The Hawthorne Gold Cup never looked as lustrous as it did after last year’s Breeders’ Cup.
When the hoofbeats stopped from Breeders’ Cup XV at Churchill Downs, the last two winners of the Stickney track’s signature race had captured the day’s richest races.
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Awesome Again followed up his Gold Cup score by winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic with its world-record purse of $5.2 million. One race earlier, 1997 Gold Cup winner Buck’s Boy became the first Illinois-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race in the $2 million Turf.
Can the Gold Cup shine again Saturday at Gulfstream Park?
Buck’s Boy will be back to defend his title and this year’s 1-2 Gold Cup finishers, Supreme Sound and Golden Missile, will try to upset in the Classic.
Trainer/breeder Noel Hickey says Buck’s Boy is ready.
“Buck’s Boy is dead fit. He’s as good as ever,” Hickey said.
Supreme Sound may have too much to overcome–the outside 14 post and fellow speedster Old Trieste, breaking from Post 13.
“It’s going to be tough to win from out there,” trainer Michael Dickinson said. “We wanted an inside post. This horse has loads of speed and we needed something like Post No. 1 to take advantage of that.” Gold Cup runnerup Golden Missile should have some pace to run at, a luxury he didn’t have at Hawthorne. “I’m bringing him in at his peak,” said trainer Jor Orseno. “He’s a good horse and in each of his last three races he has gotten a little better. Throw out the races before that. I made some changes in his equipment and he’s handling everything fine. He’ll get the 1 1/4-mile (race distance).”
Classic `Vision’: The Illinois Derby also would add to its reputation on Breeders’ Cup day if 1999 victor Vision And Verse scores an upset in the Classic.
The son of Storm Cat came into the Illinois Derby as an unknown for trainer Bill Mott.
“The Illinois Derby shot him forward,” Mott said.
Since his upset Illinois Derby victory, Vision And Verse has posted near-misses in two prestigious Grade I races, the Belmont and the Travers. He lost both times to Lemon Drop Kid, another Classic contestant.
Then, after more than six weeks off, he finished third in the Grade II Meadowlands Cup Handicap on Oct. 15 as the favorite. Vision And Verse figures to move forward off that start and picks up the services of Eclipse winning rider Gary Stevens.
“In January he was a maiden here (at Gulfstream). You couldn’t have planned on being back here in the fall,” Mott said. “He has earned his way here.”
If Vision And Verse can win the Classic, he’ll join an elite alumni list. Only Da Hoss, who finished second in the 1995 Illinois Derby, has won the Breeders’ Cup Mile for trainer Dickinson in 1996 and 1998.
Home-front hotline: There will be action aplenty at Hawthorne on Breeders’ Cup day. The gates open at 9 a.m. and simulcasting begins at 10 a.m. The first of two pre-Breeders’ Cup races contested at Gulfstream has an 11 a.m. Chicago post time.
The Distaff begins the eight-race championship series at 12:10 p.m. Hawthorne’s kicks off its live 10-race program at 12:27 p.m. and will intersperse its races with the remaining Breeders’ Cup races.
Hawthorne and inter-track and off track betting sites will be among the limited number of venues in Chicagoland to catch all eight championship races. Channel 5 will preempt the early races to cover the Walter Payton memorial service at Soldier Field.