First Captain in JC Gold Cup Adds to Big Day for Owners

It's surely a monumental weekend for a stable when the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) is its "other" race of the day.

Yet for Terry Finley and his partners that succinctly explains their to-do list for Sept. 3. 

While Finley and the main body of his army of West Point Thoroughbreds investors will be at always sunny Del Mar Saturday to watch the undefeated Flightline  in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (G1), a few hours earlier in the day their First Captain  will run in the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup back in their main base of New York at Saratoga Race Course.

"I do feel a little bad for First Captain. In a normal year, he would be the star of the show Saturday in a big, big way. At this point he's not, but it's all relative. That's not an indictment of his talent or race record. He just has a classmate who has done really, really well so far," said Finley, West Point's founder and president. "We feel very lucky and blessed. It will be an exciting weekend. We also have some 2-year-olds making their debut or running again, too."

Aside from the West Point investors, some of whom own shares in both Flightline and First Captain, First Captain is owned by Woodford Racing, Siena Farm, and breeder Bobby Flay, the famed celebrity chef.

Bill Farish's Woodford Racing also owns a share of Flightline.

Both 4-year-olds came with ritzy price tags as Flightline cost $1 million as a yearling and First Captain was bought for an even pricier $1.5 million from the Stone Farm consignment as the sale-topper at the 2019 Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's Select Yearling Sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Unlike Flightline, who is a multiple grade 1 winner, First Captain has taken longer to find his best stride on the racetrack. A grade 3 winner last year, the son of Curlin   has matured for trainer Shug McGaughey, winning the May 20 Pimlico Special (G3) and falling short by a nose to Gold Cup starter Dynamic One  after a dramatic stretch duel in the July 9 Suburban Stakes (G2), a 10-furlong stakes test at Belmont Park.

"Races like the Suburban are tough to take because you don't get many chances to win a big race," Finley said. "That one stung. First Captain has a great physical appearance. It just took him a little more time for everything to come together."

First Captain will get another chance at a major win Saturday in a race that will not only keep him on track for a start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)—which is also the goal for Flightline—but can provide him with a grade 1 victory at a classic distance that will make him a hot stallion prospect.

"It's a major test for him. If First Captain runs bang-up, I would think we will go straight to the Breeders' Cup and that could put him on a collision path with Flightline, but it's a long time between now and the Breeders' Cup and you never know what happens," Finley said.

"But if both First Captain and Flightline are in a position to be a factor in the race, then they will both run. It's the same thing with trainers who have a few horses in a race. You have to beat all comers and you have to be fair to all of your owners. They paid their hard-earned money for the horse and deserve that."

From a financial standpoint, the entry fees for the Classic can drop to zero for First Captain—or anyone else who wins the Gold Cup—since the 104th edition of the stakes is a "Win and You're In" test for the Nov. 5 Classic at Keeneland.

As busy as the West Point and Woodford connections will be Saturday, trainer Todd Pletcher will also have his hands full at the Spa, saddling four of the eight starters.

The foursome features Repole Stable, Phipps Stable, and St. Elias Stable's Dynamic One, who has also developed into a graded stakes winner at 4, taking the Suburban and the Blame Stakes before that in his last two starts.

"Each horse is deserving in their own way and we'll see how it sorts out," Pletcher said about a group that also includes the grade 1-winning New York State-bred Americanrevolution , Untreated , and Keepmeinmind .

Dynamic One, bred by Phipps Stable, beat First Captain in the Curlin Stakes at the Spa last year, but then was given the rest of the year off after finishing seventh in the Runhappy Travers (G1).

"Dynamic One is coming off a good run in the Suburban. It seems like each race has been a little better for him. After the Travers we put him on our so-called 'Vino Rosso   Program' to point to a 4-year-old campaign," Pletcher said, referencing Repole and St. Elias' 2019 Classic winner.

CHC and WinStar Farm's Americanrevolution will be tested at 1 1/4 miles for the first time. Winner of the Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) last year, he was fourth in the Blame and second last time out to Gold Cup starter Olympiad  in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2).

"We were contemplating running him in the Whitney (Stakes, G1) but WinStar had Life Is Good  in there so we decided to split them up and take a shot at two grade 1's," Pletcher said about the son of Constitution  . "He's trained well and ran well here last year (winning the Albany Stakes for state-breds by five lengths). He's a grade 1 winner at a mile so this will tell us which direction to go for the Breeders' Cup."

Team Valor International's Untreated (Nyquist  ) was third in the Suburban, losing by a little less than a length after setting the early pace.

He was also third in the Pimlico Special.

Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind will be making his second start for Pletcher after winning a July 22 allowance race at the Spa. The son of Laoban was second to 3-year-old champion Essential Quality   in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) last year at the Spa while running for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

"Untreated ran in the Suburban, battling to the end, and we pointed to this race since then," Pletcher said. "Keepmeinmind had a good prep for this and hopefully we can move forward. He's an impressive horse to watch in training. He breezes really well and it seems like the farther he goes the better."

Olympiad (Speightstown  ) will try to bounce back after finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney, losing by 9 1/4 lengths while having a streak of five straight wins snapped.

"He had a bad day (in the Whitney). I don't know what else to say," trainer Bill Mott said.

The field also includes Tax , winner of the 2019 Jim Dandy, and Chess Chief .

Entries: Jockey Club Gold Cup S. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, September 03, 2022, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tax (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	126	Danny Gargan	10/1
2	2Olympiad (KY)	Junior Alvarado	126	William I. Mott	2/1
3	3Untreated (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
4	4Chess Chief (VA)	Manuel Franco	126	Dallas Stewart	30/1
5	5Americanrevolution (NY)	Joel Rosario	126	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
6	6First Captain (KY)	Luis Saez	126	Claude R. McGaughey III	4/1
7	7Keepmeinmind (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
8	8Dynamic One (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2