Arklow fights his way to victory in Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

ELMONT, N.Y. – What had been a frustrating year so far for the connections of Arklow turned fabulous Saturday at Belmont Park when the unlucky horse gutted out a half-length victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont Park.

Put into the race early by Junior Alvarado due to a pedestrian pace, Arklow was three-wide in a scrum that included Sadler’s Joy and Channel Maker. That trio hooked up at the three-eighths pole and basically ran together until deep stretch when Arklow edged away.

Channel Maker, last year’s Joe Hirsch winner, got second by a head over Sadler’s Joy.

The victory ended a seven-race losing streak for Arklow since he won the Kentucky Turf Cup in September 2018. He lost five previous races this year, two by a neck and one by a half-length.

“It was very frustrating to have seconditis the way we did,” said Jerry Crawford, head of Donegal Racing, which owns Arklow with Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway. “I felt horrible for our Donegal partners, but they hung in there and today he rewarded them in the biggest way possible.”

The victory in the Hirsch could put Arklow back in the picture for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf. The Hirsch was not a Win and You’re In race, but Crawford said “we’ll certainly take the hardest possible look at it.” Arklow, trained by Brad Cox, finished fourth in last year’s BC Turf.

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A couple of Arklow’s tough beats came when he charged from well off the pace only to run out of real estate.

Saturday, Arklow was next-to-last early but with the pace so pedestrian, he was third, 1 1/2 lengths off the early leaders entering the first turn.

He stayed in close proximity of Channel Maker and Sadler’s Joy – the latter also closer than he is typically – through six furlongs in 1:16.13 and a mile in 1:40.31.

“I lost a little bit of ground coming to the first turn but, like I said, I never got in his way, let him find his rhythm, and he was there for me the whole way around,” Alvarado said.

Alvarado said turning for home, he thought Arklow was going to draw away from the other two, but Channel Maker, under John Velazquez, and Sadler’s Joy, with Jose Lezcano up, fought back and made Arklow work harder to get the job done.

“I think at the end he showed his class and got through it,” Alvarado said.

Arklow, a 5-year-old son of Arch, covered the 1 1/2 miles over good ground in 2:27.34 and returned $10 as the third choice. He is now 6 for 23 and increased his purse earnings $1,776,382.

Channel Maker, who defeated Arklow by a neck in the Grade 1 Man o’ War here in May, won a head bob over Sadler’s Joy for second.

Channel Cat, Cross Border, Zulu Alpha, and Ya Primo completed the order of finish.