The leading active money-winner in thoroughbred racing is the marquee attraction of opening day at the reimagined, ultramodern Belmont Park. Sounds like the ultimate made-for-TV event, and Fox will show it from 3-4:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
Forever Young will try to pad his $31.75 million bankroll in the 108th running of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). The 3-5 morning-line favorite hasn't run since late March and had to travel more than 6,700 miles from Japan, but he's overcome similar obstacles many times.
"He's had a big spell since the Dubai World Cup," said Hiroshi Ando, racing manager for owner Susumu Fujita. "He's been training since early August, and his condition is really good. He knows how to travel on a long flight, and he's really good at it."
His opponents know it will take a tremendous performance to beat Forever Young. Two of those opponents were scratched on Tuesday – Banishing and Chunk of Gold, both 12-1 on the morning line.
"That is a very, very nice horse," said Gustavo Rodriguez, who trains 4-1 second choice Phileas Fogg. "He can run anywhere. He's been traveling all around the world, and any time he runs, he runs good."
On Tuesday, Forever Young worked an easy 5 furlongs in 1:02.17 at Belmont, with regular rider Ryusei Sakai aboard.
“He enjoyed the track and handled it well," Sakai said. "It seems like he's very happy to run here, so I'm quite happy for that.”
If you like to wager on thoroughbreds, here's a horse-by-horse analysis of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, with trainer, rider and odds in parentheses:
Talented underachiever is his own worst enemy because he can't get out of the gate without spotting the field four or five lengths. Deep closer is 0-for-3 going 1 1/4 miles and lost eight of his last nine starts. If he can repeat his performance last fall in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), where he beat Magnitude by 2 1/4 lengths, he could be a factor here.
"He trains brilliantly and you'd think he's as good as there is, but we just have to solve the fact that he just doesn't break good," co-owner Lee Searing said. "He's probably one of the top four horses in the country, but he just hasn't gotten it done. We're going to continue running against the best horses in the country, and one of these days he's going to get it done."
Mott's other runner just won going 1 3/4 miles, so distance is not a problem, but on paper he doesn't class up with Grade 1 runners. Never run at the top level before, and although he's a strong finisher, his speed figures rule him out.
Frontrunner has been training well since crushing the 10-furlong Suburban Stakes (G2) by 10 lengths with a career-top speed figure. "I think that was probably his best race ever," Rodriguez said. "We love the way he's coming into this race, so we just hope for the best."
If Forever Young isn't himself, this 6-year-old gelding is the one most likely to pull off the upset.
This 4-year-old colt is in way over his head for McPeek, who's famous for being willing to take a shot. He's 0-for-5 -- fifth, eighth, fifth, 17th, fifth --beaten a total of 80 1/2 lengths in graded stakes. Career highlight was a narrow victory going 1 3/16 miles in a non-winners-of-1 allowance. No chance.
This marvelous athlete is a world traveler who has excelled throughout a 15-race career. He's won 11 times, never been worse than third, and earned the astronomical sum of $31,758,590, a record topped only by Romantic Warrior ($35.4 million). Last year's hero of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) has four wins going 1 1/4 miles in top company, and Friday's opponents aren't close to the caliber of horses he's beaten. Powerful finisher should go past pacesetter Phileas Fogg in midstretch before drawing away.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
