Old Pal prevails in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. – Favorite Old Pal and jockey Antonio Fresu found racing room in the stretch and kicked clear to prevail in Saturday’s $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic presented by City National Bank going 1 1/8 miles on California Cup Day at Santa Anita.
Sent off the 9-5 favorite, Old Pal settled in mid-pack through fractions of 24.18, 47.42 and 1:11.51 for six furlongs. They were stuck behind horses when the field reached the top of stretch, but once things cleared Old Pal proceeded to grind his way to a one-length victory. Coalinga Road (14-1), who won this race in 2023, rallied to be second under Umberto Rispoli with a neck back to On the Whim (7-2) in third.
For Fresu, this was his third win on the card and second stakes victory. Two races earlier, the 33-year-old Italian sprung an 8-1 upset on Shocking Grey in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint.
“The horse ran great today,” Fresu said. “He came up from the middle of the pack, found the lane and just did an amazing job. All credit to (trainer) Mark Glatt and his team. I think the extra eighth of a mile really helped. It allowed him to stretch it out and get the win.”
Old Pal won in a time of 1:47.93. He is owned by Blinkers On Racing Stable, Carolyn Corbett and Jai H. Desai et al. Prior to the Turf Classic, Old Pal on Nov. 17 at Del Mar rallied to be third in a second-level allowance going a mile.
“He needs that good hot pace,” Glatt said. “We didn’t get a good pace today, it was just okay. But I think the extra eighth of a mile was the difference. At the sixteenth pole I was wondering if he was actually going to get there but he grabbed them late.”
This was Old Pal’s second stakes win. As a 3-year-old in 2023, the Grazen gelding won the Snow Chief Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita. He is now 11: 4-2-4 with $341,190 in earnings.
Old Pal paid $5.60, $3.00 and $2.40. Coaling Road, trained by Carla Gaines, returned $9.60 and $6.20. On the Whim, ridden by Tiago Pereira for Dean Pederson, paid $3.40.
