All articles tagged with #jockey club gold cup
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott says jockey Baeza must start fast to contend in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, as racing coverage also highlights Forever Young and Belmont Park’s ongoing rebuild.
Forever Young’s trainer hinted at a final campaign early next year, possibly chasing a third Saudi Cup in February before retirement. The horse is set to race in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on opening day and remains a target for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, though retirement timing could affect long-term plans.
Banishing and Chunk of Gold will scratch from Friday’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, leaving Forever Young as the short-priced favorite. Phileas Fogg is the lone speed, with Baeza likely second choice and Stars and Stripes and Render Judgment rounding out the field. The two scratches shift focus to a Lukas Classic bid for Banishing and Chunk of Gold, while the Gold Cup still offers a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
Banishing and Chunk of Gold skip the Jockey Club Gold Cup, while Forever Young remains a top Classic prep contender with a five-furlong tuneup at Belmont in advance of the Gold Cup.
Forever Young heads a seven-horse field for the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, a 10-furlong Win-and-You’re-In for the Breeders’ Cup Classic; Sovereignty is sidelined by an abscess, leaving two Bill Mott runners—Baeza and Stars and Stripes—among the rivals, along with Chunk of Gold, Phileas Fogg, Banishing and Render Judgement.
Irad Ortiz Jr. was unseated early in the Saratoga Jockey Club Gold Cup but was unharmed, while Antiquarian, ridden by John Velazquez, won the race in an upset at 13-1, earning a spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic.