No immediate plans for Belmont Gold Cup winner The Grey Wizard
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - While trainer Graham Motion mulls a possible trip to Australia in November for the Melbourne Cup for The Grey Wizard, he has no immediate plans for the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup winner.
The Grey Wizard got up in the final stride to win the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup by a head over Champagne Juan. The victory earned The Grey Wizard an automatic spot in the Melbourne Cup, also run at two miles.
It is unclear whether there is a travel stipend included in the victory and that is something Motion will look into before he and his owners, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and the Estate of Al Frassetto make a decision to make the long ship.
“If there’s some financial incentive that could change things a little bit,” Motion said. “We’ve got plenty of time to figure it out. I don’t know how he fits with those horses.”
Meanwhile, finding two-mile turf races in the U.S. is no easy task. Motion mentioned the Nashville Gold Cup at 2 1/16 miles at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 11 as a possible race for The Grey Wizard. Though the Nashville Cup carries a $500,000 purse, half of that comes from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. The Grey Wizard is an Irish-bred.
“He needs every bit of the two miles,” Motion said. “Not much out there for him.”
Meanwhile, Champagne Juan, the runner-up in the Belmont Gold Cup, appeared to suffer a suspensory ligament injury to his right foreleg. He was vanned off after the race.
“He’s comfortable in his stall this morning,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “We’ll get him scanned over the next 24 to 48 hours and we’ll go from there. We have to scan him to know the extent of the injury. It’s annoying because he ran very well, a very game race, and he tried very hard.”
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