Banishing Points to Jockey Club Gold Cup

Multiple graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Banishing will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Friday, September 18 as racing returns to the new Belmont Park. The 10-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up provides a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in October at Keeneland. Trained by David Jacobson for Lawrence Roman and Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri, the 6-year-old Ghostzapper gelding is a stakes winner at distances ranging from 6-to-9 furlongs. "I'm planning on running him," Jacobson said. "It will be his first time this far, but I think he can do it, he hasn't let us down yet." Banishing has earned the bulk of his more than $3.2 million in purse earnings over the past two seasons. He banked in excess of $1.6 million through a 12-4-5-1 campaign last year, taking the Byerley Turk Overnight and Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile in Arkansas, the Jeff Hall Memorial at Ellis Park and the $1 million Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at its namesake track. This year, Banishing boasts more than $1.3 million in earnings from a 6-2-1-0 ledger that includes a win in the Group 2, $1 million Godolphin Mile at Meydan Racecourse and a successful title defense in the Jeff Hall Memorial which was improved to Listed status for 2026. Banishing was last seen landing a 1 3/4-length second to possible returning rival Willy D's, who went gate-to-wire under Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the Charles Town Classic on August 28. "He ran great and did everything he was supposed to. The winner had a perfect trip and a great ride by Santana - we got a great ride as well, it just wasn't our day," Jacobson said. Banishing, out of the winning A.P. Indy mare Dowager, has a formidable blend of speed and stamina. His sire, the Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, won the 2004 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic en route to year-end honors as Champion Older Horse and Horse of the Year. Banishing's second dam is dual Grade 3-winner Marietta, while his third dam, Minister Wife, captured the 1994 Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct Racetrack. Banishing made his first nine starts for his breeder, Godolphin, in the care of trainer Brendan Walsh. Roman acquired Banishing for $80,000 from the 2024 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale and the talented chestnut has hit the board in 17-of-23 starts since, including nine winning efforts. Jacobson marveled at Banishing's versatility. "Every horse is different and he's able to compete at all different levels and distances. Some horses can do it, and others can't," Jacobson said. Jacobson said Banishing exited his last outing in good order and is currently preparing at the Trackside Training Center in Louisville, Kentucky. "We wouldn't be considering this race if he didn't come out of it as well as he did," Jacobson said. "We're excited to get a good look at Belmont and have an opportunity to run over the track. It's exciting." A quality field awaits Banishing in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, including globetrotting superstar Forever Young, who is expected to arrive in New York late Monday evening. Forever Young, the reigning Japanese Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award-winner as Champion Older Dirt Male, successfully defended his title in the Group 1 Saudi Cup in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and was last seen finishing second to Magnitude in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse. Others currently possible for the Jockey Club Gold Cup include 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who is battling a foot abscess; multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Nitrogen, who earned Eclipse Award honors last year as Champion 3-Year-Old Filly; dual Grade 2-winner Phileas Fogg; dual graded stakes-winner Willy D's; and Grade 3-placed Money Game. To help unveil the new Belmont Park to a national audience on September 18, FOX will present live coverage of the Jockey Club Gold Cup as part of its Belmont Park: Return to Racing telecast to air from 3-4:30 p.m. Eastern. For additional information on the new Belmont Park, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/. McGaughey Eyeing Champagne with U. S. S. Valor When pondering his options for U. S. S. Valor's second start, Shug McGaughey was considering a seven-furlong maiden special weight on the final Saturday at Saratoga Race Course or a one-mile maiden race on September 18, opening day at the new Belmont Park. The Hall of Fame trainer opted for the former, and now his colt is on target for the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne on October 3 at Belmont Park following an eye-catching 13 1/4-length victory yesterday at the Spa. Breaking from the rail when going 6 1/2 furlongs in his August 8 debut at Saratoga, U. S. S. Valor was carried inward when leaving the chute and was sixth, 3 3/4 lengths behind the pacesetter, along the backstretch. The Team Valor colorbearer moved into contention on the far turn while racing in hand, angled to the far outside for the stretch run, and rallied to finish third, beaten a diminishing three-quarters of a length by the victorious Gaudreau. "I thought his first race was a good race. He had the one post and he was running [6 1/2 furlongs] and I knew he wanted to run farther than that," said McGaughey. "I wanted to give him a run, and I thought his race was a good race. He came out of it good and trained good. I was between running him in this race or taking him to Belmont. There was a race opening weekend at Belmont going a mile. I thought, 'Well, let's give him a try here. If he runs good, it will give me a little more time between [races].' That was my thinking." It was smooth sailing for U. S. S. Valor yesterday as the colt contested the pace from the inside in second along the backstretch, took the lead with a half-mile to travel, opened on his rivals when asked by jockey Manny Franco at the top of the stretch, and was geared down in the final sixteenth. He completed seven