Highland Falls' tactics pay off in Jockey Club Gold Cup, gains BC Classic berth

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Brad Cox knew the speedy Arthur’s Ride was the horse to beat in Sunday’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga and felt the best chance his horse, Highland Falls, had to beat him was by being aggressive early.

Those aggressive tactics paid off handsomely as, after Highland Falls dueled with Arthur’s Ride for a mile of the 1 1/4-mile race, he put away the heavy favorite and drew off to a four-length victory in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup. Pyrenees rallied to get second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of Disarm, who nosed out Tapit Trice for third.

Arthur’s Ride, the 4-5 favorite, ended up fifth and was followed by Bright Future, last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, and Kuchar, who was eased.

The win was the first Grade 1 victory for Highland Falls, a son of Grade 1 and Breeders’ Cup winners Curlin and Round Pond. The Gold Cup victory earned Highland Falls a fees-paid berth into the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

Highland Falls is owned and bred by Godolphin Racing and trained by Brad Cox, who sent out Immersive to win Saturday’s Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes here.

Flavien Prat rode Highland Falls to victory, recording his 13th graded stakes win of the meet, eclipsing the single-meet mark of 12 set by Joel Rosario in 2022. It was also Prat’s 17th stakes victory, also a Saratoga meet record.

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Arthur’s Ride was coming off a pair of front-running victories in Saratoga including a 2 1-4 length victory in the Grade 1 Whitney here four weeks ago. Cox said it wasn’t his intention to let Arthur’s Ride have things his own way in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

“He obviously proved he’s a Grade 1 horse, we weren’t just going to let him walk the dog,” Cox said. “We were wanting to be aggressive and it paid off for us.”

Arthur’s Ride, breaking from the outside under Junior Alvarado, cleared Highland Falls entering the first turn. At that point, Prat guided Highland Falls to the outside and he re-engaged Arthur’s Ride as they made their way onto the backstretch.

Highland Falls was basically glued to Arthur’s Ride through a half-mile in 47.67 seconds, six furlongs in 1:11.31 and a mile in 1:36.19. Cox said coming to the top of the lane - even before that - he felt Highland Falls was moving better of the pair.

“I thought we were head and head with him and I thought, at the three-eighths pole, Flavien gave him every chance to win the race,” Cox said. “When they straightened up, it looked like he was getting the better of him and then I started watching the horses coming from the back.”

Pyrenees, under Brian Hernandez Jr., was trying to make a run, but he never really threatened and had to settle for second.

Though Highland Falls won, he ran his final quarter in 27.06 seconds en route to covering the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.25. Highland Falls returned $16 to win.

“I thought if one horse could handle the distance it was [Highland Falls], so, yeah, we wanted to break running and try to make a good pace,” Prat said. “That was the case, we got past the wire the first time, it felt like Arthur’s Ride was going a bit easier than me. I let him go on, but I was able to get him outside after that and get another push.”

Bill Mott, the trainer of Arthur’s Ride, said he wasn’t surprised someone would try to go with his horse, he just wasn’t sure they would be successful.

“I knew they were probably going to keep him up in the race, I was a little surprised that they were able to keep him there that close,” Mott said. “He took it to us. I don’t have any big excuse.”

Cox said Highland Falls would ship to Churchill Downs on Monday and prepare for the Breeders’ Cup or perhaps even have one more race beforehand. Mott said Arthur’s Ride would remain in Saratoga and he would use the 60 days to prepare for the Classic.

“Hopefully, he comes back good and we can move forward and train for that,” Mott said.

*** Irad Ortiz Jr. won five races on Sunday’s card and clinched the rider’s title in wins with 51, nine more than Prat, who is named to ride in eight races on Monday’s closing-day card. Prat will finish as the leading rider in purse money won as he has $6.3 million, while Ortiz has $4.9 million.

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