Da Big Hoss well suited to two-mile test in Belmont Gold Cup
ELMONT, N.Y. – With two wins in his last three starts, Da Big Hoss is racing in the best form of his life. But when he runs Friday in the $300,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational on turf at Belmont Park, he’ll have to go an extra yard – actually 880 – to win again.
For the first time in his career, Da Big Hoss will run in a two-mile race – not that there’s ample opportunity to do so in this country. Of the 13 runners entered in the Gold Cup, just two have raced at that distance, and one of those horses is based overseas. But that’s one of the reasons this race was added to the stakes-filled programs Belmont Park puts on during Belmont Week – to give the most long-winded of grass runners a chance to air it out.
Da Big Hoss is coming off a victory in the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn, a Grade 2 race at Keeneland on April 23. He also won the Grade 3 John B. Connally going 1 1/2 miles at Sam Houston earlier this year. It seems the farther he goes, the better he likes it.
“He just needs to keep going forward,” said trainer Mike Maker. “I don’t see any issue with the distance at all.”
To prevail, Da Big Hoss will have to beat some familiar rivals – like Kaigun and Twilight Eclipse, both of whom he defeated in the Elkhorn – as well as the intriguing import Now We Can, who was sent from France specifically for this race.
KEY CONTENDERS:
Da Big Hoss, by Lemon Drop Kid
Last 3 Beyers: 100-95-103
◗ With four wins in his last seven starts, he has won half of his 18 races, and his last three starts have included the two best Beyers of his career.
◗ He did take the worst of the weights, being assigned the maximum of 123 pounds owing to his success this year. He must give as many as eight pounds to his rivals, which could come into play going this far.
Kaigun, by Northern Afleet
Last 3 Beyers: 97-99-101
◗ He came up a half-length shy of Da Big Hoss in the Elkhorn but finished in front of Da Big Hoss in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream in March.
Twilight Eclipse, by Purim
Last 3 Beyers: 90-92-95
◗ He’s giving off mixed signals. Though he has been a mainstay of long-distance grass racing in this country for several seasons, he is winless in the last 13 months, and his two starts this year were well below his best. But Javier Castellano was enticed to ride, and he’s the last jockey to win on Twilight Eclipse.
Now We Can, by Martillo
◗ He ships in from France for trainer Nicolas Clement, the brother of Christophe Clement, after three solid efforts following a 21-month layoff.
◗ He looks well spotted as he tries to regain the form that saw him compete against top-class company in 2013 and 2014.