2023 Pat O'Brien Stakes Preview

West-coast sprinters will have a chance to show their best in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes on Saturday, August 26, at Del Mar. The race, at 7 furlongs on the dirt, offers a purse of $250,000 as well as an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series. The race drew a field of 11 runners, featuring both well-proven West Coast sprinters and horses trying to make their first impact at the graded-stakes level. It is open to both sophomores and older horses, though every runner this year is at least four.

Inaugurated in 1986 in memory of its namesake actor and racetrack co-founder, the race was originally the Pat O’Brien Handicap. It has been run under weight-for-age conditions instead since 2009. Its winners over the years include some very recognizable names in horse racing history: Sensational Star, Lit de Justice, Alphabet Soup, and two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents.

Pat O'Brien Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 26
• Track: Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California
• Post Time: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: TVG.com and FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

2023 Pat O'Brien Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the eleven entrants, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Pat O'Brien Stakes Prep Race Results

The eleven runners come from eight different races. The only race with more than one last-out runner is the Bing Crosby (G1), the previous top-level sprint race of the Del Mar meet. Four runners come out of that race. The best finisher among them was Anarchist, who ran second by just a head. Fifth-place C Z Rocket, eighth-place Hoist the Gold, and 12th-place Spirit of Makena all come into this race, as well.

Two others come out of graded-stakes company. Brickyard Ride turns back after a third-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego (G2), while Bye Bye Bobby cuts back even more after finishing third in the 1 ½-mile Cougar II (G3). Visitant also comes out of stakes company, though not graded; he makes his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Forego at Turfway on February 4.

Four other runners come out of allowance company. Vivir Con Alegria was second behind Long Range Toddy in a conditioned race at Gulfstream on July 16 at Gulfstream. Moose Mitchell won a second-level allowance at Del Mar on July 22, a race in which Go Joe Won was fourth. Sir Atticus cleared his first-level condition at Del Mar on July 21.

Pat O'Brien Stakes Contenders

These are the eleven horses entered in the 2023 Pat O'Brien, organized by post position:

