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“This was sudden and a tough experience for me and my wife,” said owner-breeder Bruce Lunsford. “I can summarize this pretty easily. He gave me my highest highs in this business and now my lowest low. That's as simple as I can put it. He will be in my brain and my thoughts for the rest of my life. He was very special. The biggest win of my life was in the Pegasus down in Miami, so this was a really big loss. And he was going to be a great sire.”

Trainer Bill Mott said the problems started only a few days ago but became more serious by the day.

“He started to develop laminitis a couple of days ago and he went in a hurry,” Mott said. “He had a very good work on the fifth of August and was fine the next day. Then he developed what appeared to be a small foot abscess two days later. We were soaking it and treating it. We didn't think it was going to be anything serious, but it developed into laminitis in all four feet. He was with us in Saratoga and was in his stall. He started to get real uncomfortable on Tuesday. Yesterday was a bad day and it was getting worse and we had to make the decision to put him asleep.”

Art Collector was originally trained by Joe Sharp. He was transferred to trainer Tom Drury for his 3-year-old campaign. His first graded stakes win came for Drury in the 2020 GII Blue Grass S., which, because of the pandemic, was run on July 11. He returned with a win in the Ellis Park Derby before finishing fourth in the GI Preakness S., which began a three-race losing streak.

In July of 2021, Lunsford made the decision to turn the horse over to Mott, who helped turn around the horse's career. He won his first three starts for Mott in a streak that included the Alydar S., the GII Charles Town Classic and the Woodward. He scored another win in the Charles Town Classic in 2022. After winning this year's Pegasus, he finished his career with second-place finishes in the GII New Orleans Classic and the GII Alysheba.

He was being pointed for a return visit to this year's Charles Town Classic. Lunsford said the plan was to retire Art Collector after the Charles Town race and then to send him to Claiborne Farm, where he was to stand at stud.

Art Collector won 11 of 21 starts and earned $4,231,290.

“To win the Pegasus, what a brilliant race that was for him,” Mott said. “It may be the biggest race of the year so far in North America. We all have great memories of that. He won 50% of his races. He wasn't just an average race horse. He was pretty special.”

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The Woodward was, perhaps, the most surprising inclusion on the list of newly appointed Grade II races. Twenty winners of the race have made their way into the Hall of Fame, including Kelso, Buckpasser, Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Cigar. But the race has struggled somewhat in recent years as the NYRA racing department tried to figure out where it fit best on the calendar on how to juggle a glut of late summer-early fall races for the handicap division, including the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. In 2006, the Woodward was moved from Belmont Park to Saratoga. The race was moved back to Belmont in 2021, trading places with the Jockey Club Gold Cup, which was switched to Saratoga. This year's Woodward was won by a top horse in Life Is Good (Into Mischief), but the race drew only four horses and the three challengers to Life Is Good were a fairly weak lot.

The Cigar Mile was inaugurated in 1988 and initially run as the NYRA Mile. Winners include Forty Niner, Cigar, Tonalist (Tapit) and Maximum Security (New Year's Day). This year's race did not come up particularly strong as Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) beat five others.

One race, the Stephen Foster S., was upgraded from Grade II to Grade I status. The race had been a Grade I through 2018 when it was downgraded. This year's winner was Olympiad (Speightstown).

A total of 97 Grade I races will be contested in 2023.

The committee reviewed 901 stakes races and assigned graded status to 440 of them, nine fewer than were graded in 2022.

Three races were upgraded to Grade II's, the Beaumont S., the Franklin S. and the Ladies Sprint S. Seven races were downgraded from Grade II to Grade III status for 2023: the Sorrento S. at Del Mar; Dinner Party S. at Pimlico; Monrovia S., San Carlos S., San Marcos S. and Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Park; and Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. Four races were upgraded to Grade III status for 2023: the Manila S. at Belmont Park; Blame S. and Shawnee S. at Churchill Downs; and Music City S. at Kentucky Downs. Twelve races were downgraded from Grade III to Listed status for 2023.

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Winner of the Woodward in 2021 over Maxfield (Street Sense), Art Collector notched a 107 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. It was one of seven triple-digit Beyer figures he received in a career that has thus far recorded a tally of 20-10-1-0 and earnings of $2,332,490.

“We are thrilled to stand another exciting stallion prospect for longtime client Bruce Lunsford,” said Claiborne's Walker Hancock. “Art Collector has the qualities we look for in a stallion and we believe he will be very well received among breeders upon his retirement from racing.”

Art Collector began his career in the barn of Thomas Drury, Jr., for whom he raced at two and three and won both the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. and Runhappy Ellis Park Derby. He moved into the barn of Hall of Famer Bill Mott for his four- and five-year-old campaigns, where his victories included the Woodward and back-to-back scores in both the GII Charles Town Classic S. and Saratoga's Alydar S.

A fee for Art Collector will be announced upon retirement.

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“He has such a good record at Churchill. We're going to skip California with him altogether,” trainer Brendan Walsh told DRF. “It's very important for him to win a Grade 1 this year. This probably gives him his best chance to get a Grade 1 at this stage of his career.”

Maxfield has won each of his four races at Churchill, including the G2 Stephen Foster earlier this year. In his 10 career starts, Maxfield owns seven wins, two seconds, and a third, with earnings of $1,550,902.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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The 2021 GIII Mineshaft S., GII Alysheba S. and GII Stephen Foster S. hero was second-best behind Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga last time Aug. 7. The 7-5 morning-line favorite, winner of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at two, adds blinkers here.

“For his stallion career and everything, it would be very important to get a Grade I win in him this year,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “He should love the sweeping turns here. He seems to run his turns very well, which is probably the strongest part of his races. A big horse like him with a big stride on him, I can't see why it wouldn't be to his advantage more than anything.”

Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) ended a five-race losing streak returning from a January layoff to capture Monmouth's GIII Philip H. Iselin S. last time Aug. 21. Placed first via disqualification after coming up a nose short behind subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Vino Rosso (Curlin) in the 2019 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, Code of Honor boasts a record of 6-3-2-1 over Big Sandy. He also has wins in the 2019 GIII Dwyer S. and 2020 GIII Westchester S. here.

The in-form Art Collector (Bernardini), winner of last year's GII Blue Grass S., made it two-for-two since joining Hall of Famer Bill Mott's barn, pairing up 103 Beyers with a sharp score in the GII Charles Town Classic S. Aug. 27. Mott will also saddle Forza Di Oro (Speightstown), third as the favorite after setting the pace in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Sept. 4.

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The Woodward is one of two Grade 1, $500,000 events on Saturday's card along with the Champagne for 2-year-olds running one mile in a prestigious race, affording a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile to the winner. The lucrative card is bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on the grass along with the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juvenile fillies.

Previously held at Saratoga Race Course, the Woodward was inaugurated in 1954 at Belmont Park and also was run several times at Aqueduct before being moved to Saratoga.

Maxfield, who boasts a consistent 9-7-1-1 record with over $1.45 million in earnings, arrives off a runner-up effort to Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 7 at Saratoga. Trainer Brendan Walsh saddled the 4-year-old son of Street Sense to back-to-back scores in the Alysheba [105 Beyer] on April 30 and Stephen Foster [103 Beyer] on June 26, both Grade 2 events at Churchill Downs.

A winner on debut going a one-turn mile in September 2019 at Churchill Downs, Maxfield became a Grade 1 winner in his second career start when capturing the Breeders' Futurity going two turns at Keeneland, where he made up nearly ten lengths from ninth to win by 5 ½ lengths – his largest margin of victory to date.

Walsh said earning a Grade 1 triumph as an older horse is crucial for Maxfield.

“It's absolutely important, especially with a horse like him, who we always thought would get better as he gets older,” Walsh said. “For his stallion career and everything, it would be very important to get a Grade 1 win in him this year.”

Lightly raced for a horse of his level, Maxfield has done the bulk of his racing this year having raced a cumulative four times at ages two and three, all of which were wins. He kicked off a successful year with a 3 ¼-length win in the Grade 3 Mineshaft in February at Fair Grounds before suffering his first loss in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap three weeks later.

