"I was proud of the effort today," Cox said. "We always thought he was a mile-and-a-quarter horse."
Aside from Grade 1 laurels, the Jockey Club Gold Cup (JCGC) netted Highland Falls a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" spot into the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. The 2024 Classic looks like a wide-open affair after victories this weekend by Highland Falls at 7-1 at the Spa and Mixto at 22-1 in the Grade 1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar.
"We'll go (to the Breeders' Cup Classic) with a big bat and take a swing," said Michael Banahan, the director of bloodstock for Highland Falls' owners, Godolphin.
The JCGC 4-5 favorite and the one to catch was Arthur's Ride, who was coming off a 2 1/4-length front-running win in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 3 at the Spa and also had won a 1 1/4-mile allowance optional claiming race earlier in the meet. As expected, Arthur's Ride sprinted to a clear lead from the outside post in the field of seven before the first turn, but he soon he took pressure from Highland Falls and jockey Flavien Prat as the two dueled down the backstretch through six furlongs in 1:11.31.
It wasn't until the stretch that Highland Falls put Arthur's Ride away and drew clear in the final furlong, covering the distance in 2:03.25.
Flavien Prat set Saratoga's jockey stakes-win record. (Susie Raisher/NYRA)
With the JCGC victory, Prat notched his record 13th Graded stakes win at the Saratoga summer meet to go along with upping his record 17 overall stakes wins at the meet.
Highland Falls paid $16.00 to win. He previously won the Grade 3 Blame Stakes June 1 at Churchill Downs and exited a second-place finish behind Tapit Trice in his most recent start in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 20. Highland Falls will train up to the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Blue Heaven Farm's Pyrenees, an Into Mischief 4-year-old who was second in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes, rallied from fifth to finish a clear second. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to Disarm in third, who won a lengthy show photo by a nose over Tapit Trice. Arthur's Ride faded to fifth, about 9 ½ lengths behind the winner.
Arthur's Ride had already earned a spot in the Classic by winning the Whitney Stakes. Trainer Bill Mott said he would monitor how the 4-year-old comes out of the JCGC before deciding on a trip to the Breeders' Cup.
"We had no excuse. The other horse took it to us, dogged us the whole way and beat us. He put us away," Mott said. "The horse ran hard last time and now we have 60 days to regroup before the Breeders' Cup. Hopefully he comes back well, and we can train for it."
Bright Future, who won the 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup, finished a distant sixth.
