Horse Racing | Go Between takes Pacific Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. — Go Between prevailed in a tough stretch battle with Well Armed to win the $1 million Pacific Classic by a neck Sunday at Del Mar.

Go Between, favored at 5-2, is trained by Bill Mott. Garrett Gomez rode the 5-year-old, who ran 1-¼ miles in 2 minutes, 1 second and paid $7.60 to win in the Grade I event.

The victory gave Go Between an automatic spot in the Oct. 25 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as part of the Win and You're In program that has made certain stakes races BC qualifiers.

Go Between settled in eighth place in the 10-horse field and moved up to fifth with a quarter-mile left. Well Armed, who had sat just off the early leaders under Aaron Gryder, took the lead into the stretch but was run down late by Go Between.

"I like to keep him covered early, like a turf horse, because he started off running on grass," Gomez said.

Go Between merits consideration as a Breeders' Cup Classic contender because of his performance on synthetic surfaces. Go Between has three victories and three second-place finishes in six such starts. The Breeders' Cup will be run on a synthetic surface for the first time this year.

Owner Peter Vegso, publisher of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books, said Mott made the decision to switch Go Between from grass races to synthetic after the horse perked up training on the Polytrack at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. The horse has shipped to run four times on California synthetic surfaces this year and produced two wins and two seconds.

"I'm as happy as can be," Vegso said of a synthetic-track Breeders' Cup. "I'm looking forward to it. It would be great if Curlin comes, if Big Brown comes. That would be terrific competition."

Student Council, last year's Pacific Classic winner at 23-1, finished fifth at 7-2.

Other races

• Hystericalady, a 5-year-old mare partly owned by George Todaro of Seattle, won the Grade II Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., for the second consecutive year. She beat runner-up Rolling Sea by 8 lengths. Hystericalady, ridden by Robby Albarado and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, ran 1-1/16 miles in 1:43-1/5 and returned $2.20 on a $2 win bet.

• Intangaroo ($12.20 to win), a 4-year-old filly trained by Gary Sherlock, took the Grade I Ballerina in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.