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Eclipse Award winner Accelerate continued his domination of the handicap division with his third straight win at the highest level in Santa Anita’s GI Awesome Again Stakes to complete his build up to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 3.

Accelerate overcame a slow start to beat West Coast, having his first start since finishing second in the Dubai World Cup in March, by a comfortable 2.25 lengths.

“He wasn’t very good in the gate, he didn’t stand very well and that’s probably my fault,” said winning trainer John Sadler.

“I should have taken him one more time to the gate to stand but he overcame it, got a nice clean trip and the best horse prevailed.”

“The Breeders’ Cup is obviously next up. We’ll train here at home and then go over to Churchill about a week before.

“It’s a good feeling that we might go into the Classic as the favorite. He’s a good horse, doing great and probably the best horse in the country now.

“We’ll be ready.”

West Coast will be the top BC Classic contender for champion trainer Bob Baffert.

“He’s got a chance to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic with this race under his belt,” Baffert said.

“We got beat by a really good horse but his class kept him in it, he kept running.

“This race will really set him up well for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

Kicking off this term with a pair of facile victories in the Feb. 3 GII San Pasqual S. and Mar. 10 GI Santa Anita H.,

Accelerate had won the G1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May by 4 1/2 lengths and the made a mockery of the G1 Pacific Classic with a 12 1/2-length victory at Del Mar on August 18.

• Game Winner handled two turns with ease and kept his perfect record intact with a decisive victory in Saturday’s G1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita.

Previously run as the GI FrontRunner Stakes, this win stamped Game Winner as the early favorite for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on November 2.

The fast colt gave Hall of Famer Bob Baffert his eighth win in this 2YO event in 21 years dating back to his first in 1997.

“I just want to get to the Breeders’ Cup with a nice healthy horse,” Baffert said.

“I was very happy to win the first American Pharoah. Pretty cool and nice of Santa Anita to name a race after him.

• Trainer Simon Callaghan won his second straight G1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita with Bellafina.

The victory earns Bellafina an all-expenses-paid trip to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs.

Callaghan sent out Moonshine Memories to win this race, formerly the Oak Leaf Stakes, last year.

• The Uriah St. Lewis-owned and trained Discreet Lover recorded a 45/1 upset win in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on September 29.

With his victory, the 5YO earned millionaire status and a spot in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Discreet used every inch of Belmont’s long stretch to reel in Godolphin’s Thunder Snow and Mendelssohn and land his first G1 win by a neck.

Thunder Snow held second over a game Mendelssohn with Carlino fourth ahead of the fading favourite Diversify.

“It’s the first Grade 1 for the horse and myself,” said St. Lewis. “He did it all. All I want to do is go cash my ticket.”

“Let’s see how he comes out of it, and then we’ll go from there. One step at a time but everything is paid for the Breeders’ Cup so we don’t have to worry.”

Saaed bin Suroor, trainer of runner-up Thunder Snow, was pleased with his charge.

“They went too fast early but I’m happy with the way he ran the race. We’ll take him to the Breeders’ Cup Classic now,” he said.

• On Belmont’s Super Saturday program some 11 years ago English Channel successfully defended his title in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational before following up four weeks late with a towering seven lengths success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Monmouth Park.

Channel Maker, a son of English Channel, has the chance to emulate his sire in the 2018 BC Turf at Churchill after a gallant win in the Joe Hirsch when he held off the challenge of the favourite Robert Bruce.

• Imperial Hint put on a show to win his second straight G1 race in Belmont’s Vosburgh Stakes to set up his challenge for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November.

Sent off a hot 1-5 favorite, the 5YO skipped home to a facile victory by 1 1/4 lengths under wraps.

“We wanted to try to get an easy race before the Breeders’ Cup as a prep because you don’t really want to go into that race having to run really hard,” said winning trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr.

“You always worry but the way he did it was good. I couldn’t ask for anything else from this little horse he was great.”

Imperial Hint was run down late by champion Roy H when second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar last November.

He recorded his first G1 win in Saratoga’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes on July 28.