Keen Ice heads Gold Cup trio for Pletcher

ELMONT, N.Y. – What Saturday’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup lacks in star power, it makes up for in intrigue. While Keen Ice is the known quantity with two graded stakes wins at the Gold Cup distance of 1 1/4 miles, bettors can be forgiven if his overall 3-for-23 record makes them want to venture into the unknown.

The competition includes two horses from Keen Ice’s own shed row – Destin and Rally Cry – as well as 3-year-olds Pavel and Good Samaritan. The New York-bred Diversify should make his presence felt as the speed of the race, while the wildcard in the seven-horse field is Highland Sky, a turf horse making his dirt debut.

After being worth $1 million the last five years, the purse of the Gold Cup has been slashed to $750,000. The Gold Cup offers a fees-paid berth to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 4. While Curlin (2007) is the last horse to win both races, the Gold Cup produced the Classic winner three straight years from 2010-12.

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Keen Ice, third in last year’s Classic behind Arrogate and California Chrome, enters the Gold Cup off a second-place finish behind potential BC Classic favorite Gun Runner in the Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 5, a race in which Keen Ice stumbled at the start.

“I thought he ran very well in the Whitney,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who surprisingly is winless in 12 Gold Cups, with 5 seconds and 3 thirds from 18 starters. “He was compromised a bit at the start, but I still think he ran his race, so hopefully he can come back with the type of performance he had there and in the Suburban.”

Keen Ice won the Grade 2 Suburban by three lengths here on July 8. That race, like the Travers in 2015 when he beat American Pharoah, was at 1 1/4 miles.

“Getting him back at a mile and a quarter is what he’s looking to do,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher’s other two Gold Cup starters, Destin and Rally Cry, have credentials to be factors in here. Destin was beaten just a nose by Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles, and Rally Cry won the Alydar Stakes at 1 1/8 miles by 8 3/4 lengths in a fast time.

Pavel may be the most interesting horse in the field. This will be his fourth start, having won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita on July 1, finished fourth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga on July 29, and won the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at 1 1/16 miles at Parx on Sept. 4.

His connections do not fear his inexperience or doubt his ability to get 1 1/4 miles.

“He’s such an efficient-moving colt, the mile and a quarter does not seem like it should bother him at all,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “You never know till they try it, and it’s punched a lot of good horses in the gut, but we don’t think that will happen here.”

Good Samaritan, trained by three-time Gold Cup winner Bill Mott, made quite the dirt debut, rallying from last to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, beating Pavel as well as Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing.

Diversify is stepping up in class and distance. The New York-bred gelding, trained by Rick Violette, is coming off an 11 1/2-length victory in the Evan Shipman Stakes for statebreds going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga. He breaks from the rail and is almost certain to be the early leader under Irad Ortiz Jr.

The Gold Cup goes as race 10 on an 11-race card that begins at 12:15 p.m. Eastern and includes the Grade 1 Champagne for 2-year-olds on dirt, the Grade 3 Hill Prince for 3-year-olds on turf, and the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

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KEY CONTENDERS

Keen Ice, by Curlin
Last 3 Beyers: 104-106-NA

◗ Showed the ability to lay closer to a moderate pace in the Suburban, belying the notion he is a plodder.

“I was a little bit surprised he was able to close as well as he did in the Suburban against moderate fractions,” Pletcher said. “I think if they go real fast, he’ll drop back a little more. If they go a little slower, he’s shown that he’s capable of attending the pace and still delivering a kick.”

Pavel, by Creative Cause
Last 3 Beyers: 103-92-97

◗ Won the Grade 3 Smarty Jones by six lengths without ever being hit by jockey Mario Gutierrez.

◗ Has tactical speed to be able to sit right off what could be an honest pace with Diversify and Rally Cry in the field.

Rally Cry, by Uncle Mo
Last 3 Beyers: 99-110-91

◗ Beat a suspect field, but did it the right way when he won the Alydar Stakes by 10 3/4 lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 6.

◗ In April, he won a second-level allowance race, tracking Diversify and outfinishing him by 1 1/2 lengths.

◗ “The main thing is he likes to be up against the bridle and wherever that [puts him] is fine,” Pletcher said.

Good Samaritan, by Harlan’s Holiday
Last 3 Beyers: 96-100-92

◗ Gets blinkers after dropping too far out of it early in the Travers, where he was beaten nine lengths by West Coast.

◗ “He’s going to place himself where he’s comfortable and make his run,” Mott said. “It’ll either be good enough or it won’t.”

◗ DRF Formulator Fact: Over last five years, Mott is 6 for 41 on dirt with horses getting blinkers in races at farther than a mile.