2019/11/01 13:37
Nov. 4 & 5 | Keeneland
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HALL OF CHAMPIONS

Accelerate

  • Owner
    Hronis Racing LLC
  • Trainer
    John W. Sadler
  • Jockey
    Joel Rosario
  • Breeder
    Mike Abraham
  • Sire
    Lookin At Lucky
  • Dam
    Issues

Hronis Racing LLC’s Accelerate took command at the head of the stretch, turned back a bid from Thunder Snow at the three-sixteenths pole and then held off Gunnevera by a length to win the 35th running of the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) for 3-year-olds and up before a crowd of 70,423 to climax the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs.

Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Joel Rosario, Accelerate covered 1 ¼ miles over a fast track in 2:02.93. The victory gave Sadler his first Breeders’ Cup triumph and was the ninth for Rosario and first in the Classic.

Accelerate is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Lookin At Lucky out of the Awesome Again mare Issues. The Classic was the fourth consecutive Grade 1 victory and fifth of 2018 for Accelerate who has compiled a 7-6-1-0 record in 2018. It was Accelerate’s fourth victory at the 1 ¼-Mile distance in 2018.

Mendelssohn led the field of 14 through fractions of :22.68, :46.46 and 1:10.61 with McKinzie and West Coast stalking to his outside and Thunder Snow saving ground along the rail. Rosario had Accelerate in the clear after breaking from post 14 and approaching the far turn made his move at the leaders. At the head of the stretch, Accelerate swooped to the lead with Thunder Snow moving to second to mount a short-lived challenge.

“He ran a great race and Joel rode him perfectly,” Sadler said. “We thought that post (14) might be a bonus on the outside. He never got in trouble and never had anything in front of him.”

“That was about as good as it gets,” Rosario said. “That horse is simply unbelievable. It was a great performance.”

Accelerate began his 2018 campaign Feb. 3 with a 1 ¾-length victory in the San Pasqual (G2) at Santa Anita and five weeks later romped in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) by 5 ½ lengths. In his first start outside California, Accelerate finished second by a neck to eventual Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner City of Light in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2). Accelerate rebounded with daylight victories in the Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita by 4 ¼ lengths, the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar by 12 ½ lengths and the Awesome Again (G1) at Santa Anita by 2 ¼ lengths.

Sold as a yearling in 2014 at Keeneland for $380,000, Accelerate was the second Breeders’ Cup starter for breeder Mike Abraham. Abraham, a native of New Mexico, bred Accelerate’s half brother, Daddy D T, who finished third in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Santa Anita.

Accelerate was voted Eclipse Award Champion Older Dirt Male of 2018.

Breeders’ Cup Record
2018 Classic
$ 3,390,000

Breeders’ Cup Earnings

3 Starts
0 Places
1 Win
1 Show
Lifetime Stats

Lifetime

23 Starts 10 Wins 5 Place 6 Show

$6,692,480 Earnings

2019

1 Starts 0 Wins 0 Place 1 Show

$900,000 Earnings

2018

7 Starts 6 Wins 1 Place 0 Show

$5,005,000 Earnings

2017

8 Starts 1 Wins 3 Place 3 Show

$460,600 Earnings

Previous Races

2019
2018
2017
2016
ReplayDateRaceTrackGradeFinish
January 26, 2019Pegasus World Cup Invitational S.GULFSTREAM PARK13
ReplayDateRaceTrackGradeFinish
November 03, 2018Breeders' Cup ClassicCHURCHILL DOWNS11
September 29, 2018Awesome Again S.SANTA ANITA PARK11
August 18, 2018$1 Million TVG Pacific Classic S.DEL MAR11
May 26, 2018Gold Cup at Santa Anita S.SANTA ANITA PARK11
April 14, 2018Oaklawn H.OAKLAWN PARK22
March 10, 2018Santa Anita H. Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and CasinoSANTA ANITA PARK11
February 03, 2018San Pasqual S.SANTA ANITA PARK21
ReplayDateRaceTrackGradeFinish
December 26, 2017San Antonio S.SANTA ANITA PARK22
November 03, 2017Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt MileDEL MAR19
August 19, 2017$1 Million TVG Pacific Classic S.DEL MAR13
July 22, 2017TVG San Diego H.DEL MAR21
June 24, 2017Precisionist S.SANTA ANITA PARK33
May 05, 2017 SANTA ANITA PARK 2
February 04, 2017San Antonio S.SANTA ANITA PARK23
January 01, 2017San Pasqual S.SANTA ANITA PARK22
ReplayDateRaceTrackGradeFinish
November 04, 2016Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt MileSANTA ANITA PARK13
September 24, 2016Los Alamitos Derby S.LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE21
August 26, 2016Shared Belief S.DEL MAR 1
July 28, 2016 DEL MAR 1
June 18, 2016 SANTA ANITA PARK 3
May 22, 2016 SANTA ANITA PARK 4
April 17, 2016 LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE 2
Breeders' Cup World Championships

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