BY CRISTIAN ABDO, NYRA PRESS OFFICE (EDITED)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY—Glassman Racing’s Florida-bred Arthur’s Ride looks for his next big score in Sunday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1), a mile-and-a-quarter test for 3-year-olds and older at Saratoga Race Course.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in November at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Arthur’s Ride already has a berth into the Classic with his victory in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 3—one of the most impressive performances of the Spa’s summer meet. After setting the pace in the nine-furlong Whitney, he crossed the wire a two-and-a-quarter-length winner in a final time of 1:48.54 over the muddy and sealed track, earning a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.
“It worked out quite well,” Mott said. “He’s doing good. He’s been training well. He’s had a couple of nice works.”
The complexion of the Whitney changed when Arthur’s Ride was taken to the front from post nine under returning rider Junior Alvarado as speedy post-time favorite National Treasure settled into fourth early.
“I don’t think it is necessary that he is [on the lead],” Mott said. “He was last time, but I don’t think he has to be there. It just turned out that last time, that is where he was.”
Prior to the Whitney, the 4-year-old Tapit gray set the pace in a second condition, $62,500 optional claimer going 10 furlongs and poured it on late to win by 12 3/4 lengths on June 7. The performance earned a career and field-best 111 Beyer.
Mott said that he hopes Arthur’s Ride’s success at the Spa will continue.
“He’s had four weeks in between. We are hoping he has had enough time in between,” Mott explained. “He ran a huge race last time and we are hoping he can fire back that same shot.”
Mott is looking for his fifth victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and third with a Florida-bred. He won with Olympiad (2022), Florida-breds Ron the Greek (2013) and Flat Out (2012); and Hall of Famer Cigar (1995).
Other Florida-bred winners of the Jockey Club Gold Cup include Discreet Lover (2018), Flat Out (2011), Skip Away (1997-’97), Affirmed (1979) and Roman Brother (1965).
Bred in Florida by Helen Barbazon, Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate, Arthur’s Ride, a $250,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the 2009 Canadian Champion Grass Mare Points of Grace.
He has four wins and two seconds in seven starts with earnings of $764,955.
Alvarado will be back aboard from the outermost post seven.
Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will be represented by defending race-champ Bright Future and fellow Grade 1-winner Tapit Trice.
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables’ Bright Future broke out at the start of the Whitney and went wide into the first turn, traveling last after a half-mile and finishing a distant eighth under returning Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano. The 5-year-old Curlin chestnut’s misfire was in stark contrast to his only other outing this year, when annexing the Grade 3 Salvator Mile on June 15 at Monmouth Park.
“Bright Future won the race last year and unfortunately, he didn’t fire in the Whitney. [Jockey] Javier [Castellano] didn’t seem to think he handled the sealed track,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, he can catch a fast track that he likes and run back to his performance last year.”
Bright Future has won half of his 10 career starts with two thirds and earnings of $932,940. Castellano gets the return mount and they have post three.
Tapit Trice, campaigned by Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable, also made some noise at the top-level last year when taking the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass in April at Keeneland. He made his next four starts in Grade 1s, his best finishes being thirds in the Belmont Stakes and Travers.
The Tapit gray has one start as a 4-year-old, but a strong one, drawing off by five-and-a-quarter lengths in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 20.
“I was very happy with Tapit Trice’s comeback win in the Monmouth Cup and he’s been training exceptionally well for this,” Pletcher said. “I think the mile-and-a-quarter suits him great.”
Tapit Trice has the inside post one and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Pletcher looks to add to past Jockey Club Gold Cup scores with Bright Future and Happy Saver [2020].
Others set for the Jockey Club Gold Cup are Kuchar with Luis Saez named to ride, Disarm has Joel Rosario taking the call, Brian Hernandez Jr. will ride Pyrenees and Highland Falls with jockey Flavien Prat.
