Although the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes does not include California’s top older sprinter The Chosen Vron, the seven-furlong race Saturday at Del Mar is no easy spot for a trio of contenders with something to prove. Anarchist is too good to be labelled a bridesmaid, yet he finished second in four straight U.S. graded stakes. Brickyard Ride is an eight-time stakes winner, but he has never won at Del Mar. As for Spirit of Makena, two-time graded winner at seven furlongs, he was lucky that a brutal trip last out carried no aftereffects. Anarchist, Brickyard Ride, and Spirit of Makena are top contenders in the $250,000 Pat O’Brien, a one-turn race that offers a fees-paid berth in the two-turn Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. :: Get Del Mar Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day.  The field for the Pat O’Brien includes C Z Rocket, a 9-year-old who won the stakes in 2020; Moose Mitchell, up in class off three highly rated allowance wins; Hoist the Gold, a Grade 1-placed sprinter; Sir Atticus, dominating allowance winner in his third career start; and Visitant, a stakes-winning comebacker. Go Joe Won, Vivir Con Alegria, and Bye Bye Bobby also entered. Skipping the race is The Chosen Vron, who will train into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint following his victory in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes. His absence could tilt Pat O’Brien favoritism to Anarchist, whose seven starts this year include six runner-up finishes sandwiched around a Grade 3 victory at Woodbine. Last out in the six-furlong Bing Crosby, Anarchist missed by a head. “He’s knocking on the door, he’s been facing some really tough competition,” trainer Doug O’Neill noted. “I actually think the added distance won’t hurt him at all. He’s just doing really well.” Prior to the Bing Crosby, Anarchist finished second at Belmont Park in the Grade 2 True North, won by the country’s top sprinter Elite Power. Anarchist is comfortably drawn Saturday in post 9, where jockey Ramon Vazquez has options. Although a win would give him a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, O’Neill acknowledged the BC Sprint might be a better fit. “I think he’s better at one turn, but if we see a huge effort and good energy on the gallop-out, the [Dirt Mile] is something we would consider,” O’Neill said. A similar dilemma faces Brickyard Ride, who shortens to one turn after finishing third in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. It was his best effort yet over the Del Mar surface. “I still think he prefers Santa Anita,” trainer Craig Lewis said. “The facts speak – he’s won eight stakes there.” Brickyard Ride could be the speed of the speed in the Pat O’Brien, and Lewis will postpone Breeders’ Cup discussion until after the Pat O’Brien. “We wouldn’t rule out the [BC] Sprint either, it’s basically going to be up to him,” Lewis said. “If he runs well, we’re good. If he doesn’t, we’ll probably do something else.” Juan Hernandez rides Brickyard Ride, a 13-for-27 speedster expected to set the pace. Brickyard Ride’s last work was Aug. 14. “I don’t say this by way of an excuse or a complaint, but I obviously could not do what I originally planned by reason of the storm,” Lewis said. “But I don’t think it’s going to have much of an effect on him.” Spirit of Makena was second choice in the Bing Crosby, despite trainer George Papaprodomou warning he prefers seven furlongs over six. The argument was moot, because Spirit of Makena was eliminated in traffic on the turn. Fortunately, his bad luck was confined to the race. “We got lucky, he came out of it good,” Papaprodomou said. “Besides clipping heels and losing a front shoe, thank God he came back fine.” Seven furlongs is the right trip for Spirit of Makena, who won back-to-back graded stakes at the distance in spring at Santa Anita. Spirit of Makena, 4 for 6, would become a Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile candidate if he wins the Pat O’Brien under Joe Bravo. Papaprodomou also starts Moose Mitchell, whose three recent allowance wins give him a license to take a shot in a Grade 2. The inside post is a challenge. “I’m a little concerned about that, but he usually breaks pretty good, so hopefully he’ll be okay,” Papaprodomou said. Mario Guiterrez rides Moose Mitchell. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.