Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s BRIGHT FUTURE (Curlin – Sophia’s Song, by Bellamy Road) was triumphant in his Grade 1 debut, stalking the pace and fending off a rally from Proxy to capture the 105th running of Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup going 10 furlongs at Saratoga Race Course.

In winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup – a “Win And You’re In” event for three-year-olds and upward – Bright Future earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Just behind Bright Future and Proxy, two lengths back was Woodbine-based colt TYSON, trained by Josie Carroll for Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run V, and half a length back of him in fifth place was Canadian-bred DUKE OF LOVE, the 2022 Prince of Wales Stakes winner.

The stablemates actually traded a hard bump coming out of the gate and by the first turn, Tyson and jockey Manny Franco was three-wide and Duke of Love behind him while four wide under Luis Contreras. The pace, set by Warrior Johnny, was on the slow side, 48.86., 14.10
and both horses, while wide, were not too far off the leader.

Tyson made a solid move up to the leader while Bright Future was also on the move having stayed up close to the pace. Proxy, a Godolphin colt, had been tracking on the rail and angled out to the two path to join the fray.

Into the stretch, Tyson stayed on but could not go with Bright Future and Proxy. Duke of Love, still four wide as he came into the stretch, raced on his wrong lead as is typical for the son of Cupid, and flattened out. Nearing the wire, Contreras steadied Duke of Love, who missed fourth place by a shade to stretch-running Rattle N Roll. The time for the 1 1/3 miles was 2:03.

Tyson, by Tapit, was coming off consecutive stakes wins in the Dominion Day (G3) and Seagram Cup (G2). Duke of Love returned to the dirt on August 6 in the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3) and won by three-quarters of a length.

Bright Future provided his Hall of Fame and two-time Jockey Club Gold Cup winning sire Curlin [2007-08] with his first winner in this race. He earned his fourth lifetime victory while catapulting his lifetime earnings to $716,940 after banking $550,000 from the win. His record now stands at 7-4-0-2. His lone off-the-board effort took place two starts back when a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Brooklyn on June 10 going 12 furlongs at Belmont Park.

“We probably got a little ambitious when we tried the Brooklyn, maybe didn’t have quite the foundation to be ready to go a mile and a half at that stage,” Pletcher said. “We regrouped with the allowance race here and I thought it was a powerful performance, so from that time on we’ve been pointing for this and the horse has trained exceptionally well. Coming into it, we were optimistic he was ready to make a move forward.”

Castellano, who was aboard Bright Future for his last out victory, said he really liked the way Bright Future performed.

“I had a lot of confidence after the way I rode the horse last time,” said Castellano, who piloted 2006 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Bernardini. “He gave me the impression he was going to step up the ladder a little bit, the level. I had a lot of confidence because this is a good horse and I thought he can do it. I’m very happy that everything went through. I had a beautiful trip and a good post today. It worked out great.”

The victory only added to a whirlwind year for Castellano, who captured the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May aboard Mage as well as guiding Arcangelo to wins in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June and the Grade 1 Travers last Saturday at the Spa.

“Thank God. I’ve been blessed, very lucky and very fortunate to ride the best horses, especially with Todd Pletcher, one of the best trainers in the country,” Castellano said. “He gave me the opportunity to ride this horse and that’s the key. Keep positive and working hard, and see everything come around.”

Pletcher went on to speak volumes of Castellano.

“Javier has had a phenomenal year,” Pletcher said. “He’s making all the right decisions and it is great to see him back in top form after taking some time off for an injury. He’s riding as good as ever.”

Pletcher said he would likely train Bright Future up to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he will attempt to be the first horse to sweep the Jockey Club Gold Cup-Breeders’ Cup Classic double since his influential sire did so in 2007 en route to Horse of the Year honors.

“I would think so. I doubt we’d do anything in between,” Pletcher said. “It was a good spot to try a Grade 1 and he delivered a big performance. In order to go to the next one, he’s going to need to make another move forward. It appears to be pretty wide open, the older horse division. I guess we will learn a little more in California tomorrow or Monday. We’ll see.”

Bright Future, who returned $9.50 for a $2 win wager, was a $350,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the Pletcher-trained graded stakes placed Bellamy Road mare Sophia’s Song. His second dam Dreamscape is a full sister to dual Champion Sprinter and Hall of Famer Housebuster.

*Note – Sophia’s Song, the dam of Bright Future, is also a half-sister to Ontario broodmare Casey’s Dreamin, dam of graded stakes winner Ironstone.

GRADE 1 PACIFIC CLASSIC: Two of the top three-year-old colts in America hooked up in the stretch in the $1-million FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic at Del Mar Saturday and Zedan Racing Stables’ ARABIAN KNIGHT (Uncle Mo – Borealis Night by Astrology) held off Pin Oak Stud’s Geaux Rocket Ride by a neck at the conclusion of the 33rd edition of the mile and a quarter Grade I headliner.

The winner, a $2.3 million two-year-old in training purchase in Ocala in April, 2022 and making only his fourth start, ran the distance in 2:03.19 under Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert. The tally was Part’s third in Del Mar’s premier race, while it was a record-setting seventh score for Hall of Fame trainer Baffert. He had been tied with the late Bobby Frankel with six victories in the race.

Arabian Knight went off as an ever-so-slight favourite over Geaux Rocket Ride and paid $6.20 to his backers. He earned a first prize of $600,000 to push his bankroll to $1,244,275.

Finishing third in the race was Reddam Racing’s Slow Down Andy, a length and a quarter behind “Rocket.”

 

Tags: Arabian Knight, Bright Future, Duke of Love, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Pacific Classic, Saratoga, Tyson,

More from Canadian Thoroughbred: