The JC Gold Cup – Grade I [BC]
SAR Race #13 1 1/4m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $1,000.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward
1 Gorogue Laga Fractious Velazquez J R 124 —
Before their stable liquidation Arindel had gone back to sprinting with the Preakness winner winning the grade one Malibu and that win kept him to a mile or less for his last 6 races including one for the new owner Fractious. In truth he was a good sprinter so why not, but as we know a good horse at HRP can generally run any trip so this return to the longer trip will hold no fears for his fans. As a router he is more of a closer, possibly to see out the trip as we often see faster horses taken back in longer races and that is how he won the Preakness, with a big run that carried him clear. The way he ran out the Nerud last time suggests the trainer has him set for this race and certainly when you spend $885.000 on a four-year-old gelding you want results fairly quickly. At his brilliant best he can blow this strong field away and a 1.10 flat work it suggests he is ready to go.
2 Baffert Royalty Stables Ortiz I Jr 120 —
I got into trouble for saying this is the best three-year-old not to have won a TC race, but I meant it positively as he really is a very good horse that is battling a running style that just isn’t suited to this new engine. He ran incredible races in all three TC races picking up a cheque in every one and is by far the most consistent of the top three-year-olds. A BC Champion as a two-year-old it is crazy to think he hasn’t managed a win in seven races, but the trainer won’t mind that and thanks to his talent he has amassed $1,400.000 in place prize money which is quite an achievement. The conundrum here is do you leave him running on impossibly late or do you try and game the engine and put him nearer the speed. I feel that was tried in the Haskell last time, but his finish was a little blunted, so I do wonder whether he should just be left to his own devices in the hope that one day he will get the timing right. I would love to see him win; no other horse deserves it more.
3 Face The Lunatic Martyparty Hernandez R M 124 —
Not one of the super stars of the game, but I think he may be a little under rated and may just surprise a few. He went successfully from a closer to a front runner last time in true HRP fashion and he was pretty impressive when coasting home in the Birdstone, but I think that had more to do with the slow early pace than any tactical decision, so I wouldn’t expect a big effort to lead here. Before that win he had won The Marathon at CD over 12 furlongs and had run well in the SA Handicap when staying on for third so he clearly likes a test of stamina and that is where he possibly will struggle in this race. Dare I say it, the 10 furlongs on a dry track may be a bit sharp for him against these top routers but if he can hang in there, he will be doing his best at the end.
4 Domiano Rock Creek Prat F 124 —
The trainer forked out a massive $1,500.000 for this four-year-old so will be hoping for some return on that huge investment today. I am not sure it will be easy, but this is a very good horse and could prove worth the price if not today, then in the future. A good three-year-old he has hit good form as a four-year-old, winning three of his last four including the grade one Metropolitan Handicap which put him into the BC. He followed up that win to dead heat with Spankersville in the MTH Cup after making the running, and I guess today’s question will be whether he can see out the 10 furlongs. I am not 100% sold on that fact, so I am looking to be convinced today but his running style will be suited to this draw and the engine so he could just cause a big celebration in the Rock Creek Stable.
5 Crack Dab Gdp Inc Reyes A A 124 —
This eight-year-old may be a light of past years and he looks today to go out in a blaze of glory. Still working pretty well, let’s not forget he won the grade one Gold Cup as a seven-year-old, so this race wouldn’t be such a stretch to see him returning to his glory days. He has won two of his last three showing there is still some running left in his legs and what a story it would be if he could secure the victory.
6 Dangerous Fugitive Night Rider Stables Beschizza A 124 —
This trainer does like to throw these horses in the deep end, and it certainly looks like they have with this one although there is enough good turf form to suggest he is no throw away. Third in the Fort Macey and fourth in the MTH Stakes he is clearly a good turf sort, but going into a top dirt race off the back of five defeats on his favored surface looks to be a bit hopeful. Having said that, I have seen this trainer perform miracles before and these big races can be a lottery, so it is impossible to say he can’t win.
