Summer Bird Soars in Jockey Club Gold Cup

by Patricia Woo | Oct 5 2009

If you wagered on horse racing this past weekend, you were probably as shocked at some of the race results as some of those actually involved in the races. Favorites were upset in several divisions – including Goldikova in the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp (BC Mile), Gio Ponti in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont (BC Turf) and Fabulous Strike in the Vosburgh Stakes (BC  Sprint), also at Belmont. But in the biggest race of the week, the $750,000 Gr. 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY, top contender Summer Bird did not disappoint in his last prep before the Breeders' Cup. The 3-year-old son of Birdstone, under Kent Desormeaux, bided his time before unleashing the perfect stretch drive. Rival Quality Road made things interesting, but there was no stopping Summer Bird.

Summer Bird was coming into the Jockey Club Gold Cup off a stunning victory in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26. The favorite raced in fourth place early on while pacesetter Tizway was chased by Quality Road, under John Velazquez. Quality Road took over the lead at the half-mile pole but couldn't shake Summer Bird, who remained close. At the eighth-pole, Summer Bird finally wrested the lead from his 3-year-old rival and drew away by 3 ½ lengths for the victory over a sloppy 1 ¼-mile track. His winning time was 2:02.51. Tizway could not overtake the leaders and came in third.

Summer Bird improved his record to 8-4-1-1 and his earnings to $2,023,040. With his charge's star rising, trainer Tim Ice has now confirmed that Summer Bird will be nominated to the Breeders' Cup Turf as well as the Breeders' Cup Classic, and was leaning towards the latter race despite his earlier reluctance about the synthetic track at Santa Anita Park. “He's already trained four months (over the Santa Anita Pro-Ride) and he has solid works over it,” Ice said. “I think we could put him on anything and he'd run.”

Though hampered by the sloppy track and a shortened season due to injury, Todd Pletcher's Quality Road also turned in a good performance. “I don't think we've seen the best of him yet,” said runner-up jockey Velazquez. “I think my horse is better [than Summer Bird] on a dry track.” Whether Quality Road will show up in the Breeders' Cup has yet to be decided. The Elusive Quality colt's race record now stands at 6-3-2-1 with earnings of $947,030.

Several horses with Classic potential had disappointing showings in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, including Macho Again and Dry Martini. Macho Again was sent off as the second choice at 5-2 but could only muster a fourth-place finish. The 4-year-old Dallas Stewart trainee has been slipping in his recent races; the highlight of his season so far was in June when he won his first grade 1 race, the Stephen Foster Handicap. And Gr. 2 Suburban Handicap winner Dry Martini finished fifth, despite his affinity for the track. Sette E Mezzo and Asiatic Boy rounded out the order of finish.

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