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‘More Of The Old Arklow’: Blinkers Made The Difference As Brad Cox Trainee Eyes Breeders’ Cup Turf

Donegal Racing founder Jerry Crawford considered Zulu Alpha the top distance turf horse in at least America heading into last Saturday's $1 million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs. After Donegal's Arklow upset his old rival to win the Grade 3, 1 1/2-mile stakes for the second time in the three years, Crawford slightly amended his assessment.

Wearing blinkers for the first time in 29 career races, the 6-year-old Arklow laid up close to the pace under Florent Geroux and took command through the long stretch for a 1 1/4-length victory over Red Knight. Zulu Alpha was another length back in third after coming from near-last.

“We have nothing but respect for Zulu Alpha,” Crawford said of the 2019 Kentucky Turf Cup winner to whom Arklow was second in last year's running of the track's richest race. “He was the best mile-and-a-half turf horse in the world coming into the Kentucky Turf Cup. But if you beat the best, then you're in the conversation.”

Crawford won't get any disagreement from Michael Hui, who claimed Zulu Alpha for $80,000 two years ago with the 2019 Kentucky Turf Cup in mind and now has earned more than $2 million with the gelding.

“I think he was in the conversation anyway, just because of his trainer,” Hui said of Arklow's trainer, Brad Cox.

The Mike Maker-trained Zulu Alpha started his 7-year-old season with a victory over an international field in Gulfstream Park's Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf, in which Arklow was fifth. Saturday marked the 10th time the horses had squared off, the two evenly split 5-5 for number of times finishing in front of the other.

Now the focus for both horses is squarely on the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. Arklow won a maiden race at Keeneland and was second in the 2018 Grade 2 Sycamore, won by Zulu Alpha in the gelding's first race for Hui. Zulu Alpha also won Keeneland's July 12 Elkhorn in his last start before Saturday's race.

“Zulu is good, he was bouncing around the barn cooling out, had a lot of energy,” Hui said of the defeat. “You could tell he knew he didn't win. It's onward; we'll move on. We're just going to stick with the playbook we laid out after he won the Pegasus.”

Both horses have been fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf; Arklow in 2018 at Churchill Downs and Zulu Alpha last year at Santa Anita.

Zulu Alpha will train up to this Breeders' Cup, Hui said. Arklow could run back in New York's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, which the horse won last year to become a Grade 1 winner.

“Our next decision is: Do we go to the Joe Hirsch in three weeks and then give him five weeks to the Breeders' Cup? Do we just train him up to the Breeders' Cup?” Crawford said. “Brad is very, very pleased with the way he came out of the race. You want him to be fresh going into the Breeders' Cup, but you don't want him to be stale. To figure that out is the next challenge.”

Arklow crashed through the $2 million mark for earnings and now has made $2,446,116, the vast majority in his 24 turf starts spanning seven wins, six seconds and a third.

“I have a lot of confidence going forward with the equipment change that we're going to see more of the old Arklow,” Crawford said.

Crawford said that as much as bragging on Arklow, he wanted to praise stakes-sponsor Calumet Farm, Calumet owner Brad Kelley and Kentucky Downs. Crawford said that they make it possible “so that we can brag on horses like him.

“Kentucky Downs is one of the niftiest racetracks anywhere. What they do to make it so lucrative, the sport would be nowhere without them.”

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Blinkers, Soft Ground Help Arklow Turn Tables On Zulu Alpha In Kentucky Turf Cup

They have been two of the more durable members of the turf male ranks for the last five seasons and on Saturday at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., the latest chapter in the rivalry between Grade 1 winner Arklow and Zulu Alpha geared up for yet another run – this time at the venue where each had previously enjoyed success.

Where Zulu Alpha had gotten the best of his rival in last year's edition of the Grade 3, $1-million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes, trading blows had been the name of the game for the two warriors in their nine meetings prior to Saturday. So after losing Kentucky Downs bragging rights with a second in 2019, Arklow fittingly turned the tables on his old foe when he captured the 1 1/2-mile Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over Red Knight, with Zulu Alpha a late-running third.

Trained by Brad Cox for Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger, and Peter Coneway, Arklow previously annexed the Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes in 2018 and has been a stalwart in his division -– placing in the top three eight times since that triumph, including a runner-up effort in this race last year. Things haven't been as smooth for the 6-year-old son of Arch since winning the 2019 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes, however, as he had lost his last five starts coming into Saturday's test.

Zulu Alpha, by contrast, had won three of four starts in 2020 including a victory in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 25. That momentum would be blunted over the soft ground on Saturday though as Arklow — wearing blinkers for the first time in a race — got a perfect trip sitting in the first flight just off the leaders before making his winning bid down the lane under jockey Florent Geroux.

“He was pretty sharp coming into this race,” Cox said of Arklow. “It's easy to say it now, but we had a lot of confidence that he would move forward with the blinkers. He likes it down here and obviously when it started raining it gave us even more confidence. He definitely likes a little juice in the ground, and he responded well.

“Florent did a good job getting him involved. That has a lot to do with this horse, how he runs, his involvement early on in a race.”

While Arklow was rated fifth, then fourth, as Changi took the field through the opening half mile in :50.27, Zulu Alpha was well back and had just one foe beat in 10-horse field. Longshot Eons grabbed the lead heading down the hill but Arklow was perched three wide at that point, waiting for the signal from Geroux to do more.

“It was a great trip for him. He was closer to the lead than he's used too,” Geroux said. “First time with blinkers, at 6 years old, helped him and the ground also helped. From there I just nursed him around and he waited for my signal down the stretch. He was able to hold off those horses pretty easily.”