“I think it all has helped. Thinking back at this point last year, this horse had only run three times in his career and he was about to turn four,” Walsh said. “We've always been on the back foot as far as seasoning and racing experience goes. I think we saw an advance on him in the Whitney because he ran right through the wire, which I was pleased to see him do. It all bodes well for the races ahead.”

Walsh expressed no concern with cutting back to one-turn from the two-turn Whitney.

“I think it suits him if anything,” Walsh said. “He should love the sweeping turns here. He seems to run his turns very well, which is probably the strongest part of his races. A big horse like him with a big stride on him, I can't see why it wouldn't be to his advantage more than anything.”

Walsh, who previously worked for Godolphin as an assistant trainer in Dubai, spoke volumes of the world-class breeding and racing operation.

“They've been a big influence on my career,” Walsh said. “It's just a privilege to train for them and an even greater privilege to have a horse of this caliber for them in such a great year. Hopefully, we can keep it going for the next couple of months and make it even better.”

Maxfield will race with blinkers on for the Woodward, and will be piloted by regular rider Jose Ortiz from post 2.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle a pair of top contenders in Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector and Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro.

Art Collector has matched up 103 Beyers in his last two starts at nine furlongs, capturing the Alydar on August 6 at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on August 27. A seven-time winner from 14 starts, Art Collector has banked more than $1.2 million. Art Collector is a 4-year-old son of Bernardini, who sired previous Woodward victors To Honor and Serve [2012] and Alpha [2013].

Art Collector burst onto the scene during his sophomore campaign with victories in the Grade 2 Blue Grass last July at Keeneland and the Ellis Park Derby one month later for his former trainer Tommy Drury, Jr.

Art Collector arrives off a half-mile breeze in 49.49 seconds on September 25 over the Oklahoma training track.

“He looked good and smooth in his last work,” said Mott, who previously won the Woodward with Hall of Famer Cigar [1995-96], To Honor and Serve [2012] and Yoshida [2018]. “He's made no mistakes so far. He looks great and the horse is doing very well. We're very pleased with him.”

Forza Di Oro, a 4-year-old Speightstown chestnut, sports a ledger of 7-4-1-1 led by a score in the Grade 3 Discovery in November at the Big A. Last out, Forza Di Oro finished a pacesetting third in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 4 at Saratoga.

“It could have been the distance. We were concerned about that going in,” Mott said. “He's capable of a different running style. We'll leave that up to the jock.”

Luis Saez returns aboard Art Collector from post 3, while Junior Alvarado will ride Forza Di Oro from post 6.

A victory from dual Grade 1-winner Code of Honor would give the Farish family their first Woodward win since Mineshaft in 2003. Last out, the 5-year-old homebred son of Noble Mission made his first start off a seven-month layoff a triumphant one in capturing the Grade 3 Phillip H. Iselin on August 21 at Monmouth Park, garnering a 105 Beyer.

Code of Honor boasts field-best lifetime earnings in excess of $2.8 million through a 17-7-4-2 record, highlighted by 2019 triumphs in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup during his 3-year-old season.

“He's training as good as he could – as good as I've ever seen him,” McGaughey said. “I think two turns is probably better, but the mile and an eighth is fine. I think the way he's training right now, he's sharp and he'll be laying in the right spot to wait and make a move.”

Paco Lopez, aboard for his last out Iselin score, will return to the irons from post 5.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post will attempt his first Grade 1 victory for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

The son of 2010 Woodward winner Quality Road arrives off a third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 21 at Del Mar, where he considerably advanced position in the last two points of call coming from seventh to complete the trifecta. Piloted by Joel Rosario, Dr Post appeared to be losing considerable ground around the far turn.

“In the middle part of the race, he sort of backed up on us and came with a good solid late run,” Pletcher said. “Joel seemed to think that maybe he was struggling with the track a little bit in the middle part of the race for some reason. He seemed to get a hold of it well late in the race, but just put himself in a tough spot with too much to do. It wasn't a bad race by any means.”

Dr Post displayed a successful seasonal commencement when capturing the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont on May 1 before taking the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 17 two starts later.

