The fields for the 14 races that comprise the Breeders’ Cup World Championships really begin to come into focus in summer and fall and this regular feature will offer a snapshot profile of one of the previous weekend’s standout stars.

Geaux Rocket Ride punched his ticket to the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic with a 1 ¾-length victory July 22 in the $1,017,500 TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. Geaux Rocket Ride was a promising prospect on the road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, but a fever knocked him out of the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and off the Triple Crown trail. On Saturday, the bay Candy Ride colt showed elite talent in the Haskell.

Geaux Rocket Ride has raced four times and he’s never run a bad race with three wins and a second-place finish in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes in only his second career start. After the fever knocked him off the Triple Crown trail, patient Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella decided to take his time with his talented prospect.

Mandella brought Geaux Rocket Ride back from a three-month layoff in the Affirmed Stakes June 4 and he won by 1 ¾ lengths as the overwhelming favorite at Santa Anita Park.

“He’s just a classy little dude,” Mandella said after the Affirmed.

Geaux Rocket Ride beat only four horses in the Affirmed, so the Haskell was a much more daunting test against Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets third-place finisher Tapit Trice, unbeaten Southwest Stakes winner Arabian Knight, and highly regarded Extra Anejo.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith picked up the mount for the first time on Geaux Rocket Ride in the Haskell, and from the beginning Smith rode him with confidence. Smith moved his mount from the inside post in the eight-horse field to three or four paths wide and in the clear approaching the first turn, just a few lengths behind pacesetter Awesome Strong and 11-10 favorite Arabian Knight.

Smith asked Geaux Rocket Ride to accelerate on the final turn and he ranged up to engage Arabian Knight. He moved past Arabian Knight with Mage challenging on his outside in early stretch, and it looked like Mage might surge right past. Geaux Rocket Ride had fuel in reserve, however, and pulled clear of the Derby winner powerfully by completing the final eighth of a mile in 12.45 seconds.

Considering Geaux Rocket Ride stalked a solid pace and was trying 1 1/8 miles for the first time, his fast final furlong bodes well for how he might handle additional distance. He equaled a career-best 104 Equibase Speed Figure and established a new best 100 Beyer Speed Figure, a four-point jump from his previous top.

As a 3-year-old with only four career races, Geaux Rocket Ride has plenty of room to improve and speed figures suggest he will need to do so to be a serious threat in the Longines Classic. The average winning Equibase Speed Figure for the Classic over the past 20 editions in 120.85 with a median of 119. Can Geaux Rocket Ride make that kind of jump? That remains to be seen. As for his Classic chances, there are reasons for optimism.

• Hall of Famer Mandella won the Classic in 2003 with Pleasantly Perfect and owns nine career Breeders’ Cup wins from 48 starters (18.75%). That is an impressive strike rate, but West Coast-based Mandella has traditionally loved home cooking at the Breeders’ Cup as all nine of his wins have come at Santa Anita Park, host of this year’s World Championships. In fact, he has won with nine of 24 Breeders’ Cup starters at Santa Anita for a remarkable 37.5% win rate. If Geaux Rocket Ride is in the starting gate Nov. 4, it would be a mistake to overlook him.
• Three-year-olds have historically done well in the Classic, winning six of the last 16 runnings of the race and 11 of 39 Classics in the history of the race. Like Geaux Rocket Ride, Bayern in 2014 and Arrogate in 2016 both profiled as 3-year-olds who started to come into their own in the second half of the season.
• Tactical speed has become increasingly important in the Classic in recent years, something which Geaux Rocket Ride boasts having never been worse than fourth in any of his starts or more than 3 ½ lengths off the pace. None of the last 11 Classic winners was worse than fifth at the first point of call in the 1 ¼-mile race or more than 3 ½ lengths back after the first quarter-mile.

Mandella said after the Haskell that shipping back cross-country for the Travers Stakes Aug. 26 at Saratoga would not be an option for Geaux Rocket Ride. The FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes Sept. 3 at Del Mar against older horses is a far more likely next start as he could stay on the West Coast and benefit from an extra week of rest after a career-defining win. Expect him to run well in the Pacific Classic and solidify his credentials as a legitimate Longines Classic contender.