BackTrack: Flat Out Defends Jockey Club Gold Cup

Belmont Park's Super Saturday Sept. 29 proved to be a return of sorts. A return to the winner's circle for some and a return to grade 1 celebrity for others. 

Flat Out  had not won a grade 1 stakes, nor any other stakes for that matter, since his victory in last year's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). That one-year drought is now over, as the son of Flatter —Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider, scored his first victory for trainer Bill Mott, capturing the Gold Cup once again in a thrilling finish.

Royal Delta had not won a grade 1 stakes since her victory in last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, earning her an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly. She ended that dry spell in rousing fashion with a spectacular 9 1/2-length score in the Beldame Stakes over archrival It's Tricky.

Jersey Town  had not won a race of any kind since his victory in the 2010 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). Following seven consecutive defeats, Charles Fipke's homebred 6-year-old son of Speightstown —Jersey Girl, by Belong to Me, finally found the winner's circle again with a dominating victory in the Kelso Handicap (G2), defeating major stars Shackleford  and To Honor and Serve.

Barry Schwartz' 3-year-old The Lumber Guy looked like a top-class sprinter/miler in the making following his victory in the Jerome Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 21. But a failed stretch-out in the nine-furlong Peter Pan Stakes (G2) resulted in his having to spend a month at Schwartz' farm because he was "knocked out." He returned a tiger, defeating older horses in the six-furlong Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (G1) and now is on to the Breeders' Cup.

There was even room for a European comeback performance. The English-trained Nahrainwon her first four career starts, including a game score in the Qatar Prix de l'Opera (G1). Although she followed that up with a close second-place finish in the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), she did not win another race until her dramatic victory in the Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (G1T).

So, it was quite a day for comebacks. The only horse in winning form to score was the Phipps family's red-hot Point of Entry , who captured the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (G1T) for his third consecutive grade 1 win and fourth straight graded stakes victory. 

Finishing a strong second in the Joe Hirsch was Irish invader Treasure Beach , who was winless in seven starts since his victory in the 2011 Secretariat Stakes (G1T), six of them out-of-the-money performances. Finishing a gutsy second, beaten a head, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup was Stay Thirsty , who had not won a race since last year's Travers Stakes (G1). So it also was a good comeback day for a couple of one-time classy colts.

It was an excellent day of racing on a crisp autumn afternoon. But it didn't take long for the conversation to turn to the Nov. 2-3 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. The biggest question revolved around Royal Delta, following her demolition of the Beldame field. With fillies having won the coveted Horse of the Year title the past three years, and with this year's Horse of the Year picture apparently wide open, will the temptation be too great for the connections of Royal Delta to pass up the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), even though Mott could have three starters already?

One of them is Flat Out, who went into last year's Classic off an emphatic victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup for trainer Charles "Scooter" Dickey, only to finish fifth, beaten three lengths by the Mott-trained Drosselmeyer in the Classic, the horse who had finished second to him in the Gold Cup. His victory brought up the question: Did Flat Out once again win the battle only to lose the war?

In the past 28 years, since the inception of the Breeders' Cup, only three horses have won both the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic, and two of those are in the Hall of Fame—Cigar and Skip Away—and the other (Curlin ) is destined for the Hall of Fame. So, Flat Out has some big footsteps to follow if he is going to emulate that feat.

The difference between this year and last year for Flat Out, who is owned by Preston Stables and was bred in Florida by Nikolaus Bock, is that he was at the end of a long, hard campaign last year, having also won the Suburban Handicap (G2) in blazing-fast time, and having finished second in the grade 1 Whitney Invitational Handicap and Woodward Stakes and Lone Star Park Handicap (G2).

This year he was taken out of training following a dull fifth-place finish in the Donn Handicap (G1) in February and turned over to Mott. He returned in early July to finish a solid second in the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2) and a fast-closing third in the Whitney.

"We thought maybe we overraced him a little bit last year and decided to give him some time off this year," said owner Art Preston. "It was a tough decision taking him away from Scooter. He had gone off form, and I think it was our fault, not the horse's. Bill did a great job bringing him back, and we're pleased to see him progress with each race and show what kind of horse he is. I was a little concerned because the track wasn't the way it was when he won his two races here last year. This track has slowed down a lot, and he had to reach down and get it today. Because of the positioning of the gate (on the turn at 1 1/4-mile races at Belmont), he wasn't able to get position early and dropped back farther than we wanted.

"He's tough-minded. He'll go back and eat up right now and be good in the morning. We kept him in training this year as a 6-year-old horse because we're about racing, not about breeding. I suspect of all the races I've won, this is my favorite because we were under the gun to get it done."

The Gold Cup drew a field of 10, including six grade 1 winners and two horses who had placed in grade 1 stakes. Breaking from the advantageous rail spot, it was 11-1 Stay Thirsty who set the early pace. He was hounded through early fractions of :23.49 and :47.21 by Ruler On Ice, his conqueror in last year's Belmont Stakes (G1). Stay Thirsty's stablemate, San Pablo, was right there in third, with the 7-2 Flat Out, breaking from post 9, dropping eight lengths off the pace.

Stay Thirsty opened a 1 1/2-length lead after three-quarters in 1:11.96 but was confronted by Whitney winner Fort Larned  at the top of the stretch. Most expected Fort Larned, the 5-2 favorite, to use the same powerful acceleration he had showed in the Whitney to open up in the stretch, but a stubborn Stay Thirsty reached back and repelled his challenge. Flat Out, under Joel Rosario, had moved into third and was in excellent striking position at the three-sixteenths pole. He charged past Fort Larned, who had little left, and bore down on Stay Thirsty, who pinned his ears and fought gallantly to the wire, only to fall a head short. Flat Out needed a strong :243⁄5 final quarter to eke out the victory, covering the 11⁄4 miles in a solid 2:01.44.

