New York-bred Diversify holds off Keen Ice in G1 debut to win Jockey Club Gold Cup

New York-bred Diversify holds off Keen Ice in G1 debut to win Jockey Club Gold Cup

Firenze Fire heats up down stretch in upset win of G1 Champagne

New York-bred Diversify holds off Keen Ice in G1 debut to win Jockey Club Gold Cup

By Heather Pettinger

ELMONT, N.Y. Ralph M. and Lauren Evans’ New York-bred Diversify made his graded stakes debut a winning one, holding off the 6-5 favorite Keen Ice and up-and-coming sophomore Pavel to punch his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a one-length win in the 99th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old gelding by Bellamy Road stayed true to his front-running style, taking the field of seven on an uncontested lead through an opening quarter-mile in 24.17 seconds and a half-mile in 47.74 with Grade 3 Smarty Jones winner Pavel, making his fourth career start, and Rally Cry stalking from two lengths behind. Highland Sky and 2016 Belmont Stakes winner Destin comprised the middle of the pack, three lengths ahead of early trailers Keen Ice and Good Samaritan.

Diversify, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, still held the advantage through six furlongs in 1:11.42 as Keen Ice and Good Samaritan began to move from the back of the pack. Keen Ice advanced in the final turn while Pavel made an outside bid turning for home, but neither could catch Diversify, who finished a length ahead of Keen Ice. Pavel was another three-quarters of a length behind in third. It was another 5 ¾ lengths back to Good Samaritan in fourth. Destin, Rally Cry and Highland Sky rounded out the order of finish.

“He’s a good horse and he’s improving,” said Ortiz, who won his fourth race on the day’s card, including stakes victories with Disco Partner in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational and Firenze Fire in the Grade 1 Champagne. “He’s growing up and he was that good today. He was ready to run today. He was challenged and responded. Before, he used to play a little bit and would wait for horses. He doesn’t do that as much anymore, so he’s getting better.”

Diversify, exiting an eye-catching 11 ¼-length win in the Evan Shipman for state-breds on August 21 at Saratoga Race Couse, was sent off as the 7-2 second choice and returned $9.80 for a $2 win wager. He stopped the clock in 2:00.96 for 1 ¼ miles to earn his third straight stakes win and give trainer Rick Violette, Jr. his first Jockey Club Gold Cup victory.

As a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifier, the win awarded Diversify the $450,000 winner’s share of the Jockey Club Gold Cup purse, as well as an all-fees-paid berth into the Classic on November 4 at Del Mar. He boosted his lifetime record to seven wins and two seconds from 10 starts with total earnings of $775,425.

“We couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario,” said Violette. “The first quarter, going in 24 [seconds] was ideal. He’s done nothing but get better from the early summer until now. He’s always been a nice horse, but he’s certainly jumped into the major leagues here today. He [Keen Ice] might’ve moved a little earlier than he wanted to because we were always loose on the lead. The pace certainly made the race for us. My only instructions to Irad was to ride him like he rode him in Saratoga.”

Violette added that he and the owners don’t plan to rush the decision on whether to join the field for the Classic.

“We’re going to enjoy today’s race and give it a couple of days,” he said. “I talk it over with Lauren Evans and Ralph Evans and we’ll come up with a decision next week.”

Yoshida breaks through late to earn first graded stakes win in G3 Hill Prince

By Anthony Affrunti

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s possible that all Yoshida needed was a change of venue, and a little racing luck, to finally break through and earn his first graded stakes victory after he came on late to win the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince by a neck Saturday at Belmont Park.

Off the board only once in six career starts leading up to the race, the rising star under Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s care was first to a narrow hole, moving to the right spot to burst through and put his head in front among three others in a tight flurry before the wire under jockey Manny Franco, completing 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf in 1:47.07.

“We got the benefit of saving the ground today and that didn’t hurt him.” Mott said.

The race’s pace remained a question leading up to post time, as the field of nine was primarily comprised of closers, but upon the break, jockey Junior Alvarado gunned Secretary At War to the lead while a strung out field gave pursuit in an opening quarter of 24.21 seconds. Frostmourne was next as Yoshida and Lucullan kept close at a half-mile clocked in 49.11.

Bricks and Mortar, the 3-2 favorite whose late charge from behind failed only once through five starts, followed in sixth and was given his cue for more approaching the five-sixteenths mark.

Secretary At War was still in command at the three-quarters mark, sitting atop the stretch before the inevitable onslaught followed. Second-choice Frostmourne held a narrow lead, but Yoshida and Bricks and Mortar gained with every step as Lucullan dug in to sustain his presence.

Frostmourne came in slightly while his three foes were to his inside, and with little time to spare, Yoshida got to a narrow opening first while Bricks and Mortar bumped with Yoshida as Lucullan kept his steady progress. The four were spread across at the wire, but Yoshida held a neck over Lucullan, whose half-length bested Bricks and Mortar. Frostmourne checked in for fourth, a head behind, and was left to stand after a steward’s inquiry ruled no change.

