Dubai World Cup (G1) favorite Arrogate worked seven furlongs in 1:25.00 at Santa Anita on Sunday, one day before his flight to the Emirates.
As with last Sunday’s seven-furlong move, Juddmonte Farms’ champion was given a target in the form of stablemate Cat Burglar. The script was similar, with Martin Garcia positioning Arrogate a few lengths back early, advancing on the far turn, matching strides in the stretch, heading Cat Burglar at the wire, and pulling clear thereafter. Cat Burglar did his job and hung tough in 1:25.40.
“He went really nice,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said of Arrogate, who was caught in splits of 24.60, 36.80, 48.60 and 1:12.80.
“I saw what I needed to see. He just cruised around there and he’ll ship tomorrow (for Dubai).”
Clocker Bruno De Julio gave Arrogate a positive review on Twitter:
Also Arrogate looks stronger, looks like hind end has returned to form we saw before #BC16. Amazing racehorse. One of the best I’ve seen
— Racingwithbruno (@Racingwithbruno) March 12, 2017
Arrogate is also moving confidently over surface at Santa Anita, where wasn’t before @PegasusWorldCup due to off tracks. All in all, warrior
— Racingwithbruno (@Racingwithbruno) March 12, 2017
Having beaten last year’s Dubai World Cup winner, California Chrome, in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup (G1), Arrogate brings a lofty international rating of 134 into the March 25 Dubai World Cup. That’s the highest rating boasted by any horse to compete in Dubai, as Dubai Racing Channel’s Laura King reported:
Just confirmed with handicapper Melvin Day; assuming he turns up, Arrogate will, at 134, be the highest-rated horse ever to race in #Dubai.
— Laura King (@LauraKingDXB) March 12, 2017
Arrogate received a further form boost when the Pegasus runner-up, Shaman Ghost, plundered Saturday’s Santa Anita H. (G1).
Sunday’s drill completed a rock-solid series of works since the January 28 Pegasus. If Arrogate upholds his usual standard in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, he’ll supplant California Chrome as North America’s all-time richest Thoroughbred with $17,084,600 in earnings.
In other World Cup works stateside:
Baffert’s secondary hope, multiple Grade 1 winner Hoppertunity, ripped six furlongs in 1:11.60 at Santa Anita on Saturday. Third in the 2016 World Cup, the $4 million-earner prepped with a repeat score in the San Antonio (G2).
Clark H. (G1) hero Gun Runner sped the same distance Saturday at Fair Grounds in 1:12.00. The Steve Asmussen pupil was a distant third in Arrogate’s track record-setting Travers (G1) last summer, but warmed up with a terrific display in the Razorback H. (G3) at Oaklawn.
Todd Pletcher’s duo of Neolithic and Keen Ice negotiated five-eighths in 1:00.40 at his Palm Beach Downs base on Sunday. They were respectively third and fourth in Arrogate’s track record-setting Pegasus.
Keen Ice, famous for stunning American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers (G1), was only eighth behind California Chrome in last year’s World Cup for former trainer Dale Romans.
