Belmont’s Super Saturday featuring several Horse of the Year candidates

Belmont’s Super Saturday featuring several Horse of the
Year candidates

While the Horse of the Year picture won’t come more into focus until after
the November 4-5 Breeders’ Cup meeting at Churchill Downs, several potential
candidates for racing’s highest honor will do their best to strengthen their
candidacies Saturday at Belmont Park, when the famed New York oval hosts its
“Super Saturday” program of six major Breeders’ Cup preps.

In the day’s most lucrative event, the $750,000
Jockey Club Gold
Cup (G1), STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini) will attempt to strengthen his claim on
three-year-old divisional honors while facing older horses for the first time
over 1 1/4 miles.

One race earlier, filly sensation HAVRE DE GRACE (Saint Liam) will use the
$350,000
Beldame S. (G1) over 1 1/8 miles as a likely tune-up for the Breeders’ Cup
Classic (G1), which would be her second attempt against males this season after
scoring a victory in the September 3 Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga.

A dark horse threat for Horse of the Year, CAPE BLANCO (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]),
looms the one to beat in the $500,000
Joe Hirsch
Turf Classic Invitational (G1) over 1 1/2 miles. The Irish invader has found
the pickings easy in two prior transatlantic jaunts this summer, taking the Man
o’ War S. (G1) and Arlington Million (G1).

Stay Thirsty is the only three-year-old lining up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) Though not one of the leading three-year-olds earlier in the year, Stay Thirsty has managed to claw his way into championship contention due to attrition in the ranks and his own improved form. Far up the track in Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) following an early-season win in the Gotham S. (G3), Stay Thirsty’s season showed signs of recovery beginning with a strong second-place effort in the Belmont S. (G1). The Todd Pletcher trainee went on to dominate both of Saratoga’s key races for three-year-olds, the Jim Dandy S. (G2) by four lengths and the Travers S. (G1) by 1 1/4 lengths. A potential victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup got a little easier for Stay Thirsty with the defection last weekend of Metropolitan H. (G1) and Whitney H. (G1) winner Tizway (Tiznow), who would have been the likely favorite in the Gold Cup. Forced to forfeit the Gold Cup after contracting a fever, the older male will now train up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Stay Thirsty’s most serious rival Saturday is FLAT OUT (Flatter), the
impressive 6 1/2-length Suburban H. (G2) winner who finished a clear second to
Tizway in the Whitney and to Havre de Grace in the Woodward in his past two
outings.

The remainder of the Gold Cup field, like the older male division in general
this season, lacks depth. Three entrants, dual Greenwood Cup winner A. U. MINER
(Mineshaft), Brooklyn H. scorer BIRDRUN (Birdstone) and 2010 Belmont S. winner
DROSSELMEYER (Distorted Humor), are actually using the Gold Cup as a prep for
the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (G2). RODMAN (Malibu Moon) placed in both the
Metropolitan and Suburban earlier this season, but was a troubled eighth in the
Whitney last time. ICE BOX (Pulpit), meanwhile, is still seeking his first
stakes-placing since a second-place effort in the 2010 Kentucky Derby.

Havre de Grace became the second ever filly ever to win the Woodward (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) On paper, Havre de Grace stands tall over her four filly and mare rivals in the Beldame. The Larry Jones-trained four-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable four-for-five season thus far, kicking things off with a 3 1/4-length victory over arch-rival Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) in the Azeri S. (G3) at Oaklawn Park in March. After scores in the Apple Blossom H. (G1) and Obeah S. (G3), Havre de Grace bowed to Blind Luck by a nose in a thrilling renewal of the Delaware H. (G2). Havre de Grace successfully stepped out of the box last time to face males in the Woodward, where she defeated Flat Out by a comfortable 1 1/4 lengths, thus enhancing her Horse of the Year qualifications. Her victory was only the second ever by a filly in the Woodward, coming two years after Rachel Alexandra’s historic win that netted her a Horse of the Year title.

The biggest challenge to Havre de Grace should come from ROYAL DELTA (A.P.
Indy), who is vying for a divisional title herself as the nation’s best
three-year-old filly. Heroine of the Alabama S. (G1) by 5 1/2 lengths last time,
Royal Delta also captured the Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2) at Pimlico back in May.
Royal Delta is using the Beldame as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic
(G1).

The remainder of the field — LIFE AT TEN (Malibu Moon), BANKER’S BUY
(Distorted Humor) and SATANS QUICK CHICK (Sky Mesa) — appear overmatched on
current form.

Irish invader Cape Blanco has already beaten most of the leading U.S. turf runners this season (Four Footed Fotos) With the best European races pretty much covered by other stars in the Aidan O’Brien yard, Irish classic winner Cape Blanco has been asked to carve out a niche in the United States this season. The four-year-old chestnut has come through with flying colors so far, handing most of the leading American grass horses beatings in the Man o’ War and Arlington Million. He will a face a few of the same rivals again in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, a prelude toward the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1). New to Cape Blanco, however, is WINCHESTER (Theatrical [Ire]), who captured the 2010 Turf Classic on extremely boggy ground. Never worse than second in four appearances on Belmont’s two turf courses, Winchester signaled his return to fine form with a last-to-first rally in the August 13 Sword Dancer Invitational (G1) at Saratoga.

Previously left in Cape Blanco’s wake in the Arlington Million were DEAN’S
KITTEN (Kitten’s Joy), who finished third, and MISSION APPROVED (With Approval),
who finished seventh. The latter also ran fourth to Cape Blanco in the Man o’
War, but the Manhattan H. (G1) upsetter could still prove dangerous as the
race’s lone speed.

TEAKS NORTH (Northern Afleet), whose victories this season include the United
Nations S. (G1), Gulfstream Park Turf S. (G1) and Monmouth S. (G3), was only
fourth in the Sword Dancer last time, while GRASSY (El Prado [Ire]) enters off a
narrow win versus lesser in the Bowling Green H. (G2).