Horse Racing: Jockey Club Gold Cup

The 40th Breeders' Cup is 10 days away, so let's catch up on a couple notes of interest. Breeders' Cup entries will be drawn on October 30, but a pair of Todd Pletcher-trained superstars - Forte and Nest - won't be among the nearly 200 horses competing for a title. Pletcher, though, has several others in his stable that are capable of success.…

The Aqueduct betting odds have been released for the Woodward and Champagne Stakes, which run for $500000. Headlining the action is Life is Good in the Woodward, which attracted only five runners but it should be a quality race. The Aqueduct schedule and entries have a bigger field for the Champagne, so it should be competitive weekend…

Proxy goes gate-to-wire in the Monmouth Cup (G3) July 22 (Ryan Denver/EQUI-PHOTO) NYRA Press Office SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- Godolphin's Kentucky homebred Proxy, winner of the Grade 1 Clark in November at Churchill Downs, will headline next Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup. The 10-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up offers a "Win…

Slew o' Gold was a regally bred son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, but a case could be made that there was a touch of Alydar in him. Like the Calumet Farm runner who finished second to Affirmed in all three legs of the 1978 Triple Crown, Slew o' Gold had a second-place finish that overshadowed an impressive list of accomplishments during a…

Proxy and Rattle N Roll, two of the top older males in the nation, top a field of eight set for Saturday's Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. Proxy could be the choice over his rival in the 10-furlong prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic on the strength of a front-running score in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup in his last start. The 5-year-old son…

Rivalries are on the verge of becoming passé these days. With shorter careers and horses receiving more time off between races, the best horses are squaring off much less frequently than decades ago. In fact, one of the most heated rivalries since the turn of the century involved Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra - and they never raced against each…

The $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday (10.40pm) is the defining race at the Breeders' Cup. Usually the final race on the card, it has a new slot in the programme. This time it will follow straight after a compelling Breeders' Cup Turf before being followed by the big sprints. That also means you won't have to wait…

The stars of the Saratoga Race Course meet will bring a substantial presence to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park this weekend. The biggest star among them will not. Travers winner Arcangelo was declared out of Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic on Tuesday because of a minor foot issue, and owner Jon Ebbert told the Daily Racing Form that the son…

The Breeders Cup is undoubtedly one of the world's most anticipated horse racing events. With professional riders hailing worldwide, this year's cup promises even more action and adrenaline-pumping moments starting in November at Santa Anita racing grounds. Fortunately, there will be no shortages of competent horses and championship prospects. So,…

Secretariat's human connections had failed him by making a last-minute decision to run in the Sept. 29 Woodward Stakes without the proper prep work, but it did not take long for the Bold Ruler colt to turn things around. The Man o' War Stakes was coming up just nine days later and was the race Secretariat was originally being pointed to before the…

Clapton (outside) denies Trademark in the Lukas Classic (Coady Photography) Churchill Downs Press Release LOUISVILLE, Ky.- A fast early pace helped set up the closing kick of Clapton, who flew down the Churchill Downs stretch to narrowly edge Trademark by a head at the wire and win Saturday's 10th running of the $438660 Lukas Classic (Grade II) for…

A fast early pace helped set up the closing kick of Clapton, who flew down the Churchill Downs stretch to narrowly edge Trademark by a head to win Saturday's 10th running of the Grade 2, $438660 Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up. Clapton, ridden by Cristian Torres and trained by Chad Summers, stopped the teletimer in 1:48.79. Summers won the…

Friday's Race Recap from Churchill Downs: (All odds US) Churchill Downs: Race 4: 5th@ 2.62/1 Race 8: 2nd@ 2.72/1 Race 10: 4th@ 10.20/1 In Race 4, Norwich had a tough trip on debut checking early. She ran on well to be fifth but in a five furlong race you can't have any mishaps. In Race 8, Mo Fox Given raced near the back early and began to pick off…

Clapton makes the grade in the Ghostzapper (G3) April 1 at Gulfstream Park (Coglianese) Churchill Downs Press Release LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Trainer Chad Summers made a splash in 2018 at Churchill Downs when his multiple Grade I-winning New York-bred Mind Your Biscuits won the Lukas Classic (Grade II). Five years later, Summers is back at the Louisville…

In the latest of our series reliving the Secretariat's three-year-old campaign, we look back on the day the equine icon went back to Belmont Park - and got seriously stuck in the mud It had been business as usual for the magnificent Secretariat in the Marlboro Cup on his previous start, a romping victory in record time. The next step for Big Red…

Rattle N Roll rolling through the wire in the Pimlico Special. (Barbara Singer/Past The Wire) Darren Rogers/Churchill Downs LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Lucky Seven Stable's five-time graded stakes winner Rattle N Roll leads a competitive field of nine older horses that entered Saturday's 10running of the $500000 Lukas Classic (Grade II) at Churchill…

