Haynesfield wins Jockey Club Gold Cup
October 3, 2010NEW YORK (AP) - Haynesfield led all the way Saturday, beating favorite Blame by four lengths in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup was the premier event on the card that featured five Grade 1 stakes, the final preps for horses heading to Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 and 6.
The lone New York-bred in the field, Haynesfield improved to 9 for 13. Ramon Dominguez was aboard as the 4-year-old trained by Steve Asmussen ran the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.48 on the fast track.
Haynesfield paid $17, $5.10 and $3. Blame, the 4-5 favorite and winner of five straight stakes coming in, returned $2.50 and $2.10. Fly Down paid $2.20 to show. Hold Me Back was fourth, followed by Rail Trip and Tranquil Manner.
In another Grade 1 stakes, Winchester, the early trailer in the nine-horse field, wore down Paddy O'Prado to win the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic by one length. It was his second Grade 1 victory at Belmont this year, including the Manhattan on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Cornelio Velasquez got the mount from trainer Christophe Clement on the 5-year-old. Winchester paid $9.40 to win as he ran the 1 1/2 miles in 2:36.09 on the course rated yielding after heavy rain on Thursday and Friday.
Ave nipped Changing Skies by a head in the $500,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies and mares on the turf. Javier Castellano guided the 4-year-old to the 10-1 upset. She ran the 1 1/4 miles in 2:08.54 for trainer Roger Attfield, paying $23 to win.
Girolamo beat Riley Tucker by 2 1/2 lengths in the $350,000 Vosburgh. It was the first graded stakes win the U.S. this year for Godolphin Stable and trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Alan Garcia was aboard as the 4-year-old ran the six furlongs in 1:09.41, paying $6.20 to win as the 2-1 favorite.
In the $350,000 Beldame for fillies and mares, Life At Ten, the 7-5 second choice, beat Unrivaled Belle, the 6-5 favorite, by two lengths. John Velazquez rode for trainer Todd Pletcher as Life At Ten, a 5-year-old, improved to 5 for 7 this season. She ran the 1 1-8 miles in 1:49.29, paying $4.90 to win.