Slo-Mo Classic Upset
Longshot Student Council ran the biggest race of his 20-race career in the Pacific Classic, winning the 1 1/4 mile $1 million stakes by half a length over Awesome Gem. Hello Sunday was third. Final time for the race, run for the first time over Polytrack, was 2:07.29 — Lava Man won last year’s edition, run over dirt, in 2:01.62. What a difference a surface makes. This year, Lava Man finished sixth as the even money favorite. “He tried hard,” said jockey Corey Nakatani of Lava Man’s effort. “But he was struggling a bit out there. He wasn’t really getting the track” (Blood-Horse).
