In a sport such as horse racing plans can change on an hourly basis.
So, when a race target is hatched in late April and comes to fruition with a grade 1 win on the first day in September, it is indeed a marvelous thing. Such was the case with the Brad Cox-trained Godolphin homebred 4-year-old Highland Falls, who turned those plans formulated in the spring into a decisive victory in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
"We were hoping he would be a Kentucky Derby (G1) horse but he was late developing. So, we had to give him time and he had to learn on the job to get here. But it paid off," said Michael Banahan, Godolphin's director of bloodstock. "We bred him to win races like this."
Banahan noted the good feelings compared with last year when Godolphin's Proxy finished a close second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, just a nose behind winner Bright Future .
Aside from grade 1 laurels, the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup netted the connections a free "Win and You're In" spot in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar, which looms a wide-open affair after victories this weekend by Highland Falls at 7-1 at the Spa and Mixto at 22-1 in the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.
"Del Mar may be different, but we'll go there with a big bat and take a swing," Banahan said.
Banahan said that after the son of Curlin finished second in the April 20 Oaklawn Handicap (G2), the summer target became the JCGC.
An initial win in the Blame Stakes (G3) followed but then the homebred was second to JCGC 2-1 second choice Tapit Trice by a 5 1/4-length margin in the Monmouth Cup (G3) as the beaten 3-5 favorite.
"We used that as a prep at Monmouth," Banahan said. "We were hopeful and it was a good opportunity to take (in the JCGC). This has been our race (target) since the spring."
Out of the Awesome Again mare Round Pond, who won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), Highland Falls began his career a little more than a year ago, winning an Aug. 26 maiden race at Ellis Park. He now has five wins in nine starts with two seconds and a third and more than $1.19 million in earnings.
"I was proud of the effort today," Cox said. "We always thought he was a mile-and-a-quarter horse. We gave him a shot (in the March 3 Santa Anita Handicap, G1, where he was fourth) and he really didn't get involved. He probably lacked the seasoning."
The 4-5 favorite and the one to catch in the JCGC was Arthur's Ride, who was coming off a 2 1/4-length, front-running score in the Aug. 3 Whitney Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles at the Spa and had won a 10-furlong allowance optional claimer earlier in the meet.
As expected, the son of Tapit sprinted to a clear lead from the outside post in the field of seven before the first turn. But he was soon pressed by Highland Falls ($16) and jockey Flavien Prat and the two rivals dueled down the backstretch through six furlongs in 1:11.31.
It wasn't until the eighth pole that Highland Falls put Arthur's Ride away and drew clear.
"I thought if one horse could handle the distance it was him," said Prat, who notched a record 13th graded stakes win at the meet to go along with his record 17 stakes wins. "We wanted to break running and then try to make it a good pace."
Highland Falls, who will train up to the Classic, covered the distance in 2:03.25.
Blue Heaven Farm's Pyrenees, an Into Mischief 4-year-old who was second in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1), rallied from fifth to take second. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to the Steve Asmussen-trained Disarm (Gun Runner ) in third, who nosed out Tapit Trice.
Arthur's Ride faded to fifth, about 9½ lengths behind the winner. The Tapit colt earned a free spot in the Classic by winning the Whitney and Mott said he would monitor how the 4-year-old came out of the JCGC before deciding on a trip to the World Championships.
"We had no excuse. The other horse took it to us, dogged us the whole way and beat us. He put us away," Mott said. "The horse ran hard last time and now we have 60 days to regroup before the Breeders' Cup. Hopefully he comes back well and we can train for it."
Last year's winner, Bright Future , was a distant sixth.