In his final update at the end of a troubled summer at the nation's most beloved venue, Steve Dennis pays tribute to a prolific trainer who snatched a share of the meet title from Chad Brown From first to last, Linda Rice took Saratoga by the scruff of the neck. She trained the first winner on opening day (Bustin Bay) and trained the last winner on…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Jockey Javier Castellano keeps landing in the right spots. On Saturday, that spot was the winner's circle, after he rode Bright Future to a nose victory over Proxy in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course. The 45-year-old Hall of Famer added that to his wins in the Kentucky Derby on Mage and the Belmont Stakes…

In a thrilling edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes Sept. 2 at Saratoga Race Course, Bright Future earned his first stakes victory by a nose over Proxy, who brought a far more accomplished résumé to the 1 ¼-mile dirt race. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series, and with his victory Bright…

Sunday's card at Saratoga Race Course will be bolstered by a Pick 6 carryover of $251589 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Saturday's 12-race program. The $1 Pick 6 returned $27954 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly. The sequence kicked off in Race 7 with the Manny Franco-piloted General Partner [No. 3, $9.30] graduating…

Friday's Race Recap from Saratoga: (All odds US) Saratoga: Race 2: 2nd@ 1.20/1 Race 4: 1st@ 0.25/1 - 2 pt win 🔥🔥🔥 Race 5: 2nd@ 3.50/1 Beautiful weather to kick off the weekend of racing. In Race 2 Dolomite broke a bit slow and was checked and shuffled back from her rail post in her debut effort and came with a wide run and was moving best late…

Bright Future won the 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga, a "Win & You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Classic, after holding off a late bid from Proxy. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Bright Future was triumphant in his Grade 1 debut, stalking the pace and fending off a rally from Proxy to capture the 105th running of Saturday's $1…

Bright Future (inside) prevails narrowly in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (NYRA/Coglianese) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Bright Future was triumphant in his Grade 1 debut, stalking the pace and fending off a rally from Proxy to capture the 105th running of Saturday's $1 million Jockey…

The handicap division has taken its share of criticism this year regarding lack of depth. But other than Whitney Stakes (G1) winner White Abarrio, whom I view as the most likely winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic, all the leaders of the older male division are in Grade 1 action Saturday either in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the Pacific…

Carl Spackler victorious in the Saranac under Tyler Gaffalione (NYRA/Coglianese) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- Carl Spackler, trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, backed up his heavy 1-5 favoritism and doubled up on Saratoga Race Course graded stakes scores in Friday's…

Hall of Fame trainer James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons had the highest of opinions regarding Gallant Fox, the first of his two Triple Crown winners. "Gallant Fox was the best 3-year-old I ever handled, perhaps the greatest 3-year-old that ever lived," Fitzsimmons said. Fitzsimmons is regarded by many as the greatest trainer of all time. He conditioned…

The Ken McPeek-trained Rattle N Roll will try to get back into the winner's circle when the starting gate opens in the 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The 4-year-old son of Connect is coming off a second place finish in the Stephen Foster Stakes, which ended a three-race winning streak. For…

Earlier this summer, it was possible to imagine a Jockey Club Gold Cup field that would include White Abarrio, West Will Power, Art Collector, Zandon and Smile Happy. The picture has changed considerably in the intervening weeks, however. White Abarrio is reportedly training up to the Breeders' Cup, West Will Power has been retired, Art Collector…

The final Saturday of the Saratoga meet includes a number of stakes races. The feature on the Saturday card is the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The race looks like a bit of a heavyweight showdown between Proxy and Rattle N' Roll. Rain was had on Wednesday and it was pretty clear throughout the day that speed was dominant. As the track dried out Thursday…

For the seventh year in a row, America's Best Racing is challenging some of the brightest minds in horse betting to come up with their top three picks for key races every weekend leading up to the 2023 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships. The handicappers face off in what we like to call the "Big Race…

1 of 2 | Rattle N Roll, shown winning the Ben Ali at Keeneland in April, is the morning-line favorite for Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Keeneland Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Arcangelo moved into the top position among 3-year-old contenders for November's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic with his victory in last…

I am going to be honest with you. Until it was time to handicap the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, I did not know the horse Tyson existed. Now he's my pick to win the race on Saturday at Saratoga. Technically, I think no. 4 Rattle N Roll is a more likely winner, but based on how I think the public will bet this race, I see Tyson as the play. What we…

By Pat McKenna - NYRA Press Office SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that the NYRA Bets Late Pick 5 bonus will be increased to $3 million on Sunday, September 3. Sunday's $3 million Late Pick Five Bonus is available exclusively to NYRA Bets members. In addition to the pari-mutuel payout, the bonus…

The Saratoga meet has been marred by heavy rainfall & high profile breakdowns. Friday they look to enter the homestretch of the meet under clear skies and incident free. Post: 1:10 PM ET; $136.5k Maiden Special Weight going 5 1/2 f on turf; Entries: 10 #2 IRISH GENT (7-2) debuts here and receives the top selection. He deserves respect competing…

