Discreet Lover upsets Jockey Club Gold Cup at 45-1
They say in horse racing that anything can happen and today in the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup it happened when the 45-1 shot Discreet Lover came charging down the stretch to give his owner/trainer Uriah St. Lewis his first Grade 1 victory.
“It’s the first Grade 1 for the horse and myself,” said St. Lewis. “He did it all. All I want to do is go cash my ticket.”
The 5-year-old Parx Racing-based horse was making the 44th start of his career in which he last had found the winners’ circle back in April in the Excelsior (G3) at Aqueduct. Since then, St. Lewis has not backed down from the best competition in the country facing Grade 1 and 2 company exclusively. Always at big odds, the son of Repent finished third in the Suburban and the Whitney behind today’s 6-5 favorite Diversify.
A fast pace was expected today and when the gates opened it looked like a quarter horse race as Diversify and Mendelssohn vied for the early leader under strong urging from their jockeys. This story was set-up by the end of the first fraction of this mile and a quarter contest when it went in a very fast time of 22.72. Then at the half the clock flashed 45.64.
Diversify was able to move away from Mendelssohn, but the blazing times continued – 1:09.13 for three-quarters and 1:33. 89 for a mile. The outcome was ready for the unlikely winner that would pay $93.00 to win.
Thunder Snow, the Dubai World Cup winner, made the first closing run and passed the tiring pacesetters, but it was Discreet Lover who made the final winning move. Mendelssohn held on for third while Diversify faded to fifth.
The jubilant trainer said, “Today, we took back and made one run and when they were going that fast, I said, ‘they’re going real fast.’ We ran a good time; 1:59 and four, that’s a good time. I’m pleased with my horse.
“He can come flying. The wire came right when we wanted it to come. It was great. But I want to go back and spend some time with him right now.”
Aside from the Grade 1 break through and the pari-mutuel ticket, Discreet Lover won a “Win and You’re In” spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic field, run Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.
“Let’s see how he comes out of it, and then we’ll go from there,” added St. Lewis. “One step at a time. Everything is paid for (for the Breeders’ Cup), so we don’t have to worry.”