"As for the Breeders' Cup, we will decide about that next week," Lobo said."He'll go back to California on Tuesday and we'll see how he does then. Hedoesn't have to run in the Breeders' Cup to become sprint champion. We beatSpeightstown and Cajun Beat here and won three Grade 1 races. If anything,we'll look at the Cigar Mile. I was concerned about him coming into the race, because he didn't run that well at Del Mar. Today, he proved to be a great horse in my eyes. He was perfect -- and he ran like hell."
Pico Central raced close to the pace and between rivals as the fractions fell in :22 3/5; "45 3/5 and :57. But he was clearly the better horse on the day, as he drew away to the ninth win of his 14-race career. The $300,000 winners' purse moved his career earnings well over the $1 million mark.
"He's a very nice horse," said winning jockey Victor Espinoza. "He was very sharp out of the gate, and we didn't have to do too much with him. By the three-eighths pole, he was dragging me, just cruising. But I knew I had to wait, and at the eighth-pole is when I told him to go. As for Speightstown, I wasn't worried too much about him. When he got to the three-eighths pole, I saw that he was in a little bit of trouble. I said, `I go this one.'"
Voodoo, at 23-1, got up late to get place from favored Speightstown, while Cajun Beat and Watchem Smokey trailed. "I'm happy with how he ran," said Voodoo's jockey, Jorge Chavez. "I knew there was a lot of speed in the race, so I tried to conserve a little for the end. And at the end, my horse was coming. But the winner was just too much today. At 23-1, my horse ran huge."
Voodoo will likely defend his title in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sport Page Handicap at seven furlongs at Aqueduct, Saturday, October 31st. Favored Speightstown, who saw a four-race win streak halted, will likely head to Lone Star.
"He stumbled a little coming away from there," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "It looked like he recovered and got himself into a decent position after that. I was a little surprised at the time (1:09.74). It was significantly slower than what these horses usually run. I wonder how lively the track was. Pico Central got the trip we expected he would get. We didn't quite punch with him down the lane. I don't think he ran his A-race today, but assuming he comes back okay, we'll talk at Lone Star."
Result Chart race 8
On to the:
Jockey Club Gold Cup
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
Flower Bowl Invitational
