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Phileas Fogg is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18 at the new Belmont Park, giving one of New York racing’s top older horses a chance to earn an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The 10-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up is part of Belmont Park’s return-to-racing program, with FOX scheduled to air live coverage from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
Phileas Fogg exits big Suburban win
Owned by Jupiter Stable and trained by Gustavo Rodriguez, the 6-year-old last raced July 4 at Saratoga Race Course, when he won the Grade 2 Suburban by 10 lengths and earned a career-best 114 Beyer Speed Figure.
Rodriguez told NYRA that Phileas Fogg is ready after working five furlongs in 1:00.45 over the main track at Saratoga.
> “He’s good, he worked today. Everything went beautiful and we are ready to go,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also said the horse had been considered for the nine-furlong Whitney, but the barn chose to wait for this spot instead.
> “We know he loves a mile and a quarter,” Rodriguez said. “We just wanted to give him more time.”
Gold Cup field still taking shape
Entries for the Jockey Club Gold Cup are scheduled to be taken Saturday, Sept. 12. According to NYRA, other possible runners include Forever Young, Sovereignty, Nitrogen, Banishing, Willy D’s, and Yo Daddy.
Forever Young has cleared quarantine and has started training over the Belmont Park main track, another notable development for the race as the field comes together.
The NYRA update also included a setback for Money Game, who worked five-eighths in 1:01.40 but will not run next Friday because of a right-front leg injury.
What to watch next
The immediate next step is entries on Sept. 12, which will determine whether Phileas Fogg and the other possible contenders make the Gold Cup field official. For racing fans following Belmont Park, the Sept. 18 race stands out not only because of its $1 million purse, but because the winner secures a Win and You’re In spot for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in October.
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Source: As reported by news.google.com.