furlongs in 1:22.04,.98 seconds faster than Pharocity's debut victory later that day in the second division of the open seven-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds. For the effort, U. S. S. Valor received a Beyer Speed Figure of 105. "I was very pleased with [U. S. S. Valor's performance]," said McGaughey. "You never take a 2-year-old out there and think they are going to win like that. He had trained well, and I thought if he ran his race he would be tough to beat. I knew that Mott's horse [fifth-place finisher Belzoni] was OK. [U. S. S. Valor] broke running and [Franco] had horse, and [U. S. S. Valor] opened up when [Franco] reached back and hit him one time just to get him to finish. And he really finished." U. S. S. Valor is by 2019 Grade 1 Preakness and 2020 Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile winner War of Will and is out of Spangled Banner, a winner at 2 who has produced five winners to date from six foals to race, including Expressman, third in the 2023 Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets. McGaughey said he will appreciate the extra time he will now have with U. S. S. Valor leading up one-mile Champagne, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which will be contested October 30 at Keeneland. The Champagne will be one of six graded stakes for 2-year-olds on October 3 at Belmont. The card also will include the Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim, a 1 1/16-mile turf race that will provide a "Win and You're In Berth" to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. McGaughey said he is considering the Pilgrim with Stuart Janney III's ironically named Pass On By, who turned back a late challenge from Related Party to prevail by a nose in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on turf yesterday at Saratoga. In his lone prior outing, Pass On By, a son of Not This Time, dueled for the early lead before tiring to eighth in a 6 1/2-furlong race on the Saratoga main track August 22. "We had always thought he was going to be [a] turf [horse], but I wanted to give him a chance on the dirt," said McGaughey. "He came out of the [debut race] good. I thought he was going to run good [yesterday], for him to run that hard and that good maybe it was a little bit of a surprise. I thought he had some ability, and I think he has a lot of room for maturity. He ran hard." On Saturday, McGaughey also sent out West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Flightress to a second-place finish in a seven-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies. It was the second start for Flightress, who finished sixth when going six furlongs August 1. "I thought [Flightress] ran fine," said McGaughey. "I thought it was an improvement over her race before. She broke hard and put herself in the race. I thought it was improvement." On Wednesday, Protect and Defend landed a breakthrough victory when the 3-year-old scored by three lengths in a 1 3/16-mile maiden race versus elders over yielding turf. It was the sixth career start for Protect and Defend, who entered Wednesday's race off a second on June 26 at Belmont at the Big A. McGaughey said Protect and Defend, who like Pass On By races for Stuart Janney III, likely will make his next start in Belmont's Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince, a 1 3/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds on October 10. "I have always liked that horse," said McGaughey of Protect and Defend. "He got beat just on the money a couple of times. [On Wednesday], he put it all together." McGaughey will attempt to carry the momentum into Labor Day as he has Flying Hawley entered in a seven-furlong maiden special weight for fillies and mares on Saratoga's Closing Day card, Getting Serious and Quiet Power respectively entered in the Old Dominion Oaks and Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby at Colonial Downs, and the millionaire Limited Liability entered in the Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational at Kentucky Downs. Flying Hawley, a $685,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, was fourth in April at Aqueduct in her lone start to date. "We like her," said McGaughey regarding Flying Hawley, who is owned by DATTT Stable. "We think she is a nice filly, especially when we get her stretched out." Velora Eyes Frizette Winning Move Stable, Sabby Racing, IEE Racing, Sanford Robbins and Silverwood Stables' Velora improved to 2-for-2 with a 2 1/4-length score in Friday's $200,000 Seeking the Ante, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course. "She came out of it very well," trainer Linda Rice said on Sunday. "I'm very happy with the way she came out of the race. She's in good shape." The Yaupon dark bay entered off a sparking 4 3/4-length debut win August 1 here versus fellow state-breds. She improved her top Beyer Speed Figure to a 78 in the Seeking the Ante from a 64 first-out. "That was a nice progression. More education. More experience. You just don't want to set the bar too high with these young horses. You want them to keep moving forward and not regress," said Rice, who entered Sunday's card at the Spa with 36 wins at the meet, good for second behind Chad Brown [39 wins]. The veteran conditioner is also second in the owner standings at the Saratoga summer meet with 13 wins, just three behind Klaravich Stables. The bar for Velora could be high next out as she will target the one-mile Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont Park. "We're going to pencil that in," Rice said. "We'll see how it goes between now and then. We can always opt out and go another direction, but for now we'll pencil that in. I think she can handle the mile, based on the way she trains in the morning. Time will tell what her best distance is, but everything I've seen so far in her training makes me think she'll get the mile." Bred by Vineyard Racing, Velora, a $300,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Scadadle - a half-sister to stakes-winner Zipp On By. Her third dam, Secret Soul Mate, is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Vision and Verse and Grade 1-placed Distorted Legacy. Latest on Money, Angel of