Finnegans Wake, Majestic City confirmed for Gold Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2015 graded stakes winners Finnegans Wake and Majestic City were confirmed Saturday as starters for the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 27.

Finnegans Wake, the winner of three graded stakes on turf, worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds Saturday at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County.

“He did it very easily and galloped out strongly,” trainer Peter Miller said.

Finnegans Wake, a 6-year-old horse co-owned by Donegal Racing and Rockingham Ranch, has won 7 of 30 starts and earned $1,467,975. Finnegans Wake was fourth in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf June 6 at Belmont Park. Earlier this year, Finnegans Wake won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes and Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita and the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

The Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita is run at 1 1/4 miles on dirt and will be Finnegans Wake’s first start on the surface since a sixth in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs in November 2013, when trained by Dale Romans.

Majestic City won the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap at 1 1/16 miles May 25, ending an eight-race losing streak since the Big Bear Stakes at a mile in October 2013. The Gold Cup will be Majestic City’s first start at 1 1/4 miles in his 26th career race.

“He’s never done it before,” owner Jeff Bloom said of the distance. “A number of jockeys have mentioned that he’ll go longer.”

Bloom said C.C. Lopez, who was aboard for the Lone Star Park race, will have the mount. Richard Baltas trains Majestic City.

Miller said he may have as many as four starters in the Gold Cup. His candidates include Lideris and Big Cazanova, who were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on May 30; and Poshsky, who was sixth in the Tiznow Stakes for California-breds at a mile May 23.

The Gold Cup field is led by Catch a Flight, the winner of the Californian. Other candidates are Moreno and Hard Aces, who were second and third, respectively, in the Californian, and Motown Men, who won the Tiznow Stakes.

There are four stakes on the June 27 program at Santa Anita, including the $300,000 Triple Bend Stakes, a Grade 1 at seven furlongs. In addition, there are two one-mile turf races for females – the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes for fillies and mares and the $100,000 Senorita Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Masochistic, winner of the Grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes in April, will be favored in the Triple Bend Stakes against a field expected to include Appealing Tale, Sahara Sky, San Onofre, and Wild Dude.

Blingismything, who won the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at a mile on turf April 26, will be part of the Royal Heroine field along with Alexis Tangier, Birdlover, Famous Alice, Fanticola, and Queen of the Sand.

Avenge, who won the Ultrafleet Stakes on the hillside turf course May 1, will have her first start around two turns in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes.