TVG Pacific Classic S.

A bout of colic caused Maximum Security to fall behind in his preparation last year, forcing him to miss a start in the 2019 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

This year he seems on course for the $7 million championship-defining race. Racing Aug. 22 at Del Mar in the $500,000 TVG Pacific Classic, he illustrated that he remains one of the world’s horses with a three-length triumph over Sharp Samurai.

With the Pacific Classic part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” program, he earned an automatic paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Relative to a troubled trip in last month’s San Diego Handicap, when two rivals tag-teamed him early and he was shuffled back leaving the first of two turns, Maximum Security’s race in the Pacific Classic could not have gone much smoother. He effortlessly made the lead in the 1 1/4-mile race while under just mild pressure from Sharp Samurai, strolling through quarter-mile splits of :23.93, :47.98, and 1:12.37.

He began flicking his ears forward as the field raced down the backstretch, indicative of him traveling comfortably, and when Sharp Samurai and Higher Power eventually began to turn up the heat, he responded. He left the second turn in command, extended his lead to 1 1/2 lengths in midstretch, and was pulling away even more at the finish.

He completed the distance in 2:01.24, the fastest time in the Pacific Classic since Collected (2:00.70) in 2017. He paid $2.80 as the odds-on favorite.

Midcourt, who had set the pace in the San Diego before being caught by a nose by Maximum Security, ran evenly from a stalking position to grab third, 2 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up. He edged defending champion and fourth-place finisher Higher Power.

Prior to a purse reduction this year due to the business climate amid COVID-19, the Pacific Classic had been worth $1 million or more since its inception in 1991.

The victory gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a record-tying sixth Pacific Classic, matching the mark of the late Bobby Frankel. Baffert began training Maximum Security this spring after the colt’s former trainer, Jason Servis, was indicted on doping-related charges in March.

“He’s a top horse. People need to know he is the real deal,” Baffert said. “It’s a shame what he’s gone through. It’s not his fault, but he is a great horse.”

Baffert last won the Pacific Classic with Collected, who later finished second to eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“I felt a lot of pressure because I didn’t want to be the one to slow him down,” the trainer said in an interview on TVG. “But I got a healthy horse from the Wests. He just galloped around out there. He’s just built like a powerful horse and he’s light on his feet. I’ve always had a lot of respect for him because I’ve been chasing him. We were expecting something like this.”

Maximum Security became the sixth champion in the last 10 years to win the Pacific Classic, following Accelerate (2018), California Chrome  (2016), Beholder (2015), Shared Belief (2014), and Acclamation  (2011).