Accelerate (horse)

Accelerate (foaled May 10, 2013 in Kentucky) is an active American Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for defeating champion Arrogate in the 2017 GII San Diego Handicap, and for winning the GI Santa Anita Handicap, GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes, GI Pacific Classic Stakes and the GI Awesome Again Stakes in 2018.

Background

Accelerate is a chestnut stallion with a small star and one sock on his left hind leg and two coronet bands, one on his right hind leg, and one on his front right leg. He was purchased as hip #1162 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $380,000 by Hronis Racing.

2016: 3-year-old season

Accelerate did not race until April of his 3-year-old season. He made his debut in a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on April 17th at Los Alamitos Racecourse, where he finished 2nd, beaten by half a length by Westbrook, but finishing a neck ahead of future champion Arrogate. He finished 4th in his next race, a 6 1/2 furlong Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita Park on May 22nd. He then finished 3rd in a 7 furlong Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita Park on June 18th. He broke his maiden in his fourth try in a mile Maiden Special Weight at Del Mar on July 28th, where he defeated future graded-stakes winner Curlin Road by 8 3/4 lengths.

He made his next start in the inaugural running of the mile Shared Belief Stakes on August 26th at Del Mar. He ran in third position most of the race, before taking the lead on the final turn and holding off Taman Guard and Semper Fortis to prevail by half a length.^[1]

After his win, he was the favorite in the 1 1/8 mile GII Los Alamitos Derby. Sitting in fourth position and wide throughout the race, he made a move on the final turn to challenge Blackjackcat, as Semper Fortis took the advantage on the rail. Semper Fortis was in the lead for most of the long homestretch, but Accelerate gradually wore him down to win by a head. Accelerate had to survive a 13 minute stewards' inquiry for bumping Blackjackcat near the wire. ^[2]

Accelerate trained up for his first attempt in a grade I race, the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 4th at Santa Anita.^[3] He finished a rallying third, only a neck behind future Horse of the Year, Gun Runner, and 3 1/2 lengths behind the winner, Tamarkuz.^[4]

2017: 4-year-old season

Accelerate started his 4-year-old season in the GII San Pasqual Stakes on January 1st at Santa Anita Park, where he finished a second on a sloppy track, 1 1/4 lengths behind the favorite, Midnight Storm.^[5]

He then finished third in the GII San Antonio Stakes on February 4th, behind GI winners Los Alamitos Futurity winner Mor Spirit and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Hoppertunity. ^[6]

Accelerate was then given a short break after he was forced to scratch from the GII Oaklawn Handicap after he spiked a fever when he arrived at Oaklawn Park.. He returned in a 1 mile Allowance Optional Claiming on May 5th at Santa Anita Park. He finished 2nd, beaten by 1 1/4 lengths, to multiple graded-stakes winner Danzing Candy. Accelerate then returned to graded-stakes in the 1 1/16 mile GIII Precisionist Stakes on June 24th at Santa Anita Park ^[7] Accelerate finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind stakes-winner Cat Burglar and 15 1/4 lengths behind the winner, Collected. ^[8] He then made his next start in the 1 1/16 mile GII San Diego Handicap on July 22nd, where he wore blinkers for the first time and had a rider switch from Tyler Baze to Victor Espinoza. He would face 2016 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse Arrogate, who had not lost in seven races since his debut.^[9] Accelerate was driven to the lead by his new rider Victor Espinoza. He set fractions of 23.49 for a quarter of a mile, 47.07 for half a mile, and 1:11.39 for three-fourths of a mile while separating himself from his competition. He had a 7 length lead as he entered the homestretch and widened his margin to 8 1/2 lengths as he passed the wire.^[10] His trainer John W. Sadler said after the race: "He liked this track last year. You know he won two here last year," Sadler said after the race, referencing Accelerate's maiden-breaking win in July of 2016 and his Shared Belief Stakes score in August. "He trained really well Sunday up at Santa Anita and showed a lot of pop when Victor worked him from the gate, and they kept telling me it was $50,000 for second. You want to win. You don't want to concede anything, but I'm surprised we won, because Arrogate is the best horse in the world. A couple of things went right for us and one of them was Arrogate didn't fire his best. That's what has to happen for these big upsets." On July 29th, John W. Sadler announced that Accelerate would run for the first time at 1 1/4 and have a rematch with Arrogate in the GI Pacific Classic on August 19 at Del Mar. John Sadler said: "He likes the track, and if there was ever a time to try a mile and a quarter it's now." ^[11] Accelerate ran in second position most of the race behind Collected as Arrogate stalked in third. Accelerate challenged Collected on the turn for home, but flattened out in the stretch to finish third, beaten 4 lengths. ^[12] Accelerate's next start would be a second try at the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 3rd at Del Mar. Accelerate was never comfortable and did not fire to finish ninth in a field of ten, the worst finish of his fourteen race career. ^[13] As he was training for a second start in the rescheduled GII San Antonio Stakes on December 26th, his trainer said: “He came out (the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile) with a sore foot, and then ended up popping a quarter crack, so, we’ve got all that fixed up. He had a bullet work on December 12th on a slow, heavy track.” ^[14] Accelerate finished second, beaten by 3 1/4 lengths by multiple-graded stakes winner Giant Expectations.^[15]

