Jockey Club Gold Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Happy Saver Stays Perfect in Jockey Club Gold Cup

Lightly raced ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Happy Saver (Super Saver) squeezed inside of favorite Tacitus (Tapit) and out-finished fellow sophomore ‘Rising Star‘ Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) to stay perfect in Saturday’s GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Wertheimer homebred broke his maiden by an auspicious 5 1/2 lengths going seven furlongs on the GI Belmont S. undercard here in June, and saw out nine panels when taking a Saratoga allowance July 26. He again displayed his appreciation for a route of ground in Laurel’s Federico Tesio S. Sept. 7, and was the 2-1 second choice facing just four foes.

Away on top from his rail draw, the chestnut settled in along the fence as July’s track-and-trip GII Suburban S. winner Tacitus showed the way and Mystic Guide tracked outside of Happy Saver. Happy Saver required some energetic handling to keep pace as Mystic Guide ratcheted up the pressure on the leader past six panels in 1:13.61. Tacitus came off the fence a path while preoccupied with Mystic Guide to his outside, giving Happy Saver just enough room to make his move. Happy Saver kicked his way through by midstretch after Mystic Guide had already taken over, and lowered himself gamely from there to outstay his competition.

“We were OK with [not having the lead],” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who was celebrating his first Jockey Club Gold Cup win after Vino Rosso (Curlin) was taken down 12 months ago. “I told Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] in the paddock that usually I have a little idea of a plan, but this one was tricky to me. Everyone has the same style and I don’t think anyone really wants to be on the lead, but someone is going to inherit it, so just play it by ear.

“Watching the race, I thought he was a little uncomfortable inside there. He was in a tricky spot. Johnny [Velazquez, aboard Mystic Guide] had first run on him and was able to keep him in there. To his credit, that was a pretty game performance to come up the inside there in his fourth start and first time against older horses going a mile and a quarter. To do that after breaking his maiden on June 20th is hard to do.”

Ortiz offered: “He has a big heart, like I told Todd in the paddock. He’s a fighter. Every time he has a horse in front of him and when you ask him to go, he passes the horse and then he puts his ears up. He still had something after he went by Johnny’s horse.

“It was emotional. I wanted to win it so bad. Last year, I got DQ’d and that was for Todd, too. He’s a cool horse, a special horse. I rode him first time out and we knew he was a nice horse. Todd has always liked him.”

Pletcher added, “I was very proud of the horse and his performance. I’m happy for the connections, the Wertheimers have been loyal supporters for many years and I’m appreciative of that. It’s great to get a Grade I win for them. He’s by a Derby winner we trained, so it’s fun all the way around.”

As for whether Happy Saver would take the next logical step and contest the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the conditioner said, “First and foremost we’ll see how he bounces out of this race. It was a tough race and he’s still a lightly raced horse. That’s part of the reason we decided to come here instead of going to the [GI] Preakness [last Saturday]. We’ll enjoy this for the moment and talk to the Wertheimers and come up with a plan. I wouldn’t say we’re definite for it, but I wouldn’t rule it out either.”

Saturday, Belmont Park
JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP S.-GI, $242,500, Belmont, 10-10, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.77, ft.
1–HAPPY SAVER, 122, c, 3, by Super Saver
                1st Dam: Happy Week, by Distorted Humor
                2nd Dam: Lassie’s Legacy, by Deputy Minister
                3rd Dam: Weekend Surprise, by Secretariat
‘TDN Rising Star‘. 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. O-Wertheimer and Frere; B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $137,500. Lifetime Record:
4-4-0-0, $273,400. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mystic Guide, 122, c, 3, Ghostzapper–Music Note, by A.P.
   Indy. ‘TDN Rising Star‘. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael
Stidham. $50,000.
3–Tacitus, 126, c, 4, Tapit–Close Hatches, by First Defence.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. $30,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, 6 1/4. Odds: 2.35, 7.10, 0.65.
Also Ran: Prioritize, Name Changer. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:
Happy Saver is the fourth Grade I winner and 12th graded victory by Pletcher-trained and now Turkish-based Super Saver.

