Bright Future prevails in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Chelsea Durand)
Agate Road Targeting G2 Pilgrim After Impressive Maiden Score
Maiden Winner Locked Turns Attention to G1 Breeders’ Futurity
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s newly-minted Grade 1-winner Bright Future garnered a lifetime-high 103 Beyer Speed Figure for his gutsy nose victory over the late-running Proxy in Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 10-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up, at Saratoga Race Course.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said he was pleased with the effort from the 4-year-old son of Curlin and that he emerged from the race in good order.
“He looks excellent and came out of the race well,” said Pletcher. “Happy guy.”
Bright Future placed his name in the conversation of top older horses with a prominent score in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, guided by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano from one length off the pace set by Warrior Johny to claim the lead at the one-mile call before facing a strong challenge from post-time favorite Proxy in mid-stretch. Bright Future dug in gamely to the inside of Proxy and fended off his foe by a nose in a final time of 2:03.
“He got the trip we were hoping to get in a good stalking position and a good rhythm,” said Pletcher, who won his second Jockey Club Gold Cup after taking the 2020 edition with Happy Saver. “He had to fight to the wire – I was happy [he got] his nose down just in time.”
Pletcher added he was not surprised to see such determination from Bright Future, who entered from a strong 4 3/4-length score in a nine-furlong optional claimer on July 21 at the Spa after a distant off-the-board effort in the 12-furlong Grade 2 Brooklyn in June.
“He’s always been competitive and he’s essentially run well in all of his races except the Brooklyn,” said Pletcher. “That [the Brooklyn] was kind of a trip that he was always kind of bottled up and never really able to get into a comfortable rhythm, which seems to be a key component to having any success in those type of races. Aside from that, he’s always been very competitive.
“[His last race] was a rebound from the Brooklyn and showed that he liked the track and handled the mile and an eighth well,” Pletcher continued. “He galloped out well, too, and kind of gave us the encouragement that he could handle the mile and a quarter. It was something where usually you don’t go immediately from an allowance race thinking you’re going to go into a Grade 1, but in that case we did because we thought it was a good enough performance and the timing of the Jockey Club seemed to fit.”
For his victory Bright Future secured a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4 at Santa Anita Park, where he will likely face his Champion 2-Year-Old Colt stablemate Forte. Pletcher said Bright Future will train up to the Classic and that he believes the charismatic colt belongs in the mix of top older horses.
“I haven’t discussed it all with the team, but that [training up] would be my first reaction,” said Pletcher. “It appears to be a wide-open division at the moment, so I think he’s improving at the right time.”
Bright Future capped a memorable day at the races for his owners and trainer, who also sent out impressive second-out maiden winner Agate Road to capture Saturday’s sixth race, a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden special weight for juveniles.
The son of Quality Road, out of Grade 1-winner Yellow Agate, went wide throughout from post 10 under Irad Ortiz, Jr., but was aided by the trip in the stretch when several foes bumped and lost position well to his inside. Agate Road swept past his troubled rivals to land the neck score in a final time of 1:46.79.
“It was a wild race and we were wide throughout, but that probably benefitted us in the end because that horse came out and then shied away, and it left him clear of all the traffic,” said Pletcher of green moves from Walley World and Vin Santo. “He had a pretty good head of steam built up by that point, and it was an impressive finish.”
Pletcher said Agate Road will now target the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Agate Road’s win came one day after Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm’s Locked graduated by 7 1/4 lengths at second asking in a one-mile maiden test for juveniles. The son of Gun Runner stalked a half-length off the pace in the early stages under Jose Ortiz, but took command with ease passing the half-mile call and drew clear in the stretch to complete the course in 1:36. He was awarded a 96 Beyer for the effort.
Pletcher said it was expected Locked would fire a big race after finishing third on debut in a local key maiden on August 5 that will see the victorious Just Steel and the close Pletcher-trained runner-up Be You contest tomorrow’s Grade 1 Hopeful.
“We’ll find out more in the Hopeful, but I thought for finishing third it was as good a third as you could have,” Pletcher said of his debut. “He got an education and got a lot of dirt and kickback and typical of a first-time starter, he was a little green and climbed for a little while. Once he leveled off, he finished strongly and galloped out great that day. He came back with two really good breezes and I thought [yesterday] was a very impressive race from him – 1:36 flat out of the chute.”
Pletcher added the chestnut colt will turn his attention to the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on October 6 at Keeneland.
“I’ll talk to the connections a little more. I think everyone’s first thought was probably the Breeders’ Futurity to give him some experience around two turns,” said Pletcher. “He’s one that we’ve felt like the further he goes, the better he gets.”
A $425,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Locked is out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winners Gabby’s Golden Gal and Always a Princess.
