Euros intrigue in wide-open Jockey Club Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. – While the American-based runners have dominated the New York Racing Association’s Turf Triple series so far, that could change Saturday in the inaugural running of the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park.

European-based runners Spanish Mission and San Huberto look to be two of the main contenders in a seemingly wide-open field of nine 3-year-olds set to contest the Jockey Club Derby, run at 1 1/2 miles over the Widener turf.

The Jockey Club Derby is the third leg of the Turf Trinity. The series began on July 6 when Henley’s Joy upset the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby at odds of 20-1 and continued on Aug. 4 when A Thread of Blue wired the $1 million Saratoga Derby at odds of 13-1. Both of those horses, as well as the Chad Brown-trained Digital Age, fourth in the Belmont Derby and second in the Saratoga Derby, are in this field.

The winner of the Jockey Club Derby gets a fees-paid berth to the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. As part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, the Jockey Club Derby will be shown live on NBC during a 90-minute broadcast beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The show will also include the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks, and, from Kentucky Downs, the $700,000 Runhappy Turf Sprint, a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Spanish Mission is a Kentucky-bred son of Noble Mission who has two wins from six starts, all in Great Britain. David Simcock trains Spanish Mission for Team Valor International and Earle Mack.

Two starts back, Spanish Mission won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket by four lengths over Nayef Road, who came back to beat Spanish Mission by a neck in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. Spanish Mission was blocked behind a wall of horses in the Gordon before getting out late and charging hard at Nayef Road and Constantinople.

“Goodwood is a funny track. Sometimes when you get stuck on the rail it’s hard to get off,” Ian Russell, assistant to Simcock, said Thursday morning at Belmont. “He didn’t do anything wrong, he just got shuffled back a little further than necessary and had traffic problems along the way, but we were still very pleased with him.”

Russell said Spanish Mission has settled in well at Belmont, where he has trained over the dirt track several mornings. Russell said that in England Spanish Mission doesn’t train on a track, but on a four-furlong hill.

“You don’t meet horses on the inside or outside. This has been a different experience for him and he’s handled it great,” Russell said.

Jamie Spencer rides Spanish Mission from the outside in the nine-horse field.

Simcock won with his last runner in North America as Desert Encounter took the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine last fall.

San Huberto, an Irish-bred son of Speightstown, is in from France for Fabrice Chappet. San Humberto is 3 for 5 with two listed stakes victories to his credit. In his one group stakes try, San Huberto was ridden too aggressively, according to Chappet, and finished fifth in the Group 2 Prix Hocquart at Chantilly.

“We were waiting last time and he finished very well,” Chappet said of a listed stakes win in Deauville on Aug. 5

On Thursday, Chappet sent San Huberto out over the Belmont turf course and he worked three furlongs in 39.56 seconds. Though he was a bit late changing leads, when he did he leveled off and finished nicely.

Both Spanish Mission and San Huberto would benefit from some pace in the Jockey Club Derby.

A Thread of Blue was the front-running winner of the Saratoga Derby at 1 3/16 miles. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is hoping A Thread of Blue can carry that speed even farther.

“It looks like we should be on the lead, but the distance is my only concern,” McLaughlin said. “I hope he doesn’t get too keen.”

When Henley’s Joy won the Belmont Derby, he got an up-close stalking trip. In the Saratoga Derby, when the pace was a bit quicker, he fell farther back off the pace and was beaten 4 1/2 lengths.

Kadar, like Henley’s Joy trained by Mike Maker, got away awkwardly in the Saratoga Derby and was last early and seemed to get held up inside as well. He figures to be a big price under Manny Franco.

Digital Age showed an electric turn of foot in shorter races such as the Grade 2 American Turf going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill. He has been less effective going longer.

Tone Broke showed his ability to get 1 1/2 miles when he persevered in the stretch under Ramon Hernandez to win the Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine on Aug. 17. While the distance isn’t an issue, how he classes up against better horses is the question for Tone Broke to answer. John Velazquez rides for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Current and Pedro Cara complete the field.

The Jockey Club Derby tops an 11-race card that includes the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks at 1 3/8 miles on turf and the $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational (née Temperence Hill) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles on dirt.