Dr Post will race with blinkers in the Woodward, as he did in his previous two starts.

“After the first time, I thought they moved him up quite a bit, but they didn't seem to have the same effect the second time, or at least the middle part of the race,” Pletcher said. “We'll leave them on to keep him focused.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who piloted Dr Post to his first stakes win in the Unbridled last April at Gulfstream Park and a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes last year, will be reunited with the four-time winner from the inside post.

Completing the field is Knight R.B. Stables' Mo Gotcha, a five-time winning 5-year-old son of Uncle Mo. Trainer Naipaul Chatterpaul claimed Mo Gotcha two starts back for $40,000 following a victory via disqualification on September 2 at the Spa and arrives off a third-place finish in his stakes debut in the Grand Prix American Jockey Club on September 18.

Returning pilot Jalon Samuel will ride from post 4.

The Woodward is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

The prestigious event for older horses honors William Woodward, who was chairman of the Jockey Club 1930-50. Woodward also owned Bel Air Stud who campaigned father-son Triple Crown-winning pair of Gallant Fox and Omaha. Since its inception, the Woodward has been won by all-time greats Sword Dancer [1959-60], Kelso [1961-63], Buckpasser [1966], Damascus [1967] and Forego, who won four consecutive runnings from 1974-77. More recent prominent winners of the Woodward include Skip Away [1998], Mineshaft [2003], Ghostzapper [2004], Saint Liam [2005], Curlin [2008], Rachel Alexandra [2009], Havre de Grace [2011] and Gun Runner [2017] whose Woodward victories would help cement Horse of the Year honors in their respective years.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Fiske said the one-mile Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso on Sept. 25 or the nine-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward on Oct. 2 are the two most likely options for the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun.

Silver State, trained by Hall of Fame Steve Asmussen, arrived at the Whitney on a six-race win streak, including three stakes triumphs at Oaklawn Park as well as a victory in the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont.

“He's doing great,” Fiske said. “He's been remarkably sound all year.”

Fiske said plans for Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon are still in flux after a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Options for the son of Tiznow could include training up to the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, or bypassing the Classic to target races like the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

“He put in a pretty big effort in the Travers, so we'll see how he bounces out of it,” Fiske said.

Fiske also reported that Grade 2 Adirondack-winner Wicked Halo is getting some rest and could target something toward the end of the year. The daughter of leading first crop sire Gun Runner won the Adirondack in wire-to-wire fashion by 3 ½ lengths. Her dam Just Wicked won the Adirondack in 2015.

“She's taking a little break. After the Adirondack we decided to just give her some time and get her ready for the later part of the year,” Fiske said. “Steve's relying on his experience with her mother, and he felt that he might have rushed her a little bit, so he didn't want to make the same mistake.”

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The fall meet, which will run from Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, October 31 will offer four Grade 1 races and five “Win and You're In” qualifiers to the Breeders' Cup in November at Del Mar.

The highlight of the meet will be the return of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes on Oct. 2. The Woodward has been run at Saratoga since 2006, but had previously been held at Belmont Park and makes it's return to the Elmont track this year.

The first two stakes will come during the meet's second day, with a pair of $100,000 six-furlong turf sprints on Friday, September 17, with the Allied Forces for sophomores and the Christiecat for 3-year-old fillies. The following day will feature the first Breeders' Cup qualifier on the docket with the $1 million Jockey Club Derby for 3-year-olds going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in the final leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series that will commence with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby in July and continue with the Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby in August at historic Saratoga Race Course.

September 18 will also see the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks, the concluding leg of the Turf Triple for 3-year-old fillies, held at 1 3/8 miles, with the card bolstered by the 1 5/8-mile $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational.

The weekend of September 25-26 will encompass the meet's first graded stakes races, with that Saturday offering the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track and the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia for fillies and mares 3-years-old competing at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The following day will see fillies and mares 3-and-up sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, with the undercard rounded out by the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard for New York-bred juveniles going seven furlongs.

