Tapit Trice turns attention to Jockey Club Gold Cup
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tapit Trice will be pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup after his sharp 5 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $404,000 Monmouth Cup at Monmouth Park.
Forced to scratch out of the Alysheba Stakes in May and the Blame Stakes in June – both at Churchill Downs – due to a foot issue, Tapit Trice came into the Monmouth Cup off a 11-month layoff since his third in last year’s Travers Stakes.
“Couldn’t be happier,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It’s hard to come back off a long layoff like that. I thought it was a very encouraging performance.”
Encouraging, but not surprising, at least to Pletcher.
“We’ve always felt as good as he was at 2 and at 3, he’d be even better at 4,” said Pletcher, a nod to the belief that progeny of Tapit get better with age. “I think [Saturday] supports that theory. He was a Blue Grass winner, third in the Belmont, third in the Travers, he’s got a pretty solid résumé already, but it seems like he’s maybe even better now.”
Pletcher also has Grade 1 Stephen Foster winner Kingsbarns pointing to the Jockey Club. Bright Future, last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup winner who won the Salvator Mile at Monmouth this year, is pointing to the Grade 1 Whitney here Aug. 3. Crupi, the Grade 2 Suburban winner, is possible for that race as well.
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