went on impressively through the stretch to come away a six and a quarter length winner of the 36th edition of the seaside track’s $1,000,000 Grade I headliner.
The big 5-year-old horse by Nyquist, who had shipped to Del Mar from the east after a smashing victory in the Monmouth Cup five weeks earlier in New Jersey, repeated his exceptional speed on the other coast in a sparkling victory in the west’s richest race. He covered the 10 furlongs in 2:01.79.
Junior Alvarado was reunited with Knightsbridge for the Pacific Classic and rode his mount courageously despite being put to the task by the speedy Full Serrano, who is owned by Hronis Racing. Once the winner had shaken that rival off at the head of the lane, he finished on his own while the rider merely wave the wipe alongside him.
Alvarado also had won the previous race on the card, the Grade I Del Mar Oaks. Those two scores were his first stakes tallies at Del Mar.
Longshot Original Sin, who is owned Calumet Farm and was ridden Saturday by Juan Hernandez, closed nicely late to get up for second, a length and a quarter ahead of the game Full Serrano.
The winner, who paid $4.20 as the race favorite, picked up a check for $600,000 for his efforts to push his bankroll to $1,523,155. He’s now won eight of his 12 lifetime starts, with the two most recent registering in the exceptional category. He also earned himself a free admission into the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland through that group’s “Win and You’re In” program.
Del Mar’s handle on the afternoon was $29.14 million, the second highest (non-Breeders’ Cup day) in its history. The attendance came in at 15,187, a 13% increase over last year’s gathering.
JUNIOR ALVARADO (Knightsbridge, winner) – “When we got to the first turn I thought we were moving along pretty well and at the backstretch my horse switched leads to the right and that’s when I kind of wanted to give him a little breather and kind of engage a little bit again. My horse kind of went on with him and I was getting a little worried for how we wanted to go, but at the same time it wasn’t like he was overly trying. He was kind of skipping over the ground. I had my hopes that when I asked him he would give me his best right when we turned for home. It was all heart there. In the gallop out I couldn’t even pull him up he was going so strong. He’s a horse that has a lot of talent.”
JOEL ROSARIO (Full Serrano, third) – “He had a lot of heart. It looked like he was going to put them away, but he really did an unbelievable job.”
KENT DESORMEAUX (Om N Joy, fourth) – “I think she ran the race of her life. One incident going under the wire the first time, after that it was smooth sailing.”
BILL MOTT (Knightsbridge, winner) – “It was quite impressive. I thought maybe they were going a little too fast down the backside. They were going 45 and two or three, a pretty honest pace for a mile and a quarter race. They went quick but gosh he had something to finish with.”
FRACTIONS: :22.68 :45.45 1:09.53 1:35.17 2:01.79
The stakes win was the second of the meet and second at Del Mar for rider Alvarado. The stakes win was the first of the meet, but the 12th at Del Mar for trainer Mott. He had won the Pacific Classic previously with Go Between in 2008.
The winning owner and breeder is Godolphin, the global thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoun, the ruler of Dubai.
