Saratoga Picks | Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes 2024

Aaron previews the 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course & gives his top win pick from this “Win & You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Bill Mott-trained Arthur’s Ride looks to extend his hot streak following his ultra-impressive Whitney Stakes (G1) victory, but is this the race to play against him?

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The press release:

Glassman Racing’s Grade 1-winner Arthur’s Ride looks for his next big score in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. 

The Jockey Club Gold Cup is slated as Race 12 on Sunday’s 13-race card that also features the Listed $150,000 Bernard Baruch [Race 11]. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern, with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m. 

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Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Arthur’s Ride enters from one of the most impressive performances of the Saratoga summer meet when setting the pace and crossing the wire a 2 1/4-length winner of the nine-furlong Grade 1 Whitney on August 3. The final time of 1:48.54 over the muddy and sealed track earned a 110 Beyer Speed Figure. 

“It worked out quite well,” Mott said of the successful first graded stakes attempt, which secured a berth for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. “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 9-of-10 under returning rider Junior Alvarado as speedy post-time favorite National Treasure settled into fourth position during the early stages.  

“I don’t think it is necessary that he is there,” Mott said regarding the early advantage. “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 10-furlong optional claimer and poured it on late to win by 12 3/4 lengths on June 7 here. The performance earned a career and field-best 111 Beyer. 

Mott said that he hopes Arthur’s Ride’s success at Saratoga will continue in Sunday’s 106th running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup – which he has captured with Hall of Famer Cigar [1995], Flat Out [2012], Ron the Greek [2013] and Olympiad [2022].

“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.” 

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. 

Alvarado will be back aboard the 7-4-2-0 contender from the outermost post 7. 

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will be represented by defending race-champ Bright Future [post 3, Javier Castellano, blinkers ON] and fellow Grade 1-winner Tapit Trice [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.]. 

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 lone other outing this year, when annexing the Grade 3 Salvator Mile on June 15 at Monmouth Park. 

Last year, Bright Future earned a breakthrough score in this event in a stalking photo finish victory over the oncoming Proxy. He took his automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic and ran a respectable sixth in the prestigious test won by White Abarrio. 

“Bright Future won the race last year and unfortunately, he didn’t fire in the Whitney. Javier didn’t seem to think he handled the sealed track,” said Pletcher, adding that blinkers will be equipped for Sunday’s contest at Saratoga. “Hopefully, he can catch a fast track that he likes and run back to his performance last year.”

Tapit Trice, campaigned by Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable, also made some noise at the top-level last year when taking the nine-furlong Grade 1 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 to his name as a 4-year-old, but a strong one, drawing off by 5 1/4 lengths in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 20 at its namesake track. The performance earned a career-best 101 Beyer. 

“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.” 

Pletcher looks to add to past Jockey Club Gold Cup scores with Bright Future and Happy Saver [2020].

Blue Heaven Farm’s Grade 1-placed homebred Pyrenees [post 5, Brian Hernandez, Jr.] has been on a tremendous run of form for conditioner Cherie DeVaux. The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay graduated at fifth asking off a one-year layoff in December at Fair Grounds Race Course, and proceeded to win his next three races. 

The four-race win streak, which featured a score in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May at Pimlico, came to an end last-out with a second to the Pletcher-trained Kingsbarns in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 29 at Churchill Downs. Both graded performances earned a career-best 97 Beyer, and DeVaux said the place honors were convincing. 

“It was definitely Grade 1 company and I think he’ll handle a bit more ground,” said DeVaux. “His effort was great and he’s kind of taken everything we’ve thrown at him and stepped up to the occasion, which has been a nice surprise because early in his career he didn’t really act interested in racing. His maturity has kind of kicked in.”

Godolphin’s Grade 3-winning Kentucky homebred Highland Falls [post 6, Flavien Prat] enters from a runner-up finish to Tapit Trice in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup. Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the 4-year-old Curlin chestnut’s 4-for-8 record includes a win in the Grade 3 Blame in June at Churchill, following a career-best 104 Beyer for second in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April at its namesake course. 

Out of the Grade 1-winning Awesome Again mare Round Pond, Highland Falls is a half-brother to Group 1-victor Long River, who finished third in the 2014 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.  

Rounding out the Saratoga field are:

• Grade 1-placed Disarm [post 4, Joel Rosario] for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, a four-time winning conditioner of this race, saddling Hall of Famer Curlin [2007-08], Haynesfield [2010] and Max Player [2021]
• Multiple stakes-placed Kuchar [post 2, Luis Saez] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.