Higher Power secures Breeders' Cup place with commanding Pacific Classic win
Higher Power booked his place in the Breeders' Cup Classic with a commanding victory in the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar.
The John Sadler-trained four-year-old finished five and a quarter lengths clear of Draft Pick to land the $1 million (£820,000) prize and secure his Breeders' Cup spot at Santa Anita on November 2.
Jockey Flavien Prat kicked on for home with just over a furlong to race and Higher Power widened his advantage well under pressure.
"The second time is just as sweet," said Sadler, who won this race with Accelerate last year. "It developed pretty much the way we thought. We thought there would be some speed on the inside, and the plan was to stalk. It came out the way we thought it would."
Memorable day for Brown
Cambier Parc showed blistering pace in the closing stages to land the Del Mar Oaks from the Qatar Racing-owned Hidden Message.
The three-year-old charged home under John Velazquez to finish a length and a quarter clear of the runner-up, with Lady Prancealot finishing a further length behind in third.
"It's nice to ride one like this," Velazquez said. "When you ask for it, they give it to you. When we went past the three-quarters, I shifted her out to where she was comfortable. We'd already saved enough ground, and I wanted to get her going. She then took care of it."
It was a memorable day for Brown, who also won the Alabama Stakes with Dunbar Road at Saratoga.
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Published on 18 August 2019inInternational
Last updated 09:46, 18 August 2019
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