It was another 5 1/2 lengths back to Fort Larned, with Travers fourth-place finisher Atigun nosing out Travers third-place finisher Fast Falcon for fourth. The big disappointments were 3-1 second choice Ron the Greek, who was a non-threatening sixth, and Hymn Book, who tired to finish eighth at 5-1.

Mott acknowledged the challenge of winning your final prep and coming back in the Classic.

"It kind of worries you a little bit when you win them," he said. "When you win the prep race, I don't know if that's a good sign. But I guess Cigar was able to win this race and go on and win the Breeders' Cup.

"You couldn't have asked this horse to run any better than he did the last time out. He's a relatively fresh horse; he had a little break late spring, and he was up for it today. It looked like (Rosario) let him pick off a couple of horses on the backside, and he was doing it under a hold. That was a good thing. He hadn't asked him to run. That other horse (Stay Thirsty) fought on pretty well; he ran his butt off. Todd (Pletcher) looked like he had him ready today; we just had ours a little more ready."

Stay Thirsty's defeat was a tough blow to owner Mike Repole, but he said he's never been more proud of his colt.

"I've won some great races and I've lost some tough ones, but that's racing ... that's life," Repole said. "This one was the toughest racing loss of my life. Thirsty ran too good to be second. But I have no complaints."

Point Well Taken

The Europeans likely will be sending some talented horses over for the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) who are in better form than Treasure Beach, but it might not matter. Point of Entry just might be so good right now he will be able to handle whomever the Euros send.

With his workmanlike victory over the classic-winning Treasure Beach in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the Phipps Stable homebred son of Dynaformer—Matlacha Pass, by Seeking the Gold, now stands alone as the top long-distance turf horse in America and a leading Horse of the Year contender.

It was obvious that the deep, yielding turf course prevented Point of Entry from displaying the electrifying turn of foot that helped him win the Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) and grade 1 Man o' War and Sword Dancer Invitational stakes. But he overcame the going and was able to wear down Treasure Beach in the stretch and draw off to a 1 3/4-length victory. He should be much more comfortable over the firm Santa Anita turf course.

John Velazquez, who was winning his third straight grade 1 stakes on the card, put Point of Entry right off the flank of Little Mike, the only speed in the 12-furlong race. When Little Mike, who apparently was not handling the course, began a premature retreat after crawling the three-quarters in 1:18.16, it left Treasure Beach on an easy lead. The Irish colt hung tough when Point of Entry challenged at the head of the stretch, but he was no match for the 3-5 favorite in the final furlong. The final time was 2:33.73.

It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to 23-1 shot Kindergarden Kid, who made a good run up the inside and finished more than 10 lengths ahead of fourth-place finisher Finnegans Wake.

"The turf scared me more than anything," said Point of Entry's trainer Shug McGaughey. "I was afraid going into today after all the rain and a big, heavy horse like him, it might not be his race. I knew it would be a walking race, and he's got enough tactical speed where he can lay where he wants to, and it worked out fine. He should catch a firm turf course at Santa Anita, and I think they'll really see what he can do."

Royal Again

When Royal Delta runs her "A" race, boy is she good. Following a defeat at 3-5 in the Personal Ensign Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, no one knew quite what to expect in the Beldame. Well, what they got was an "A+" performance, in which the daughter of Empire Maker —Delta Princess, by A.P. Indy, destroyed her field and established herself once again as the horse to beat in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic.

Running, as usual with her head down, much like her broodmare sire, she ran the pacesetting It's Tricky off her feet on the far turn and quickly drew off to a handy victory, winning as jockey Mike Smith pleased. Go Unbridled, a New York-bred trained by Allen Jerkens, closed well in the stretch to finish third, 1 1/4 lengths behind It's Tricky.

"She ran a super race," Mott said of Royal Delta. "She broke well; she took it to the horse on the lead and was much the best today, just a very impressive performance. I hope there's enough gas left five weeks from now."

Royal Delta, who covered the nine furlongs in 1:48.80, is owned by Benjamin Leon Jr.'s Besilu Stables and was bred in Kentucky by Palides Investments N.V.

Euro Flower

Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's English-trained Nahrain took the first big step in her quest at another shot at the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Winless since her second-place finish in last year's renewal, the British-bred daughter of Selkirk—Bahr, by Generous, returned to her winning ways by bulling her way through horses turning for home and eking out a half-length victory over Zagora and Dream Peace, both trained by Chad Brown.

The Darley-bred 4-year-old was coming off a wake-up race in the Sept. 9 Irresistible Jewel Blandford Stakes (G2) at the Curragh, in which she finished a solid third. With John Velazquez riding for the first time, she stormed home her last quarter in :23 1/5 and just got up after splitting horses in deep stretch. She covered the 1 1/4 miles over the yielding course in 2:05.56.

"She showed us in her last start when she was third at the Curragh that she was coming back to herself," trainer Roger Varian said. "Her first two runs in the summer, the level of form she showed was incomparable to the high level of form she showed last year, so when we went to Ireland we were just hoping she was going to show us something. She finished strongly to the line and showed she was on her way back."

Bahr, the dam of the Flower Bowl winner, ran third in the 1998 Flower Bowl for Godolphin Racing.

Earlier in the day The Lumber Guy and Jersey Town earned trips to California for the Breeders' Cup with their respective victories in the Vosburgh and Kelso. The Lumber Guy, a son of Grand Slam—Boltono, by Unbridled's Song, bred by Schwartz' Stonewall Farm, is now undefeated in four starts at a mile or less. It is undecided whether he will point for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) or Xpressbet Sprint (G1).

"We talked about it, and we're going to keep talking," said trainer Mike Hushion. "We'll see what the competition looks like."