Tom Pedulla gives takeaways from an enormous Labor Day racing weekend highlighted by a pair of $1 million races, the FanDuel Racing Pacific Traditional Stakes Saturday at Del Mar and the Jockey Membership Gold Cup Stakes Sunday at Saratoga Race Course. Each supplied the winners with computerized, fees-paid berths within the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Traditional Nov. 2 at Del Mar. The stakes-studded weekend concluded with the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, a key race for 2-year-olds who usually go on to be Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve prospects.
DECIDEDLY UNDECIDED: Though Highland Falls locked up a spot within the Breeders’ Cup Traditional beginning gate with a powerful four-length rating within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup for his first Grade 1 victory, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll go on to that season-culminating race. Coach Brad Cox mentioned the Godolphin homebred, a 4-year-old son of Curlin, can be shipped to Churchill Downs with the Traditional “in play.” He additionally famous that the colt has been campaigned steadily since final August. “We’ll let him inform us,” Cox mentioned. Regardless of a disappointing fifth-place end for crushed odds-on favourite Arthur’s Experience, Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott mentioned the Whitney Stakes winner will proceed to be pointed towards the Traditional.
HUGE UPSET: One of many nice points of racing is its wild unpredictability. There was no strategy to predict that Calumet Farm’s Mixto, a winner of certainly one of his earlier 13 begins, can be ok to deliver residence a race as prestigious because the Pacific Traditional. And but that’s what occurred. The 4-year-old Good Magic colt, patiently ridden in an ideal stalking place by Kyle Frey, snagged the largest prize of Del Mar’s summer season meet by half a size regardless of being despatched off at 22.20-1. Coach Doug O’Neill might need been among the many few who was not shocked. “He gave us just a few hints of being a particular horse, however [Saturday] he actually validated the horse he’s,” he mentioned. Mixto produced a pair of runner-up efforts and 4 third-place efforts earlier than his Pacific Traditional stunner.
BIG NUMBERS: Flanagan Racing’s Chancer McPatrick put the exclamation level on an incredible Saratoga meet for coach Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat by closing powerfully to edge Ferocious by half a size within the Grade 1 Hopeful on Labor Day. Brown closed with a meet-leading 45 wins, six of them Grade 1s. “It’s only a magical meet. It’s a meet for the ages,” he mentioned. “I don’t know the way myself or anybody else may replicate this.” Whereas Irad Ortiz Jr. efficiently defended his title as main rider, Prat distinguished himself by amassing 18 stakes wins, 14 of them graded, to set information in each classes.
WORTH THE TRIP: Bellum Justum got here for the cash and acquired it, besting Carson’s Run by 2 ¼ lengths within the $2,337,160 DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational Saturday at Kentucky Downs. Adrian Beaumont of the Worldwide Racing Bureau, who recruits worldwide runners on behalf of the observe’s boutique meet, seems for the end result of the 1 5/16-mile contest with Frankie Dettori aboard to assist appeal to future abroad stars. “That is going to be a large win again residence,” Beaumont mentioned. “Hopefully, it can open the floodgates for extra coming right here subsequent yr with horses pretty much as good as this or higher.”
THREEPEAT: On Saturday, Gold Phoenix made it three in a row within the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap Offered by the Japan Racing Affiliation when he overtook pace-setting Dicey Mo Chara by a head. In doing so, the 6-year-old gelding secured a fees-paid berth within the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for homeowners Little Purple Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify. He’ll goal to make his third consecutive look within the Turf following Tenth- and fourth-place finishes. Coach Phil D’Amato couldn’t be extra happy with Gold Phoenix’s consistency. “I feel a giant key to that is us doing proper by the horse yearly. After Breeders’ Cup, we give him a pleasant couple of months off and I feel that prepares him to be prime when Breeders’ Cup comes round once more. … We save him for the large dance on the finish of the yr.”
