Aqueduct
Hawthorne Gold Cup next for Effinex
Barbara D. Livingston Effinex upsets the Empire Classic at Belmont on Oct. 18.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Effinex, the upset winner of the Empire Classic Handicap at Belmont last month, is likely to make his next start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup, said racing manager Russell Cohen. The Hawthorne Gold Cup is run at 1 1/4 miles over the Hawthorne main track.
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Effinex worked six furlongs in 1:15.55 on Sunday over the Belmont training track.
“A mile and a quarter is a pretty tough distance for horses to run, but I think he can do it,” said Cohen, a track veterinarian who manages his mother’s Tri-Bone Stable, which owns Effinex. “The horse breezed well yesterday. Jimmy was happy, the horse was happy. If the horse is happy, it makes everything easy.”