Centennial Farm’s Antiquarian withstood the late run of Sierra Leone to win the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga Race Course; a race that saw Irad Ortiz Jr. knocked off of prominent contender Mindframe in the early going.
The complexion of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) changed in the opening 16th-of-a-mile as Phileas Fogg moved inward at the urging of jockey Kendrick Carmouche and caused a chain reaction of bumping that would unseat Ortiz Jr. from Mindframe.
Fast forward to the end of the 1 1/4 miles, it was Antiquarian who prevailed by just over a length from Sierra Leone in 2:02.16. Sierra Leone and Highland Falls , who were the 1-2 finishers of the Whitney Stakes (G1) Aug. 2, found themselves further behind than usual due to the incident at the start, and rallied on to finish second and fourth, respectively. Phileas Fogg finished third, but was disqualified and placed last, awarding Highland Falls third and White Abarrio fourth.
Jockey John Velazquez piloted Antiquarian for that runner’s first grade 1 win just a few hours after winning the Pacific Classic (G1) on the opposite coast with Fierceness Aug. 30. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher trained both horses, with Sunday’s winner wearing the silks of Centennial Farms.
A son of Preservationist, Antiquarian was bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones.
Antiquarian paid $28.00 to win.
Mindframe was corralled by outriders in the stretch. The Daily Racing Form’s David Grening reports that Ortiz Jr. was lifted by several people off the course before the horses came back around and was taken to the hospital, complaining of pain in his ribs and wrist.
With the victory, Antiquarian earned an automatic, fees-paid berth to the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1 through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
This story will be updated.
