Coglianese / NYRA Photo Photo Photo

New York-bred millionaire Diversify fires bullet ahead of title defense in next weekend’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup

by NYRA Press Office

• G1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow arrives at Belmont for JCGC
• Spring Quality solid in ‘routine work’ for G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
• Sophomore G1 Secretariat winner Carrick could face elders in Turf Classic
• September Super Saturday fields coming together

Lauren Evans and Ralph M. Evans' multiple Grade 1 winner Diversify wrapped up his major preparations for his title defense in the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont park with a five-furlong breeze Friday morning, covering the distance in 58.97 seconds, his second bullet work in as many weeks.

Diversify worked solo under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. over the main track shortly after the renovation break. The breeze was the fastest of 16 at the distance. NYRA clockers caught the 5-year-old New York-bred gelding by Bellamy Road galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5.

Friday’s move was the fourth work for Diversify, the expected favorite for the 1 ¼-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic qualifier on Super Saturday, September 29, since recording a 3 ½-length victory in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 4 at Saratoga Race Course. Last Friday, Diversify breezed five furlongs in a bullet 58.88 seconds, his first appearance on the Belmont work tab since shipping from Saratoga earlier this month for trainer Rick Violette, Jr.

“It was another great breeze,” said Violette’s assistant Melissa Cohen. “We were planning on going a little slower, but he was very happy to do what he did and he couldn’t have done it any easier. We’re happy, he came back happy, barely blowing a match. He’s happy, relaxed.

“It was almost an exact replica of last week, so I think he’s telling us he’s ready,” she added. “All systems go.”

Diversify is coming into the Gold Cup off three straight wins, including the one-mile Commentator for New York-breds in May and the Grade 2 Suburban at 1 ¼ miles on July 7 prior to the Whitney. Last year, he won a pair of New York-bred stakes, capped by an 11 ½-length romp in the Evan Shipman at Saratoga, and successfully stretched out to 1 ¼ miles for the first time with a gutsy one-length victory in the 2017 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Cohen said Diversify will jog Saturday morning and walk Sunday as part of his normal post-work routine.

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G1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow arrives at Belmont for JCGC

Godolphin’s Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow has settled into the quarantine barn for his bid in next weekend’s Jockey Club Gold Cup. The 4-year-old Irish-bred Helmet colt arrived at Belmont from England around 3 a.m. Friday, where his training will be overseen by Tommy Burns, traveling manager to trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

“Our flying groom, Chris Webster, who’s one of the best around, said he traveled brilliant,” said Burns. “He drank well, ate well. In our experience, he’s been a very good traveler and it’s not a problem for him.”

Thunder Snow is scheduled to clear quarantine before the end of training hours on Sunday, when he is expected to train over the main track for the first time.

“He had a nice walk around this morning. We’ll just take a couple of easy days until he gets out of quarantine and then see how he is, but he seems in good order,” Burns said. “I’ll speak to Saeed every day, so we’ll take it day by day and plan from there.”

Thunder Snow’s only previous trip to North America resulted in a disappointing non-run in the 2017 Kentucky Derby, where he began bucking shortly after leaving the gate and was pulled up by jockey Christophe Soumillon on the front side of Churchill Downs.

Since the Derby, Thunder Snow won the 2017 Group 1 Prix Jean Prat on the turf in France, and this winter, he competed in all three preps at Meydan Racecourse for the Dubai World Cup, winning Round 2 of the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge in February and finishing second in the other two.

He earned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure for his World Cup victory, taken in frontrunning fashion by 5 ¾ lengths over 2017 Travers and Pennsylvania Derby winner West Coast on March 31. In his only start since then, Thunder Snow set the early pace in the Group 1 Juddmonte International before fading to eighth on August 22 at York.

Other international shippers for September Super Saturday stakes are Group 3 winner Teodoro, pointed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for trainer Thomas Dascombe and scheduled to arrive Sunday, September 23; and Mendelssohn, second to dual-surface Grade 1 winner Catholic Boy in the Travers on August 25 and on target for the Gold Cup for trainer Aidan O’Brien, is due to touch down on Tuesday, September 25.

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Spring Quality solid in ‘routine work’ for G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Augustin Stable’s Spring Quality put in his final work before the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 29 at Belmont Park, recording a bullet six furlongs in 1:13.40 over the Tapeta course at Fair Hill Friday morning.

Trainer Graham Motion said it was the second good work at the Maryland training center for the 6-year-old Quality Road gelding since running third in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on August 25 at Saratoga Race Course.

“We’re still very much so pointing to the Joe Hirsch,” Motion said by phone. “It was a routine work and he went with Just Howard, who is another stakes-quality horse, they’ve been working together. I was very happy with them.”

Spring Quality will enter the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic – a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Longines Turf on November 3 at Churchill Downs – with momentum after registering triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in his last four starts, including a personal-best 102 in his last appearance at Belmont when he outlasted Sadler’s Joy by a neck to win the Grade 1 Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9.

After rallying from 11th to win the Manhattan, contested at 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf, Spring Quality will again race at the Sword Dancer distance of 1 ½ miles in the Joe Hirsch, which will be held on the Widener turf.

“I don’t think the mile and a half will be an issue with him,” Motion said. “I thought the Sword Dancer turned into a bit of a tricky race. Speed obviously played good that day in Saratoga, so I don’t think the [distance] will be an issue. He handles Belmont [well].

“Saratoga is a tricky turf course. It’s tight, it’s fast, and I think he’s a little more suited to a more galloping type of turf course.”

Spring Quality has posted two wins, a runner-up effort and a third-place finish, all against graded stakes competition, since closing out his 5-year-old campaign with a win in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Red Smith at Aqueduct in November 2017, which marked just his second race on turf after making his first seven starts on dirt. With a 6-3-1 record in 12 career starts, the Pennsylvania-bred will be looking to earn millionaire status after entering with $960,797 in career earnings.