He is the 15 Grade I winner (47 graded) out of a mare by top broodmare sire Distorted Humor. Dam Happy Week was a $600,000 KEESEP yearling purchased in 2018 who was multiple stakes-placed for these connections in addition to being taken down from third in the GII Shuvee H. at Belmont in 2011. She produced a Candy Ride (Arg) filly in 2019 and a full-sister to Happy Saver Feb. 3 before being bred back to Sky Mesa. Happy Saver’s third dam is Weekend Surprise, the blue hen dam of A.P. Indy, Summer Squall, et al.

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America’s Day At The Races To Broadcast Columbus Weekend Stakes From Belmont Park

America's Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will provide live coverage of a lucrative Columbus Day Weekend at Belmont Park beginning Saturday, Oct. 10 through Monday, Oct. 12.

The 3-day holiday weekend will feature seven graded events, including four Grade 1 Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” challenge races on Saturday led by the $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 ¼-mile test offering a berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

In addition to the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Saturday's card is bolstered by the Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne at one-mile for 2-year-olds providing a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. A loaded card also includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl at 10-furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up with a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on the line; the Grade 1, $250,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; and the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point for sophomore fillies at one mile on the turf.

Sunday, Oct. 11 is headlined by the Grade 3, $100,000 Futurity for 2-year-olds headed six furlongs on the turf with the victor earning a “Win and You're In” entry to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The day will also feature the Grade 3, $100,000 Matron for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the turf.

Columbus Day Monday's card will feature nine races to close out the holiday weekend.

Broadcast schedule for Columbus Day Weekend on America's Day at the Races (all times Eastern):

Saturday, Oct. 10
FS1: noon – 6 p.m.
MSG+: 12:30 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11
FS2: 12:30 – 1 p.m. and 3 – 4 p.m.
FS1: 1 – 3 p.m. and 4 – 6 p.m.
MSG+: 12:30 – 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 12
FS2: 12:30 – 5:30 p.m.
MSG+: 12:30 – 5:30 p.m.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel, which boasts more than 57,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a number of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

NYRA Bets provides fans the opportunity to wager on racing from tracks around the world at any time. The NYRA Bets app is available for download for iOS and Android at NYRA Bets App. Watch and wager on the best racing while earning points on every bet. For details on how NYRA Bets players can earn a $20 bonus for a $25 win bet on a single horse in the Champagne and/or Frizette, visit http://www.NYRAbets.com.

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Del Mar Ship & Win: Five Breeders’ Cup Berths On The Line At Belmont

This weekend's action is highlighted by five Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races taking place at Belmont Park, including the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Belmont Park Breeders' Cup races will be televised on “America's Day at the Races” on either FS1 or FS2.

TVG will be live at Keeneland for a loaded card this Saturday featuring two graded stakes races including the Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. In addition to Keeneland, the award-winning network will also be trackside at Santa Anita and Monmouth Park.

In addition to racing from Keeneland, Santa Anita and Monmouth Park, TVG will also be showing racing from Gulfstream Park West, Charles Town, Golden Gate and more.

Friday, Oct. 9

5:30 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Gary Barber's multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy tops a field of 12 fillies and mares entered for the 24th running of the Franklin County going 5½ furlongs on the turf. Trained by Mark Casse, Got Stormy comes into Friday's race off a 3¼-length romp in the Grade 3 Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12 going 6½ furlongs. The daughter of Get Stormy was an Eclipse Award finalist for champion turf female in 2019 after notching wins in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap over males and the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100920USA9-EQB.html

Saturday, Oct. 10

1:58 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior is a standout in the juvenile division with an unblemished record and will put his perfect resume on the line in the Champagne going a one-turn mile. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior arrives at the Champagne off a 2 ¼-length victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 7 at Saratoga. In his prior effort, the bay son of Maclean's Music won his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 7 at the Spa by three lengths after displaying stalking tactics in his debut at Churchill Downs, which he won by 2 ½ lengths.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101020USA4-EQB.html