Arklow paid $13.60 as the third choice in the field of 10 older horses. He became only the third two-time winner of the stakes, joining back-to-back winners Rochester (2002-2003) and Da Big Hoss (2015-16).

“Donegal Racing is very appreciative of Mr. (Brad) Kelley and Calumet Farm for sponsoring this race,” said Donegal president Jerry Crawford. “Donegal has won it two of the last three years and finished second the third time. We're grateful for Kentucky Downs and for the Calumet folks. Obviously, Arklow loves it there. He loves going that far. I think the addition of blinkers made a huge difference. He was able to lay closer to the pace and nobody is going to get past him once he has the lead in the stretch. We're very excited.”

At the top the stretch, Arklow took command for himself and turned back a threat from eventual runner-up Red Knight. Beaten favorite Zulu Alpha could only get up for show money, a length behind Red Knight.

“Everything worked out. We had a nice clean trip,” said Tyler Gaffalione, jockey Zulu Alpha. “The only thing I would say is that maybe the ground was getting away from him down the stretch. He was really digging in, trying to go get that horse, but it was just breaking away from him. Might be a little soft out there for him. It was a great performance. He tried hard the whole way. He's all class and hopefully we'll rebound in the Breeders' Cup (Turf).”

The final time for the distance over a course rated soft was 2:28.66.

In addition to improving his record to seven wins from 29 starts with earnings of $2,466,116, Arklow continued a hot streak for Cox and Geroux as the two paired up to capture the Kentucky Oaks on September 4 with Shedaresthedevil at Churchill Downs after winning the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes on the undercard with champion Monomoy Girl.

“Honestly I really trained on him pretty strong for this race, zeroed in on this race,” Cox said of Arklow. “He had a fantastic work a couple of weeks back at Churchill on the turf. He had a huge gallop out that day. He'd been touting himself a lot going into this.

“It's great. It's been a busy week and a half,” Cox added. “Just trying to build off it, get bigger and better horses all the time. Looking to pick off races like this is what it's all about.”

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Still Embattled In Civil Suit, Ahmed Zayat Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Listing String Of Racing Creditors

Ahmed Zayat, best known in horse racing as the owner of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah through his Zayat Stables, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 8. Paperwork filed in United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey lists a long string of trainers, veterinarians, transport companies, and others as creditors for expenses totaling tens of millions of dollars.

Unlike Chapter 13 or 11 bankruptcy, Chapter 7 does not involve the filing of a repayment plan. Rather, a bankruptcy trustee is appointed to gather and sell assets and pay creditors when possible. Some of the debtor's property may be exempt, but anything nonexempt will be liquidated.

A lengthy list of creditors attached to the filing revealed a number of horse trainers owed amounts in the six figures, among them Bob Baffert, who is owed $227,884.17, Brad Cox ($194,836.19), Mike Maker ($120,921.88), Richard Baltas ($316,070.12), Steve Asmussen ($102,541.10) and Todd Pletcher ($125,598.69). Rudy Rodriguez, who was awarded a judgment by a New York court for $394,437.19, is also listed. Jorge Navarro's JN Racing is owed $63,822.01.

Veterinary hospitals Hagyard Equine Medical ($38,999.53), Rood and Riddle ($54,346.77), and Kentucky Equine Medical Associates ($19,937.32) are also on the list, as are numerous therapists, individual veterinarians, van companies, and others.

Several financial advisement companies and individuals are listed, with notes they are owed six or seven figures each. One $250,000 debt is listed for the PMG Operating Account, whose address corresponds to Meadows Gaming.

Some, though not all, of these creditors' claims are marked as disputed.

Zayat and his racing operation were named in a civil lawsuit earlier this year in Fayette County Circuit Court from New York investment firm MGG Investments, stemming from a $30 million loan he took out in 2016. MGG won a summary judgment in the amount of $24.5 million earlier this year, representing the remaining balance Zayat Stables owes on the loan. Zayat Stables has countersued, and the bankruptcy paperwork listed the final amount owed to MGG as unknown for the moment. Control of Zayat Stables has been placed into the hands of a court-appointed receiver, who has raced a few of the stable's remaining horses and sold many of them, with an aim to maximize profit in the court of liquidating the operation.

Cedarview Capital, a New York hedge fund, is owed $7.9 million. In documents filed as part of the MGG suit, Zayat indicated he had paid over $1 million in interest to Cedarview, and stated it was one of the lenders he took on alongside MGG. In emails dated January of this year, Zayat claimed to have traveled to China in an attempt to attract investors to inject cash into the stable in order to “make the company fiscally functional” and to repay MGG and Cedarview.

In 2009, Zayat Stable filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after Zayat was sued by Fifth Third Bank for allegedly defaulting on $34 million in equine loans.

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Left At The Gate: Kentucky Downs Race Called ‘No Contest’

The fifth race on Monday's opening-day program at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., was declared “no contest” by stewards after the starting gate opened before the final two horses in the 12-horse field were loaded.

Mechanicville, the No. 6 horse, and No. 12 Catman were standing behind the gate for the one-mile maiden special weight race when the stalls opened. Several other runners in the field were unprepared for the start.

Daily Racing Form reported that the incident was described by track spokesperson Jennie Rees as a result of “mechanical” failure rather than human error by starter Scott Jordan.

Royal Prince, the betting favorite at the close of betting, was first across the finish for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, but after a lengthy inquiry the announcement was made that the race would not count.

All wagers were refunded.

According to Daily Racing Form, Kentucky Downs issued the following statement: “Owners of 12 horses in today's 5th to receive $5,000 from purse account; every jockey $500 after apparent gate malfunction forced race to be declared No Contest. Track working on opportunity for horses to run back at meet if connections choose.”

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