Seven graded stakes will comprise the weekend of October 2-3, with a pair of Grade 1s highlighting the Saturday card with the $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going a one-turn 1 1/8 miles on Big Sandy and the $500,000 Champagne for 2-year-olds running one mile in a prestigious race affording a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile to the winner. The Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo will see juvenile fillies running 1 1/16 miles on turf that day, along with the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on the grass.

Sunday, October 3 will continue the high-level action, with the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies at one mile with a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies up for grabs. The day will also include the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles on the turf and the Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya at 1 3/8 miles in a turf route for fillies and mares 3-and-up.

The following weekend will again provide a chance to see top-caliber racing, with Saturday, October 9 showcasing the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up in a marathon 1 1/2-mile turf competition, with the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh, a six-furlong “Win and You're In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, bolstering the undercard along with the Grade 3, $150,000 Matron for juvenile fillies.

October 10 will offer the fall meet's final Breeders' Cup qualifier with the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on the turf providing a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Juvenile Turf Sprint. Also on tap that day will be the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at nine furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

Closing weekend on October 30-31 will see a packed Saturday that will offer eight stakes for New York-breds on Empire Showcase Day, led by the $300,000 Empire Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles. A trio of $250,000 stakes includes the Empire Distaff, Sleepy Hollow and Maid of the Mist. Also on tap will be two $200,000 contests in the Mohawk and Ticonderoga, along with a pair of $150,000 stakes in the Iroquois and Hudson.

Closing Day on Sunday, October 31 will conclude the meet with five stakes: the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-and-up; the Pumpkin Pie for the same division going seven furlongs; the $100,000 Awad for juveniles at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and the $100,000 Chelsey Flower for 2-year-old fillies going the same distance.

Three stakes have been added to the fall schedule, starting with the $100,000 Glen Cove for sophomores fillies sprinting seven furlongs on the turf on October 15. The $100,000 Carle Place, for 3-year-olds also going seven furlongs on the turf, will be held October 22, while the $100,000 Oyster Bay for 3-year-olds and up going seven furlongs on the turf will be run on October 29.

For the complete Belmont Park fall meet stakes schedule, please visit NYRA.com/stakes

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It was by no means a surprise that Charlatan and Knicks Go (Paynter) got caught up in a speed duel. Both are talented horses with abundant early speed and jockeys Joel Rosario (Knicks Go) and Mike Smith (Charlatan) rode aggressively, perhaps because neither rider wanted to see their rival get off to an uncontested lead in what many assumed was a two-horse race.

No official fractional times for the race are available, only a final time of 1:49.59 for the mile-and-an-eighth. But a hand timing of the race using video timing revealed that the six furlongs went in 1:10.7. Considering that there was no run up to the race, the six-furlong time would be more like 1:09 and change for a comparable race run in the U.S.

That means that Charlatan dueled with Knicks Go through a very fast three-quarters, while Mishriff got the perfect trip, stalking the two leaders from third. And he did so on a track that may have been biased toward outside closers. Speed didn't hold up in any of the dirt races Saturday and all of the winners were well off the rail in the stretch.

Knicks Go, a very good horse, couldn't handle the pressure. He was done on the turn and wound up finishing fourth, beaten 8 1/2 lengths. Not so for Charlatan. He was still battling Mishriff with 100 meters to go in the race and didn't let the other horse get by him until a few jumps before the wire. The pace was fast, Charlatan never got a breather and then he was caught by a horse who had a perfect trip while racing on the best part of the track. This may have been his best race.

“He ran a big race,” trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning. “He put away Knicks Go, just ran him down, turned in a gallant effort and it's too bad he got beat. That's a demanding track. The stretch is so long, and he ran hard. It was an exciting race and I would have loved to have won it, but I was afraid of a speed duel between him and Knicks Go. They locked horns after a half-mile and really picked it up the second quarter. But the way he ran, it shows what a brilliant horse he is. He put away a really good horse [in Knicks Go].”

Charlatan's Saudi Cup performance was reminiscent of the 1978 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which Seattle Slew lost after a heroic effort. He dueled with Affirmed and Life's Hope through fractions of 22.60, 45.20 and 1:09.40. The pace finished Affirmed, whose saddle slipped, and Life's Hope, but not Slew. Meanwhile, Exceller had a perfect off-the-pace trip, but Seattle Slew never gave up and lost by just a nose.

