by BillyHoSports September 3, 2023
The 105th running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup saw another Breeders Cup Classic ticket punched for trainer Todd Pletcher. I didn’t think Bright Future was ready for the class jump. I was wrong. The Chestnut Colt by Curlin was all that & more going off as the 2nd choice behind Rattle N’ Roll. He broke well & went right next to the leader, Warrior Johny. Catch the full race review here.
The opening quarter was a brisk 22 seconds & jockey Javier Castellano knew he needed to slow things down. He fell back just a length while getting the pace to a manageable 48 seconds for a half mile. Once they hit 3 quarters of a mile in just 1:14 he would have plenty of horse left for the final push. He took over the lead at the top of the stretch & had to hold off one main contender, Proxy. Under the guidance of Joel Rosario Proxy was making his closing bid & had his eyes set on his own Bright Future. For Bright Future the finish line got there just in time, as Proxy had closed the gap in the final strides. It came down to a head bob to decide the winner & Bright Future got the nod. I imagine a few of these horses will be heading to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