“The horse and rider both showed good courage,” Mott said. “The rider showed good patience and when he asked him he had enough horse to get in there. It looks like Bricks and Mortar went for the same hole and we were able to get there first. Actually it looked like Frostmourne came over a little bit and crowded both of us.”

Added Franco, who notched his 12th graded stakes win: “I rode with a lot of confidence, as Bill told me. I expected to be third or fourth, saving ground, covering the horse up, like I did, and just waiting for the hole. By the eighth pole, we [himself and Joel Rosario aboard Bricks and Mortar, No 6] were going for the same spot, but I had a lot of horse and my horse took off and went through. We were going to the same spot, but I had more horse than him so I got his spot.”

The Japanese-bred son of Heart’s Cry had been knocking on the door in his last two starts up north at Saratoga where he missed victory in the Grade 3 Saranac by a neck nearly a month after he fell three-quarters of a length short to Bricks and Mortar in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame. Second in his debut in November 2016, Yoshida returned to win at Keeneland before winning the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness Day undercard. A disappointing fifth place finish as the favorite behind winner Oscar Performance in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby led him to Saratoga.

Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence’s Bricks and Mortar, looking to get back to the winners’ circle after finishing third in the Grade 3 Saranac, may have been the victim of an unfortunate trip, trainer Chad Brown said.

“He had a rough trip out there,” Brown said. “I thought it would open up for him [in the late stretch]. I thought he was best.”

Godolphin Stable’s Lucullan, making a jump in class after beating allowance level foes in his fifth career start, ran a strong race for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

“He ran very well, we’re happy with the race,” McLaughlin said. “It was a big step up from just winning an allowance other than to a graded stakes with very nice horses. We ran great and we’re happy with it.”

Yoshida’s victory was the fourth Hill Prince captured by Mott, who won his first in 1993 with Halissee, then returned in 1995 with Green Means Go and won his third in 2007 with Marcavelly.

Yoshida, the third choice in betting at 4-1, returned $10.40 to win on a $2 wager.

Following the top four finishers was Secretary At War, Rocketry, Small Bear, Ticonderoga and Hieroglyphics.

Firenze Fire heats up down stretch in upset win of G1 Champagne

By Brian Bohl

ELMONT, N.Y. – Mr. Amore Stables’ Firenze Fire overtook Good Magic in the stretch and outkicked his rival by a half-length to win the 146th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne for 2-years-olds on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Firenze Fire, who was coming off a fourth-place finish in his Grade 1 debut in the Hopeful on September 4 at Saratoga, relished the one-mile distance to win for the third time in four career starts, securing a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on November 4 at Del Mar.

Aveenu Malcainu, the 3-1 favorite, went to the front to pace the 12-horse field, going a quarter-mile in 22.90 seconds and the half in 45.94 on the fast main track. Out of the turn, Good Magic surged ahead from the outside. But jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. used a left-handed whip to cajole Firenze Fire, whose previous long distance was seven furlongs, to the lead in the final furlong, hitting the wire in 1:35.91.

“He always breaks good, but we’ve been working with him to drop in, take some kickback, get some dirt and finish. He was working great,” said Ortiz, Jr., who won his third race of the day and second straight stakes after piloting Disco Partner to victory in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

One of two entrants for trainer Jason Servis, Firenze Fire was the only graded stakes winner in the field, having captured the Grade 3 Sanford on July 22 at the Spa. Off at 11-1, Firenze Fire paid $24 on a $2 win wager in his Belmont debut. The Poseidon’s Warrior colt more than doubled his career bankroll to $429,100.

“I was really surprised on the turn. Irad was loaded. It looked like he was going to get there but even Irad said he was loaded,” Servis said. “He wasn’t right that day [in the Hopeful]. He had a virus or something going on. He changed leads today.”

Good Magic, a maiden making his stakes debut for trainer Chad Brown after running second in his first race on August 25, also saw his jockey make an aggressive move in the stretch, with Jose Ortiz also utilizing a left-handed whip to secure runner-up status by three lengths over Enticed.

“He just got beat. I thought he ran very well especially for a maiden,” Brown said. “It’s the first time he’s seen dirt in his face, probably going to learn a lot from that, he just ran second best again. I thought we had a big shot. That horse came and got us, we were well clear of third so it says something about how well both first-and-second place finishers ran.”

Added Ortiz: “I had run. He never quit, he just got caught. It was a little bit trying with the dirt, [riding] a 2-year-old first time taking dirt, and when I was in the clear near the quarter pole he gave me a great run, great turn of foot, and he was just second best.”

Kowboy Karma, Hazit, Honorable Treasure, Aveenu Malcainu, Full of Run, Bahamian, Stronger, Master Manipulator and Blame It On Honey completed the order of finish.