The eighth and final Saturday of the 2023 Saratoga season features three graded stakes, two of which are relatively new additions to the Spa calendar. The historic Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) essentially switched places on the schedule with the Woodward (G2) in 2021, so the Gold Cup has been run at Saratoga for only the past two years. Thus, a…

East Coast racing fans who boast that Saratoga is the Holy Grail of summer racing better think again. The debate on Twitter about whether Del Mar or Saratoga is the place to be was contentious. Probably about 65-35 in favor of Saratoga. But the numbers don't back that up. Not by a long shot. There's no debating the fact Del Mar enjoyed a much…

Skippylongstocking takes the West Virginia Derby (G3) Aug. 6, 2022 (Coady Photography) NYRA Press Office SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- Daniel Alonso's multiple graded stakes-winner Skippylongstocking, a game third in last year's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, is under consideration for the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on…

PLAYERS COME BACK IN GOOD SHAPE FOLLOWING G1 CLEMENT HIRSCH The morning after was business as usual at the Bob Baffert barn Sunday, less than 24 hours after his impressive filly Adare Manor won the G1 Clement Hirsch. The'Win and You're In' victory punches her ticket to the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita November 4 and allows Baffert a chance…

Change. Sometimes we fear it, and sometimes we embrace it. President Bill Clinton once said that "the price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change." Few major races have had as much change in their history as the Jockey Club Gold Cup. One of those changes began last year with the race moving to the final weekend of the…

Saratoga Race Course, 2022. Photo by Amira Chichakly, courtesy of NYRA. Saratoga Race Course opens its 2023 season on Wednesday July 13. The opening comes amid news of both renewal of the sport with state-sponsored financing for a rebuilding of Belmont Park and threats to the existence of the sport from a rash of fatalities at numerous high-profile…

When horses achieve greatness, or accomplish particularly memorable feats, it is customary for stakes races to be named in their honor. Across the country, there are races the bear the names of legends like Man o' War, Secretariat, Kelso, and Cigar; even more recent greats like Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, and Wise Dan are remembered with stakes…

Shotgun Hottie hit a new peak on Saturday when toppling odds-on favorite Search Results and five others in the $500000 Molly Pitcher (G3) at Monmouth Park. Sent away the 8-1 fourth choice in the 1 1/16-mile fixture for fillies and mares, Shotgun Hottie was bumped at the start and raced four wide throughout, but was not ultimately deterred. The…

There's nothing quite like a summer in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a small town nestled near the Adirondacks that comes alive each July as Thoroughbred racing returns to Saratoga Race Course. This year's meet kicks off July 13, attracting many of the best horses, trainers, and jockeys, as well as avid fans and bettors, from across the country. Read on…

Caught late and forced to settle for second when racing for Sean McCarthy in last year's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Defunded (Dialed In) wrested command of the 2023 iteration soon after the start and led past every pole to give trainer Bob Baffert a ninth victory in the event, breaking a tie with the…

Buckpasser was a real personality - that's a nice way of putting it. It's a testament to his talent, if not his tenacity, that the blueblood colt compiled a Hall of Fame career despite his nonchalant and often frustrating attitude toward racing. At one time or another, Buckpasser did virtually everything you can ask of a great horse. He won…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saturdays are the big days at Saratoga Race Course. Always have been, always will be. Trainers, owners and jockeys all want to shine on Saratoga Saturdays. If you win one of those races with the jumbo purses, the summer can be made in one afternoon. Trainer Brad Cox has owned the day during the first seven weeks of the Saratoga…

Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro gets the honors of morning line favorite at 7-2 in the $100000 Tenacious Stakes Monday at Fair Grounds, but last year's Tenacious exacta returns in the form of Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.'s Chess Chief and Lothenbach's Happy American, who is cross-entered in the $100000 Buddy Diliberto three races earlier on the…

Simply put, the Jockey Club Gold Cup on the final weekend of the 2022 Saratoga meet this Saturday is trainer Todd Pletcher's to lose. The all-star trainer has four of the race's eight runners, meaning that just by mere arithmetic, Pletcher has a 50-50 chance of standing in the winner's circle with one of his horses moments after the 10-furlong…

If you bet $5 on the picks for the 2021 TVG Pacific Classic from Bookies.com handicapper Adam Thompson in August, your account would be $232 fatter. That's just the latest in a string of horse racing betting success for Thompson, who won $480 on a $10 wager at the 2021 Preakness Stakes and hit the exacta at the Belmont Stakes, taking $75 on a $10…

Mind Control after the 2021 G2 John A. Nerud, his most recent win on the NYRA circuit (Susie Raisher) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' dual Grade 1-winner Mind Control will attempt to go out on top when he takes on a field consisting of three other Grade 1 winners in Saturday's Grade 1,…