2018: 5-year-old season

Accelerate started his 5-year-old season in the GII San Pasqual Stakes on February 3rd. John Sadler about Accelerate: "He's doing really well and had a good race the other day, he came out of the Breeder's Cup with a quarter crack, we got over that, and then (the San Antonio) was a strange race. It was a strange race, but the horses in there—there's no doubt about them. They're good horses and he didn't let Collected by."We want to be up in the race, though, and if it's a (slow) pace, we'd like to be out front by three lengths." ^[16] Accelerate overcame a troubled trip in the San Pasqual Stakes to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Prime Attraction. ^[17] It was then announced that Accelerate would target the 1 1/4 mile GI Santa Anita Handicap on March 11th at Santa Anita, his owner Kosta Hronis said about Accelerate showing patience in the San Pasqual: "His last race—with him not breaking well, with him checked up, and with him having to show some patience—it indicated to us he's maturing, maybe he's showing enough maturity now to show more at a mile and a quarter. We thought we saw a different Accelerate."He's perfect at a mile and a sixteenth or a mile and an eighth, and I'd rather he go to a mile and a quarter than the other way, to a mile." Accelerate ran in second behind Mubtaahij for the first part of the race, before he started to pull away from Mubtaahij and romped by 5 1/2 lengths with a time of 2:01.83 for 1 1/4 Miles.^[18] He was then pointing to the 1 1/8 mile GII Oaklawn Handicap on April 13th.^[19] He finished second, beaten by a neck behind multiple GI winner City of Light. John Sadler said after the race: "First time out of town, and I thought he ran a great race, I was pleased. Remember, it was a handicap, and we were giving away the weight."^[20] Accelerate and City of Light would have a rematch on May 27th in the GI 1 1/4 mile Gold Cup at Santa Anita.^[21] Accelerate broke well and stalked in third position as Dr. Dorr lead with City of Light in second, before Accelerate made his move turning for home and opened up a 4 1/4 length lead as he crossed the wire in front. He had a final time of 2:01.38. ^[22] He was then entered to defend his title in the GII San Diego Handicap on July 21st at Del Mar, but he was scratched since John Sadler did not want to run his stablemate, Catalina Cruiser, and Accelerate in the same race.^[23] Accelerate was then trained up to the GI Pacific Classic on August 18th at Del Mar.^[24][25] He drew post 5 with a new rider in Joel Rosario who would replace the injured Victor Espinoza. He was bumped at the start before moving up to stalk the pace, which was set by Roman Rosso, he stayed in third until he made a strong move around the far turn and drew off in the stretch to win by 12 1/2 lengths—a record margin in the 1 1/4-mile event. The final time was 2:01.83. Joel Rosario said after the race:"He's a very nice horse, he put me in a good place, and took me to the outside, and we went from there.^[26]

References