“We gave him a lot of time to develop and were always very patient with him. You could say we took too long to get him on the grass,” Motion said. “This is obviously what he was always calling out to do. He just handled the dirt so well that I didn’t want to make him into a grass horse until he could benefit from it. He’s shown he can compete at the top level on the grass in Grade 1 company.”

Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, who has been aboard for his last eight starts, will have the return call, Motion said.

Motion said Spring Quality will likely arrive at Belmont either Thursday or Friday before the race.

Motion also said Mythical Mission, who was cross-entered in the Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel on Saturday at Belmont, will likely go instead in the All Along at Laurel Park. The 4-year-old Giant’s Causeway filly is coming off her first stakes win in capturing the West Virginia Senate President’s Cup on August 4 at Mountaineer.

“I put her in New York as a backup in case they came off the grass at Laurel, but I think we have a pretty good shot at running on the grass tomorrow, so she’ll likely stay in Maryland.”

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Sophomore G1 Secretariat winner Carrick could face elders in Turf Classic

Winner of the Grade 1 Secretariat for 3-year-olds, Donegal Racing’s standout turf sophomore Carrick is slated to breeze Saturday at Belmont Park as his connections mull the option of running against older horses in next weekend’s Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, said trainer Tom Morley Friday morning.

A chestnut colt by Giant’s Causeway, Carrick won his debut in a maiden claiming race on May 12 at Belmont and followed with a starter allowance victory on June 21. He was third in the Grade 3 Kent in July at Delaware Park, where he bore out late in the stretch to finish 2 ¾ lengths behind Golden Brown, before holding off Analyze It by a neck at odds of 38-1 in the August 11 Secretariat at 1 ¼ miles on the turf at Arlington Park.

“The horse is doing very well,” said Morley. “He’s looked well in all three of his works since the win and following tomorrow’s scheduled workout, we’ll make a decision of whether or not to enter him in the Joe Hirsch.”

Morley also added 4-year-old New York-bred filly stakes winner La Moneda, who last out won the Yaddo on August 23 at Saratoga, breezed four furlongs in 50.63 seconds Thursday and would next point to a start in either the $200,000 Ticonderoga on Empire Showcase Day Saturday, October 20 or the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia on Sunday, October 21.

“She looked very good,” said Morley. “She had a very active summer, so we’ve managed her with keeping the Ticonderoga or the Athenia in mind for her next start, and we’ll make a decision on which race she’ll enter the closer we get to each race.”

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September Super Saturday fields coming together

Fields are taking shape for the four graded stakes on September Super Saturday, the first of two must-see weekends of the Fall Championship Meet and including three Breeders’ Cup qualifiers.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles on the Widener turf is expected to attract top-class grass runners Grade 1 Arlington Million winner Robert Bruce, Grade 1 Sword Dancer runner-up Channel Maker, as well as the always competitive Sadler’s Joy, among others.

New York-bred millionaire Diversify tops probable contenders for the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 ¼ miles, carrying an all-fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Gold Cup is also expected to include Thunder Snow, winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March, as well as a pair of 3-year-olds in Belmont Stakes runner-up Gronkowski and Europe-based Mendelssohn, second in the Grade 1 Travers, his most recent of four U.S. starts.

Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt hero Imperial Hint is on target to headline the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh at 6 ½ furlongs, while Grade 3 With Anticipation winner Opry will look to stand out among the crowd in the Grade 3, $200,000 Pilgrim for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The stakes action will continue the following day with the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, the Pilgrim’s sister race for juvenile fillies at 1 1/16 miles on the grass, and the $200,000 Temperence Hill Invitational for 3-year-olds and up at 1 5/8 miles on the main track.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Turf Division
Probable: Carrick (Tom Morley); Channel Maker (Bill Mott); Hi Happy (Todd Pletcher); Highland Sky (Barclay Tagg); Robert Bruce (Chad Brown); Sadler’s Joy (Tom Albertrani); Spring Quality (Graham Motion); Teodoro (Thomas Dascombe)
Possible: Focus Group (Brown)

The Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup
"Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Classic Division
Probable: Carlino (Mark Hennig); Discreet Lover (Uriah St. Lewis); Diversify (Rick Violette, Jr.); Gronkowski (Brown); Mendelssohn (Aidan O’Brien); Patch (Pletcher); Thunder Snow (Saeed bin Suroor); Uno Mas Modelo (Anthony Quartarolo)

The Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh
"Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Sprint Division
Probable: Imperial Hint (Luis Carvajal, Jr.); Silver Ride (Brian Lynch); Still Krz (Ray Handal)
Possible: Forge (Dermot Magner); Mr. Crow (Ben Colebrook)

The Grade 3, $200,000 Pilgrim
Probable: Dashing Dan (Michael Dilger); Forty Under (Jeremiah Englehart); Opry (Pletcher); Pipes (Gary Contessa); Rhythm With Soul (John Kimmel); Somelikeithotbrown (Mike Maker); Spirit Animal (Brown)
Possible: Ship of the Line (Jack Sisterson)

Sunday, September 30:

The Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo
Probable: Decorated Ace (Brenda McCarthy); Kitty’s Legacy (Bruce Levine); Miss Technicality (Christophe Clement); Newspaperofrecord (Brown); Stellar Agent (Jorge Abreu); Varenka (Motion)

The $200,000 Temperence Hill Invitational
Probable: Archanova (Ian Wilkes); Rocketry (Jimmy Jerkens); War Story (Jorge Navarro); You’re to Blame (Pletcher)
Possible: Turco Bravo (Linda Rice)