2:30 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Vequist proved she could dominate a Grade 1 field when she cruised to a 9 1/2-length score in her stakes debut in the Spinaway on Sept. 6 at Saratoga Race Course. She will look to show similar form on Saturday against a talented field of juvenile fillies in the Frizette contested at one mile on Belmont Park's main track. Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel purchased a 75 percent share from Swilcan Stable following Vequist's runner-up debut effort on July 29 at Parx when she ran a nose behind Niente. In her second start, the Butch Reid trainee was stretched out from 4 ½ furlongs to seven in the Spinaway.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101020USA5-EQB.html

3:53 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes at Monmouth Park on TVG

Shadwell Stable's Almanaar (GB) makes his first start since capturing last year's edition of the 1 1/8-miles Monmouth Stakes when he heads up a field of nine. Trained by Chad Brown, Almanaar displayed an affinity for the Monmouth course when he captured the Monmouth Stakes last May 25 but the son of Dubawi (IRE) has been on the shelf since.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/MTH101020USA8-EQB.html

4:14 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

The top-four finishers in the Grade 2 Glens Falls last month at Saratoga Race Course will each vie for supremacy again in Saturday's rematch that highlights the Flower Bowl for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf. Allen Stable's Civil Union, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, outkicked the Chad Brown trainee My Sister Nat by one length in the Glens Falls going 1 3/8 miles on Sept. 5. Civil Union, a 5-year-old War Front mare, has won three in a row, starting with a 1 ¼-mile allowance tilt on the Belmont turf on June 21 before winning the River Memories on the same track going 1 1/2 miles on July 12.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101020USA8-EQB.html

4:48 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on FS2

Juddmonte Farms' three-time graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Tacitus will look to secure his first career Grade 1 triumph in the 102nd running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup going the classic distance of 1 ¼ miles. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, a three-time Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, Tacitus was third in last year's edition and was most recently second as the favorite in the Grade 1 Woodward on Sept. 5 at Saratoga, where he chased a slow pace tracking a half-length off Global Campaign but was unable to catch the pacesetter, who strolled home a 1 ¾-length winner.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101020USA9-EQB.html

4:57 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Parque Patricios Racing Stables' Mirinaque (ARG), a two-time Group 1 winner in Argentina, headlines a field of 10 runners for the 63rd running of the Fayette Stakes. Trained by Maria Munoz, Mirinaque finished fifth in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 at Del Mar in his U.S. debut. Coming back for another try in the Fayette is Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's Mr Freeze. Second in the race last year that was run over a sloppy track, the Dale Romans trainee exits a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Alysheba on Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE101020USA8-EQB.html

5:20 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of contenders led by multiple graded-stakes winner Selflessly and French-bred Tamahere as the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner looks to secure his fourth win in Saturday's Sands Point, a one-mile Widener turf test. Selflessly stumbled at the start of her seasonal debut when fifth in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, but returned to form last out when a nose winner of the one-mile Grade 3 Lake George at Saratoga on Aug. 28, when besting multiple graded-stakes winner Sweet Melania.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101020USA10-EQB.html

5:30 p.m.—$500,000 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Lael Stables' Magic Attitude (GB) headlines a field of nine for the 37th running of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup going 1 1/8-miles. Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Magic Attitude comes to Keeneland off a 2¼-length victory over Antoinette in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in her U.S. debut. Antoinette, owned and bred by Godolphin, won the Saratoga Oaks in her start prior to the Belmont Oaks.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE101020USA9-EQB.html

Sunday, Oct. 11

4:12 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Ironhorse Racing Stable and Secure Investments' Momos will look to build on a third-place effort last out in his graded stakes debut when he tries turf for the first time in the Futurity for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on Belmont Park's Widener course. Momos won his debut for trainer Christophe Clement with a 6 1/2-length maiden win going 5 ½ furlongs on July 18 over Saratoga Race Course's main track. Returning just three weeks later, the Distorted Humor colt ran third in the six-furlong Grade 2 Saratoga Special, finishing behind winner and eventual Grade 1 Hopeful victor Jackie's Warrior.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101120USA7-EQB.html

