Even at age 6, with only 10 starts under his belt, American Classic can still be considered lightly raced, but the Florida-bred gelding looked like a seasoned professional in getting his first stakes victory at Sunland Park on Saturday. The son of Distorted Humor dug in down the stretch to prevail by a head over the favored Sky Jedi in the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes and notch his fifth career win.
American Classic, bred by Gilbert Campbell of Stonehedge Farm South in Williston, ran in third place early in the five-furlong sprint as Cape of Bradford and Loves Bonus battled for the early lead. The two frontrunners covered a quarter-mile in 22.02 seconds and a half in 45.33 seconds, a fast pace that caused Cape of Bradford to fade to seventh in a field of eight down the stretch.
With Agapito Delgadillo aboard for the first time, American Classic bid between Sky Jedi and Loves Bonus at the quarter pole and got up in the final strides to win an extended duel with Sky Jedi. American Classic finished in 57.70 seconds on a fast track. Loves Bonus was third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Sky Jedi.
Winning trainer Jon Arnett said he was confident that American Classic would run a good race as long as he avoided acting up in the starting gate. In the gelding’s prior start Jan. 12 at Sunland Park, American Classic broke through the gate as his rivals were being loaded and later finished second, just a neck behind Quiet Again, in a $40,000 optional claimer.
“When the horse broke through the starting gate last time out, I knew it took a little bit of the steam out of him, and I figured if everything went our way (Saturday) and he behaved in the gate, we had a shot. I couldn’t believe the odds he went off at. I loved the horse in the race. Agapito ran a perfect race. As we got down to the wire, there was a little bit of bumping, but I think the stewards saw it the same way we did, that Sky Jedi was causing more of it than we were.”
American Classic returned $23.40, $10.40 and $4.60, while Sky Jedi paid $4.40 and $3.40 and Loves Bonus $2.20.
American Classic has been a part of the exacta in eight of his 10 starts and earned $126,340 for owner Brian Mundell. The horse arrived in Arnett’s barn at Sunland Park in the fall of 2008 as an unraced 4-year-old who had never been tattooed and had just been purchased from Jess Jackson.
After finishing second in his career debut in January 2009, American Classic won three straight races at Sunland Park, including a $32,000 allowance. He concluded his 2009 campaign by making his stakes debut in the $50,000 KLAQ Handicap at Sunland in December, finishing second behind stablemate Happy Humor, who ran fourth in the Budweiser.
American Classic is being pointed toward the $50,000 Bill Thomas Memorial Handicap, which covers 6 ½ furlongs at Sunland on March 13.
“He was impressive, and he came out of the race in great shape,” Arnett said. “The race sets us up well for the Bill Thomas at 6 ½ furlongs, which I really think is more this distance.”
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– Photo of Florida-bred American Classic by Coady
