Some trainers may be wary of running a horse two miles in a race such as the $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course, but Mark Casse has one word for them.
R-E-L-A-X.
In sending out Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Harry Colburn's Corruption in the June 4 Gold Cup, Casse referenced the famous quote from NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in explaining the key to getting his 5-year-old gelding to excel in the two-mile turf test.
"The main ingredient in getting a horse to run that long is getting them to relax, and you just don't know how they are going to handle it until they do it," said the Hall of Fame trainer. "A mile and a half, two miles; they are pretty much the same. In my opinion, it's easier on the horses."
A son of Medaglia d'Oro, Corruption has yet to race at a two-mile distance, but he does have a win and two seconds in graded stakes at 1 ½ miles on turf. In the first of his two 2026 starts, he was second by a neck for a second straight year in the Pan American Stakes (G3T) at a mile-and-a-half.
After a strong second in the Pan American, Corruption closed for third in the May 2 Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at a mere 1 1/8 miles in his most recent start.
"People ask how do you prepare him for a race like this and honestly you don't do a lot," Casse said. "Either they can do it or they can't."
Casse is no stranger to winning marathons. In Canada, he is a seven-time winner of the Valedictory Stakes (G3) at Woodbine, four times at a 1 1/2-mile distance and three times at 1 3/4 miles.
As much as trainer Wesley Ward is best known for his success with 2-year-olds and turf sprinters, he will send out Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Navy Seal, who was third most recently in the mile-and-a-half Elkhorn Stakes (G2T). The Dubawi gelding won a mile-and-a-half allowance optional claimer last year at Kentucky Downs.
"He trains like he'll run all day long," Ward said. "I don't get many of these (stayers)."
Among the field of eight turf entrants, Molly and Paul Willis' Fleetwood already owns a win at the two-mile distance. The Teofilo gelding romped by nine lengths at that distance last year in the John Forbes Memorial Stakes at Far Hills. In two starts this year for trainer Barry Foley, Fleetwood was third in a 2 1/2-mile hurdle race and won a two-mile turf allowance race at Fair Hill.
The field also includes Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port, who was second for trainer Miguel Clement in last year's 2 1/16-mile Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs.
Parchment Party, who won last year's Gold Cup when it was switched to the sloppy main track, is entered for main track only.
As an added bonus, the winner of the Gold Cup will receive a "Golden Ticket" worth automatic entry in Australia's famed Melbourne Cup (G1), a two-mile test with a purse of roughly US$6.5 million. Parchment Party finished 20th in a field of 24 in last year's Melbourne Cup.
Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, June 4, 2026, Race 10Entries: Belmont Gold Cup S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Flashiest (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Leonard Powell 5/1 2 2Navy Seal (IRE) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Wesley A. Ward 9/2 3 3Tawny Port (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Miguel Clement 3/1 4 4Miztertonic (NY) Javier Castellano 120 Keri Brion 20/1 5 5Worthington (KY) Christopher Elliott 120 Keri Brion 30/1 6 6Concord Green (KY) Manuel Franco 120 Claude R. McGaughey III 8/1 7 7Corruption (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 Mark E. Casse 7/5 8 8Fleetfoot (IRE) Kendrick Carmouche 122 Barry Foley 12/1 9 9Parchment Party (KY) John R. Velazquez 124 William I. Mott 3/5