Kirk Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox on Sunday confirmed that Money Game is on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 18, as racing returns at the new Belmont Park. The Jockey Club Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up will be Money Game's first start at 10 furlongs. The race, which will be contested at Belmont for the first time since 2020, provides a "Win and You're In" berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland. Money Game, a 4-year-old son of Candy Ride, breezed four furlongs in 1:01.40 seconds over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track on Thursday and will be entering the Jockey Club Gold Cup off a distant second to Knightsbridge in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 18 at Monmouth Park. "He breezed really well," said Cox of the Gary and Mary West homebred. "He has been doing well since the Monmouth race. It's a step up, a Grade 1. We always thought he was a nice horse. We have been planning for it for a while. I like the idea of giving this horse the opportunity to go a mile and a quarter. I always thought he was a horse who should be able to handle the distance." Money Game was unbeaten in his first four starts, culminating in a head victory a 1 1/8-mile allowance/optional claiming race June 5 at Saratoga. In the Monmouth Cup, he raced in fourth early and gave vain chase to Knightsbridge, who prevailed by 10 1/4 lengths. Bendoog, runner-up in the June 5 optional claimer, returned to win the Listed Michael G. Schaefer Memorial on July 11 at Horseshoe Indianapolis, while Knightsbridge romped by 6 1/4 lengths in Del Mar's Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 22. "[Money Game] handled the mile and an eighth well in his last two, and, hopefully, he can take another step forward," said Cox. "We plan on entering and taking a big swing at it, and we have him as ready as we will ever have him." Cox said that Greenwell Thoroughbreds Angel of Kirk, third by 12 lengths to Summer Starlet in yesterday's Grade 1 Spinaway, exited the race in good shape and likely will get a cutback in distance for her next start. "[Angel of Kirk], obviously, was no match for the winner," said Cox. "I thought she ran a nice race. It was a nice upgrade for her pedigree. It was nice to get the Grade 1 placing. We will probably cut her back a little bit. I'm not sure if seven-eighths is going to be her thing. She might get it in the future, but soundness wise, I liked the way she looked this morning." Liam's Law Points to Pilgrim Lawana and Robert Low's Liam's Law was a neck winner of Saturday's Grade 3 With Anticipation at Saratoga Race Course, taking the 1 1/16-mile inner turf route for juveniles by a neck over stablemate Bold Leadership in the compact three-horse field. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the son of his former pupil Colonel Liam was away sharply and skipped to the front to mark splits of 24.49 seconds, 49.11 and 1:13.65 with Perfect Dream tracking one length back and Bold Leadership trailing after hopping at the start. Liam's Law was still two lengths in front as Perfect Dream retreated and Bold Leadership angled out to make his bid, but Liam's Law was resolute in the final eighth to fend off his favored stablemate in a final time of 1:42.59 over the firm footing. The winning effort earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure. "He came back very good," Pletcher said. "I think he did everything right. We thought he would probably be the controlling speed and he was able to dictate terms. I thought he was game when the other horse came to him and he kept finding more and digging in." The effort came on the heels of a similar graduation over course and distance on July 12 at second asking, and both wins will serve the colt well as he makes another step up next out in the Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim on October 3 at Belmont Park, a "Win and You're In" for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. "That's what we're thinking," Pletcher said. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Bold Leadership was favored off a nose defeat in his debut on August 8 here, and Pletcher said the son of Not This Time was undoubtedly affected by the unsettled start. "He came back fine and cost himself a bit at the start, misbehaved in the gate," Pletcher said. "He lunged at the start, but I thought he put in a good run. We've just got to work on his gate habits." Later on Saturday's card, Pletcher sent out Repole Stable's Life Changing as a top prospect in the Grade 1 Spinaway for juvenile fillies sprinting seven furlongs, and the daughter of Life Is Good was in contention through the first half-mile, but quickly faded late in the turn and was eased home. Pletcher said there were no obvious excuses for the bay filly. "She's fine - I don't really have an explanation of why she didn't run the way we expected her to," Pletcher said. "So far, she seems to be healthy." Looking forward to Monday's Closing Day card at the Spa, Pletcher still has six promising juveniles to unveil. Among them is the $1 million yearling Damavand, who takes on Race 7 - a six-furlong sprint for juveniles on the main track - along with stablemate Closing Surge. Damavand [post 4, John Velazquez, 3-1 ML favorite], a dark bay son of Not This Time, debuts for owner Amo Racing USA off a series of works at Saratoga, most recently covering five furlongs in 1:01.67 over the main track on August 31. He is out of the Grade 2-placed Bayern mare Tempers Rising, making him a half-brother to Grade 3-winner Owen Almighty, who most recently won the R.A. Cowboy Jones on August 9 at Ellis Park. "He's been training forwardly and has been quick from the gate," Pletcher said. "He kind of gives you the impression he's one that will give a good showing first time out. He just had some little minor setbacks along the way, but we're ready to go now." Calumet Farm's Kentucky homebred Closing Surge [post 11, Dylan Davis, 20-1] is by Lexitonian and out of the Grade 3-placed Malibu Moon mare Lunar Surge. He spent most of the summer working at Belmont Park, and shipped up to Saratoga to post two breezes, including a five-furlong move in 1:01.71 over the main track on August 30.