That's not to say that Charlatan is another Seattle Slew. He needs to do a lot more before he can be compared to one of the sport's all-time greats. But his effort in the Saudi Cup was nothing short of terrific.

Maximum Security: The Check Is Not in the Mail

Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal, the chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, told the audience for the Saudi Cup that he hoped there might be a resolution on the Maximum Security (New Year's Day) case shortly. Because of the indictment of his trainer Jason Servis and the ongoing investigation, owners Gary and Mary West and Coolmore have not received the $10 million that goes to the winner.

Prince Bandar said that he had been informed that a decision on Servis would come in about six weeks. It was an odd position to take since the case figures to wind through the system for months to come and even the U.S. Jockey Club has received no information concerning a rapid resolution to the case. It seems highly unlikely that the Servis matter will conclude any time soon or that the Saudi authorities would have inside information related to when there will be a decision.

The Prince has said that if U.S. authorities determine that Maximum Security raced on performance-enhancing drugs within six months of the 2020 Saudi Cup he will be disqualified. The FBI's investigation into the alleged doping of horses and the subsequent indictments include evidence that Maximum Security did receive SGF-1000 under Servis's care, administered in the hope of performance enhancement.

Jockey Club Gold Cup Is On the Move

As strange as it will seem to have the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, first run in 1919, held at Saratoga, NYRA might have saved the race by moving it upstate.

The Gold Cup had been run four weeks before the Breeders' Cup Classic, which, until a few years ago, was not a problem. But with trainers more and more determined to space out their horses' races leading up to the Breeders' Cup, the Gold Cup was suffering, failing to attract a quality field over the last few years. It had gotten to the point where the Gold Cup was in jeopardy of losing its Grade I status.

It will now be run eight weeks before the Classic, which should restore it as a major prep for the Breeders' Cup.

NYRA has yet to announce the stakes schedule for the fall meet at Belmont, but it appears that the GI Woodward S., run at Saratoga since 2006, will move into the Gold Cup's old spot on the calendar. That could mean that race will struggle to get top horses. By switching the two races around, NYRA chose to protect the Gold Cup over the Woodward. Considering the history of the race, it's the right call.

Mattress Mack Deserves to be Honored

That Jim McIngvale has opened up his store to those seeking shelter, heat and food in the aftermath of the storms in Houston doesn't really have anything to do with horse racing. But that doesn't mean that the horse racing industry shouldn't honor him. Mattress Mack has repeatedly gone above and beyond when it comes to helping out the people of his favorite city, Houston.

The Eclipse Award of Merit is given to someone who has displayed outstanding lifetime achievement in, and service to, the Thoroughbred industry. That should include people whose work outside of the sport has been exemplary, shining a positive light on racing. That's exactly what Mack has done. There should be an Eclipse Award out there with his name on it.

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“We considered bringing him back for a final start in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. (G1) because he ran so well in the Breeders' Cup,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. “He shed his frog in that race and the timing of getting him back into training is not going to work, unfortunately. He has been very popular when people see him, and we are excited about standing him next year.”

The 4-year-old son of Curlin emulated his sire by capturing the Woodward H. (G1) in his start prior to the Breeders' Cup Classic, earning a 104 Beyer in the front-running score for trainer Stanley Hough. The Woodward marked his second straight Graded win following a victory in the Monmouth Cup S. (G3) over the summer. Last year at three, he won the Peter Pan S. (G3), defeating next-out Belmont S. (G1) winner Sir Winston. All told, Global Campaign retires with a record of 10-6-0-2, having amassed earnings of $1,321,080.

A winner from seven furlongs to 1 ¼ miles, Global Campaign is out of the A.P. Indy mare Globe Trot, making him a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Bolt d'Oro and multiple stakes winner Sonic Mule.

For more information on Global Campaign, contact Liam O'Rourke, Chris Knehr, or Olivia Desch at (859) 873-1717, or visit WinStarFarm.com.

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