1. Moose Mitchell: This 4-year-old gelding is in the best form of his career. Trainer George Papaprodromou tried to turn him into a turf horse after claiming him last fall, but he switched back to the main track three starts ago and has rattled off wins in a California-bred optional claimer, an open first-level allowance, and an open second-level allowance. He loses jockey Umberto Rispoli, who is riding in Japan this week, though it’s hard to judge whether Mario Gutierrez is a worse fit since his rides came on turf. He is intriguing at a price off his recent rise in form, though don’t take too short of a price as he is hemmed in on the rail.
2. Go Joe Won: He won the Shared Belief against sophomores last year, but three starts against older horses this year have left him a bit wanting. This will be his first try at one turn since a maiden race last year, but that was a subpar effort. He does better at Del Mar than Santa Anita, but that’s still not enough to suggest he will find enough to contend in his toughest spot yet.
3. Hoist the Gold: He finished a chasing eighth in the six-furlong Bing Crosby last out, but has found consistently better form in seven-furlong races. He has never been off the board going seven, including a second-place finish behind Cody’s Wish in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) on Kentucky Derby day. Given that form and his tactical versatility, it would be no surprise to see him run on for another piece of the action in this spot, too.
4. Sir Atticus: This four-year-old John Shirreffs trainee cedes experience to the rest of the field; he did not debut until this May and has raced just three times. He handled Del Mar and an extended one-turn distance well in a first-level allowance last out, and he has the speed to get a forward trip in this race. He will need to take another step up in this Grade 1 spot, but trainer John Shirreffs is having a solid meet with limited runners, and Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith stays aboard.
5. C Z Rocket: Now nine years of age, he won this race in 2020. The old man of the dirt sprint division has not won in over a year, but he has gotten second in five starts since then, including major spots like the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Triple Bend (G2). His last win did come when he was wearing blinkers, and he can still rate and rally with them on, suggesting the blinker change might help him around. A win may be too much to ask, but he fits on exotic tickets.
6. Brickyard Ride: He set the pace and ran a credible third behind Senor Buscador in the San Diego (G2) last out against proven two-turn horses, but now cuts back to his better game of sprinting. He has the speed to be the pacesetter in this spot, and he has been able to carry his speed and win at seven furlongs once in three starts. However, he tends to do his better work at Santa Anita and not Del Mar, which is a concern if he is heavily bet.
7. Spirit of Makena: He looked like the rising star of the West Coast sprint division after wins in the San Carlos (G3) and the Triple Bend, but came up completely empty last out in the Bing Crosby. However, he had a nightmare trip, breaking slowly and checking. If he gets a better break and can work his usual stalking trip, he fits, and his form last year suggests that he is just as effective at Del Mar as he is at Santa Anita.
8. Visitant: This 11-time winner has been a strong presence in the stakes races at Turfway over the last few years, and makes his first jaunt out west. He has some credible dirt form, having finished second to Maxfield in the 2021 Alysheba (G2) at Churchill Downs, but this is his first dirt try since a flat eighth in the 2021 Stephen Foster (G2). His consistent form over six and a half furlongs at Turfway bodes well for him to try seven, though his dirt form is a question, and new arrivals to Peter Miller’s barn often get bet on but also often underperform.
9. Anarchist: His only graded victory came on the Tapeta at Woodbine back in May, but he ran quality seconds behind Elite Power in the True North (G2) and then The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby in his two starts since. Ramon Vazquez, who rode him in the Bing Crosby as well as the Kona Gold (G3) (where he also ran a good second), gets back in the saddle. He has the tactical speed to work the right trip, and his good form in 6 ½-furlong races against graded company recently allays any fear around his ability to handle seven furlongs that may come from a couple of poor maiden efforts last year.
10. Vivir Con Alegria: He began his career in Chile and won the Cup Fernando Moller Bordeu (G2) at a flat mile in April, but has been defeated in two stateside starts since. However, he did show improvement from his first American start to his second, and that good second stateside start came at a seven-furlong trip. He will have to prove he can track the pace, since both of his stateside starts have put him on the lead, and he probably lacks the early gas to outrun Brickyard Ride to the front. Other signals are mixed as well: second off the lay tends to be a good part of the form cycle for Amador Sanchez trainees, but he also tends to underperform in graded races.
11. Bye Bye Bobby: Horses don’t often cut back from 1 ½ miles all the way back to seven furlongs, but the move makes a kind of sense with Bye Bye Bobby. It got him fit first off a two-month freshening and showed he could handle the Del Mar footing. But, much of his form in New Mexico comes in 6 ½-furlong sprints. He will have to handle the outside post, though his ability to run a winning race from almost anywhere in the pack gives Drayden Van Dyke options for where he chooses to drop Bye Bye Bobby into the pack. If this horse brings his best, he has longshot appeal.

Pat O'Brien Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Pat O'Brien Stakes?

A: The Pat O'Brien happens on Saturday, August 26, at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. It is the 10th and featured race of the 11-race Saturday card at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Pat O'Brien Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert leads all trainers with six victories in the Pat O’Brien between 2000 and 2022. Baffert does not have an entrant in this year’s edition of the race. Among trainers with a horse in the 2023 edition, Peter Miller leads with two. He won with Appealing Tale (2015) and C Z Rocket (2020), and entered both C Z Rocket and Visitant this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Pat O'Brien Stakes?

A: Off of a pair of second-place finishes behind the likes of Elite Power and The Chosen Vron, Anarchist is the 7-2 favorite in the Pat O’Brien. Off that kind of class, he is almost certain to be the favorite at post-time. The one horse who might challenge for that status is Spirit of Makena, 4-1 second choice on the morning line. He fired a clunker in the Bing Crosby, but had so much trouble that day that bettors will likely be forgiving.

Q: Who is the best Pat O'Brien Stakes jockey?

A: Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza leads all riders with six victories between 2001 and 2009. He is still active but does not have a call in this year’s running. Among jockeys riding this year, Drayden Van Dyke leads with two victories. He won with Catalina Cruiser (2018) and Ginobili (2021), and will try to win his third with Bye Bye Bobby.

Q: Who won the Pat O'Brien Stakes in 2022?

A: Laurel River won the 2022 Pat O’Brien for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez. Baffert does not have a horse in the race this year, though Hernandez takes the call on Brickyard Ride for trainer Craig Lewis. Even though the 2022 Pat O’Brien winner does not return this year, one previous winner does return for another try: 2020 winner C Z Rocket races for trainer Peter Miller.