OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In any other year, it would likely be an easy decision on which Breeders’ Cup race to run Locked.
But this year, one in which the Breeders’ Cup Classic field looks as deep as ever - arguably the deepest ever - the connections of Locked will bide their time before deciding whether to point him toward the $7 million Classic or the $1 million Dirt Mile. Both races are on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Locked put himself in the discussion for a start in either race by returning to form Saturday, running down a loose-on-the-lead Phileas Fogg to win the Grade 2, $300,000 Woodward Stakes by three-quarters of a length. The win helped snap a two-race losing streak for Locked, who last won in March when he roared to an 8 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. That was arguably the top performance put in by an older dirt male in a Grade 1 stakes this year and it came at the Classic distance of 1 1/4 miles.
“You could argue that’s one of the strongest performances of the year,” Todd Pletcher, trainer of Locked, said. “It would take that type of performance to win this Classic.”
Pletcher should know. He has three of the top contenders in the Classic in Mindframe, Fierceness - runner-up in last year’s Classic - and Antiquarian, all of whom have won Grade 1 stakes this year. Others pointing to the Classic are defending Classic winner Sierra Leone, Saudi Cup winner and 2024 Classic third-place finisher Forever Young, and top 3-year-olds Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza and Nevada Beach. Nevada Beach won Saturday’s Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita.
Locked is owned in part by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which also owns the three-time Grade 1 winner Journalism.
Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse, noted that the partners on Locked are not necessarily the same as those on Journalism. Plus, Walmac Farm and Gainesway Farm - the latter is where Locked will stand at stud presumably starting next year - are in on Locked, but not Journalism.
“We need to treat every horse as an individual,” Wellman said Saturday. “They’re distinct partnerships and we’ll do what’s best for each horse.”
Locked, a son of Gun Runner, won the Grade 2 Cigar Mile last fall at Aqueduct. While that was a one-turn mile, Locked did win the Grade 1 Breeders Futurity at 1 1/16 miles around two turns as a 2-year-old. All this suggests that a two-turn mile would suit Locked.
“A lot of it could be how the race shapes up, how fast a pace you get to run at a mile,” Pletcher said. “He’s definitely versatile enough where both are options.”
Locked, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the Woodward, will ship to Saratoga this week to join the Pletcher-trained trio of Fierceness, Mindframe and Antiquarian as they will train there in the lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
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