By Bloodhorse.com
ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 20, 2018) — Masochistic‘s final work for his 2018 debut was technically “in company” Jan. 20 at Santa Anita Park.
Three other workers went into the gate with him and left the gate with him, but he might as well have been alone.
Under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, Masochistic popped out of the gate and immediately put open lengths between himself and the other workers. He was four to five lengths ahead in the backstretch, and the others who left the gate never got close to the speedy grade 1 winner.
The 8-year-old Sought After gelding owned by Los Pollos Hermanos Racing and Jay Em Ess Stable completed his five-furlong work in :59 4/5, the co-fastest of 77 drills at the distance on the Santa Anita main track Saturday. The only other horse of the 77 to work five furlongs in less than a minute was Morse Code (also :59 4/5), but that drill was not from the gate.
“He broke like a rocket last time I worked him and he did the same thing today,” Van Dyke said. “He’s so fast. It’s fun, but with him, he’s very deceiving how fast he’s going. It doesn’t feel like you’re going that fast, but you’re flying. He’s effortlessly fast.”
It was Masochistic’s final timed workout in preparation for the $150,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint Jan. 27, which would be his first start for trainer Bob Baffert.
Masochistic hasn’t raced against California-bred competition since he won an optional-claiming allowance race over Del Mar‘s then-synthetic main track in July of 2014 for trainer A. C. Avila. After being moved to Ron Ellis in 2015, Masochistic won three graded stakes, including the 2015 Triple Bend (G1). Masochistic was transferred to Baffert in 2017.
Other graded stakes winners on the work tab at Santa Anita Saturday were Accelerate (five furlongs, 1:00 3/5), Dalmore (six furlongs from the gate, 1:14 flat), Editore (four furlongs, :52 flat), Miss Sunset (four furlongs, :47 3/5), Pavel (five furlongs, 1:00 3/5), and Skye Diamonds (five furlongs on the training track, 1:02 3/5).