5:20 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Three Chimneys Farm's Royal Approval will seek to parlay an impressive maiden victory into graded stakes company when taking on seven other juvenile fillies in the 111th running of the Matron going six furlongs over the Widener turf. Trained by Wesley Ward, who saddled Happy Like a Fool to victory in the 2017 Matron, Royal Approval arrives off her best performance yet when besting a maiden special weight field going 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs, where she drew off to a 6 ¼ length victory.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101120USA9-EQB.html

5:42 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Armistice Day, owned by Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins, faces six rivals in the Durham Cup, a 1 1/16-mile main track test. Bred in Kentucky by Glenvale Stud, four-year-old Armistice Day, the son of Declaration of War-Harmony Lodge, will chase his second stakes score and first graded stakes title on Sunday. Campaigned by trainer Barbara Minshall, Armistice Day, who took last year's Toronto Cup, has compiled a 3-2-2 record from 15 starts.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO101120CAN9-EQB.html

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Belmont Park: Saturday’s Empire 6 Wager Features Mandatory Payout

Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup Day card will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $352,831 heading into Thursday's 10-race card at Belmont Park.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

Saturday's sequence kicks off in Race 6 [3:03 p.m.], a six-furlong maiden special weight over the main track where eight juvenile colts will seek their first trip to the winner's circle. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle the royally-bred first time starter Overtook, a $1 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase who is owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith. The son of multiple-champion producing sire Curlin is out of Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Got Lucky.

Juvenile colts will take to the Widener turf for Race 7 [3:40 p.m.], which is a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight. Belmont fall meet-leading trainer Chad Brown sends out Juddmonte Farms homebred Connagh's Quay – a bay son of freshman sire Flintshire out of the Empire Maker mare Routine, who posted two bullet works heading into his debut.

The third leg of the sequence is the Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl Invitational in Race 8 at 4:14 p.m. going the classic distance of 1 ¼ miles for fillies and mares on the inner turf, which is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Brown, a six-time winner of the Flower Bowl, will have a trio of turf distaffers in this year's edition, including dual Grade 1-winner Cambier Parc. Owned by Larry Best's OXO Equine, the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of 2007 Canadian Horse of the Year Sealy Hill was second in the Grade 2 Canadian on September 12 at Woodbine last out. Brown also is represented by Peter Brant's graded stakes winner My Sister Nat – half-sister to 2018 Champion Turf Mare and last year's Flower Bowl victor Sistercharlie. First Row Partners and Hidden Brook Farms' Nay Lady Nay will seek her third straight win for Brown having won the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 18 at Monmouth Park and the All Along on September 7 at Laurel Park.

The prestigious Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup for older horses going 1 ¼ miles will be the fourth leg of the Empire 6, which is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic. The Jockey Club Gold Cup features Juddmonte Farm's three-time graded stakes winner Tacitus bidding for his first Grade 1 victory for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. Sophomore stakes winners Mystic Guide, winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga and unbeaten Happy Saver, winner of the last out Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, will also be seeking breakthrough victories in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be run as Race 9 with a post time of 4:48 p.m.

The penultimate leg will be the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point in Race 10 at 5:20 p.m. for sophomore fillies going one mile over the Widener turf. Trainer Chad Brown will saddle two-time graded stakes winner Selflessly for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables as well as Tamahere, who makes her North American debut. Trainer Christophe Clement will send out Waterford Stables' Speaktomeofsummer, a graded stakes winning daughter of second crop sire Summer Front.

The sequence concludes with a field of 12 New York-bred juvenile fillies seeking their first career win going six furlongs over the inner turf in Race 11 [5:52 p.m.]. Trainer George Weaver sends out Jim and Susan Hill's The Promised Road, who was bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski and Harry Patten, The Promised Road was a $220,000 purchase from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

For more information on the Empire 6, please visit http://www.nyrabets.com.

Empire 6 – Saturday, October 10:
Leg 1 – Race 6 (3:03 p.m.)
Leg 2 – Race 7 (3:40 p.m.)
Leg 3 – Race 8: G1 Flower Bowl Invitational (4:14 p.m.)
Leg 4 – Race 9: G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (4:48 p.m.)
Leg 5 – Race 10: G2 Sands Point (5:20 p.m.)
Leg 6- Race 11 (5:52 p.m.)

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