Governor's Cup becomes viable option for Grand Contender

Grand Contender gave his owner, Maggi Moss, and his trainer, Tom Amoss, something to think about over the holiday weekend, when he won beyond a mile for the first time in his career in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.

Until Monday’s race, the horse had proven to be at his best at a mile, with all three of his stakes wins coming at the trip. But the manner in which he won the 1 1/16-mile Lone Star Handicap has opened up more options for the horse, his connections said, including the Governor’s Cup, a 1 1/8-mile race run each August at Remington Park.

The Governor’s Cup is the final leg of the Global Gaming Triple, which offers a $15,000 bonus to the horse who earns the most points for his finishes in the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile – which Grand Contender won in April – the Lone Star Handicap, and the Governor’s Cup. The bonus has been hit each of the two years it has been offered, with last year’s winner Prayer for Relief.

Grand Contender on Monday was dominant, setting the pace on a muddy track, and then going on to a four-length win while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 97. He was the 121-pound starting highweight, and spotted four pounds to runner-up and multiple stakes winner Donoharm. It was the third straight win for Grand Contender.

“I was really excited the way he finished going a mile and a sixteenth,” Amoss said. “That’s something that was a pleasant surprise. He showed us another dimension, opening other opportunities to us.

“The Governor’s Cup was not a race that we were considering before the Memorial Day race. After the way he ran, Maggi and I will definitely look at it.”

As for the immediate future, plans are still being determined for Grand Contender, who returned home to his Churchill Downs base on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be something Maggi and I discuss and decide together,” Amoss said. “He’s nominated to the Evangeline Mile.”

The $100,000 race at Evangeline Downs will be run on June 21.

Grand Contender began his streak in the $75,000 Borgata at Delta Downs on March 1.