PACIFIC CLASSIC 2011 RESULT: Acclimation Holds Off Twirling Candy (w/Video)
by Matt Gardner on Aug 28, 2011 8:31 PM EDT
in Stakes Results
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PrintAcclimation set an easy, uncontested pace and then held off Twirling Candy in the final furlongs to take the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Twirling Candy, sent off as the 2/1 favorite, once again came up short when attempting to win going a mile and a quarter. The son of former Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride (ARG) looked like he was going to finally notch that elusive win when he swung to the outside of Acclimation in deep stretch but the colt flattened out inside the final furlong and had to settle for second.
Acclimation stopped the timer in 2:00.61, a new track record at the distance on the Del Mar polytrack.
It is questionable that Acclimation will be a major player in the Breeders' Cup Classic as every race he's won in his career has been on turf or (now) synthetics. Additionally, Acclimation is not currently nominated to the Breeders' Cup.
Payouts:
5-Acclimation: 10.80, 5.40, 5.00
10-Twirling Candy: 4.00, 3.40
3-Stately Victor: 7.00
$1 Exacta: 21.10
$1 Tri: 378.20
$0.10 Super: 139.21
$2 Double: 111.60
$1 Pick 3: 223.70
Fractions:
1/4: 24.57
1/2: 48.65
3/4: 1:12.88
Mile: 1:36.61
Finish: 2:00.61
Internal Splits:
1/4: 24.57
1/2: 24.08
3/4: 24.23
Mile: 23.73
Finish: 24.00
Video Replay
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Twirling Candy...
won’t go by anyone at this distance. He was an easy toss for me in this one.
Mandella has let me down all weekend. When I see a trainer wheel back in 20 days with more than 2 works between races, I am on it without much thought. That means super-fit and ready, usually. Well, not with Setsuko. Argh…
I didn’t think a frontrunner would take this race, so, upon replay, I feel like it was lost by the rest in the first quarter as they let the top three betting choices just streak out to an easy, and far-off lead.
Lastly….I guess P-Val is all the way back.
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
One Other Thing....
what a merry-go-round race. Crawling times of 24.5, 48.6 and 1:12, winding up in 2:00. Pretty much 24 seconds per fraction all the way around. I thought DMTC was playing lightning fast. I just don’t believe in biases, or key races, for that matter. I think they are two of the most overrated handicapping angles….
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
I don't know about Twirling Candy...
He couldn’t get by Acclimation but I don’t think it was the distance, rather the slow pace that Acclimation was allowed to set. Prior to this race I didn’t like Twirling due to his failures at the distance but I think his problem lies with something other than stamina. He had plenty today.
I believe in biases but I also think you are right in that they are overrated due to people labeling a surface “biased” just because frontrunners win or the rail wins, without looking at whether those were the best horses in the race.
I thought Del Mar was really fair today (and I thought Saratoga was fair yesterday); the Poly was fast, but fair. That’s what makes the Pacific Classic (to me) such a oddly run race (and a gift to a great racerider like P-Val). Kudos to Acclimation, but I don’t know that he wins that race if somebody challenges him through the first six furlongs.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on Aug 28, 2011 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions
BC Nomination
Doesn’t BC pay your nomination fee if you win a win-and-you’re-in event?
Also, just like Shack in the Preakness, this was an amazing ride by the jock to completely control the pace and basically take it to a jog.
by TFTribe on Aug 29, 2011 6:08 AM EDT via iPhone app reply actions
They pay the entry fees and travel costs...
but if the horse has not been nominated (or his sire wasn’t nominated), you have to pay $100,000 to supplement. This is what happened to Noosa Beach last year from Emerald. Won the Mile but he wasn’t nominated to the BC and the BC wanted a big chunk of cash to supplement. (Link)
It’s really “Win and You’re Sort Of In”.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on Aug 29, 2011 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I should add...
last year the Longacres Mile was “Win and You’re In”. This year it was not.
The owners paid $25k during the open enrollment period this spring, so Noosa is eligible for the BC this year and a much reduced cost to the owners.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on Aug 29, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I made the assumption that BC would roll up nomination costs with entry fees. I guess I was wrong.
But wouldn’t you that that’d be a huge incentive for entries to win-and-you’re-events? I mean BC only has a bankroll of like 100mil, you think they could afford the handful of horses a year that would qualify for the incentive bonus.
by TFTribe on Aug 29, 2011 1:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think you are right - that would be a huge incentive.
I understand why they don’t do it – they want encourage the nomination of stallions and foals – but it really can put some owners at a huge disadvantage, especially those coming from small tracks. Case in point, if a smaller track like Emerald (or Parx or any other claiming track) gets a “Win and You’re In” event, and a local horse wins (and they aren’t nominated) they will most likely sit it out. The $230k they wanted for Noosa Beach last year was outlandish.
The Longacres Mile was a WAYI for the past few years but not once did the winner actually go on to the Breeders’ Cup (and prior to this year, the last six winners were locally owned). It would be tough for a local Washington owner to put up the cash to supplement given the purse structure here compared to the bigger tracks.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
And Down The Stretch They Come | @PressThePace
by Matt Gardner on Aug 29, 2011 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
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