Arrogate Back in California, Will Be Given Brief Break

Juddmonte Farms’ Dubai World Cup (GI) winner Arrogate arrived safely back at trainer Bob Baffert’s Santa Anita Park base on Saturday after a 20,000-mile round trip to the Middle East and 48 hours of quarantine at Los Angeles International Airport. The big gray colt was accompanied by stablemate Hoppertunity, who was sixth in the World Cup at Meydan.

Baffert said Arrogate arrived in good order having lost just about 30 pounds and, while he will be given some time to recuperate, the respite won’t be as long as some may think. In addition to having some post-race rest and relaxation in Dubai, Arrogate also bounces back well after traveling, Baffert said, so the plan is for Arrogate to get “about a week” before returning to the track.

“We’ll back off of him for about 30 days,” Baffert said. “We’ll train him, but he won’t breeze for 30 days. He tells us what he wants to do; we’ll have to do something with him. He’ll run in the Pacific Classic [Grade 1, $1 million at Del Mar on Aug. 19] and then the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) down there [at Del Mar Nov. 4]. He might run one time before that.

“I gave Silver Charm about 30 days off [after the World Cup],” Baffert added, “which was a mistake, because he gained too much weight. We’ll give Arrogate a little time to gain the weight back because he needs to be at about 1,180 or 1,190 pounds at his best. I liked that he didn’t ship right away after the race, because he got a couple of days to relax and take it easy in the air conditioning over there, which helps before they ship.

“The thing about him and American Pharoah [and their ability to rebound after races] is that they’re just superior [athletes],” Baffert explained. “They thrive on training and running, which is what made them so good. You can’t really compare them because American Pharoah was quick, fast. He could have run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) and won that, too. And he could carry that speed. Arrogate is different, he can work five-eighths in a minute, but he keeps going and stretching out and building his speed.”

Arrogate, who ranks as North America’s richest racehorse of all time with $17,084,600 in earnings, has won seven of eight career starts, which includes last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) and Travers Stakes (GI), and this year’s inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup (GI).

Margaret Ransom

California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.

After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.

She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.

In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law known as the “Borell Law.”

Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time. She lives in Pasadena with her longtime beau, Tony, two Australian Shepherds and one Golden Retriever.