7 Twin Rackets Alydar Stables Bridgmohan S X 124 —
Just a neck behind Dominao in the MTH Cup last time, he was finishing so fast that the extra furlong may well have seen him winning, so he may get his revenge today over this trip. He found the mile too sharp in the metropolitan Handicap and has been screaming out for ten furlongs plus all year. The thing against him will be his deep closing running style which makes timing in the lap of the HRP Gods, but a lightening sub 1.36 work recently says he may be ready to get his seasons first win.
8 Gas Lighting TwinTowersRacing Geroux F 124 —
As you would expect from this stable, this one has been given a tough time at the top level with three grade ones in a row in his last three races. After an on-pace experiment in the Gold Cup he reverted back to closing in the Foster and The Whitney where he did better but was still well beaten. He has only won twice so winning may be a long shot but if the race is run to suit, he can produce a strong finish and won’t be the push over he looks on paper. His works have been stronger than his racecourse performance so far, but we all know that five-year-olds can take a leap up their improvement curves at unexpected times and if anyone can produce a shock win it is this trainer.
9 Marcus Antoninus Mb Stables Silvera Ru 124 —
Talking of interesting entries, here is a horse coming out of a claimer who is working 1.36 flat for the mile and is now in the hands of the master himself. The trainer will be happy that no one else spotted the claim at SAR as they picked him up as the only interested party and as he was working 1.10 flat at the time you would have to say that was a great spot. A fairly consistent sort, it has to be said that he hasn’t looked anywhere near this sort of level in his 20 races to date, but moving to Mb’s farm can make things happen for horses, and he certainly has the home works to put him in with a chance.
10 Angle Of Attack Luz International Gaffalione T 124 —
At the start of the year, he was picking off little races at HOU, so his last four have been impressive as he took a major step up in grade. It is not unusual to see a five-year-old suddenly become a grade one horse and that is the story this one is following after winning the Ghostzapper and then a close second in the grade one Foster and a close fourth in the Whitney. His works have improved to the 1.36 flat mark which is the ballpark work for this race and there is no doubt after his last four starts that he is up to winning a race like this. The pace this is likely to go at will probably put him around mid-pack so he will need some luck not to be hung out wide but if he can get in, I reckon he could be the one to surprise a few.
11 Fear Me Not Mb Stables Lezcano J 124 —
The champion trainer wont be happy with the draws they got in this race but the two entries they have do not seem as strong as we are used to seeing. Having said that this horse is working the 1.36 flat entry figure and I am sure that will be the reason he lines up today because no-one knows better than this trainer that if they have the ability a good run will come. Though he was last in the Fourstardave Handicap off bottom weight last time he was only beaten an official length which sounds ridiculous but that is how HRP rolls these days. The key here is that 1.36 dirt work against a long list of turf runs, could he have always been a main track horse or is this just another example of good horses being able to run and work on any surface? We will only know after this race when we will either be calling the trainer a genius or patting someone else on the back.
12 Charming Man Fractious Davis D 124 —
Getting wide now, we come to Charming Man who is a decent sort that has competed strongly at this level in the past. Winning the San Pasquale at the start of the year he has kept up that form though didn’t manage another win until last time out in the Governors Stakes. He is working the ballpark times and has some good form so he cannot be without a chance although this wide draw will make it tough going against a good field.
13 Spankersville The Sidley Stud Franco M 124 —
The 13-race winner of over $4,000.000 gets a really rough draw here stuck out in the unlucky box stationed in the car park. Twice a winner at grade one this year and dead heating with Domiano in the MTH Cup last time, we all know he has the ability, but could the draw monster once again scupper his chances as they did in the BC Classic last year. We all know he is good enough if he can overcome this draw and if he is closing hard down the stretch there are very few that can hold him off, so a lot depends on how the race engine shapes this race.
SUMMARY
This is a great race full of potential superstars and regular ones. We would all love to see Baffert win this and what a win it would be and if the threes have got a big enough bump, he could well do it, but I have tipped him out too many times so today will look elsewhere in the hope the weight of my tip was the reason he kept getting beat. Of the others, well where to look, they really all have a chance not least Gorogue Laga who only has to find his Preakness form to win this. For me, despite the fact that closers so often get it wrong, I am going for Twin Rackets who will really appreciate this trip and may offer some value with the odds monkeys.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
