Arklow Takes On European Trio in Belmont Gold Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

The multiple graded-stakes winning Arklow (Arch) looks to be America’s best hope in claiming Friday’s two-mile GII Belmont Gold Cup over a trio of European invaders.

Since the Brad Cox pupil broke his maiden over the turf course as a 3-year-old in April 2017, he has strung together eight in-the-money finishes in his last 14 starts, including victories in the 2017 GII American Turf S. and the GIII Kentucky Turf Cup Sept. 8. Owned by Dongel Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway, Arklow concluded his 4-year-old campaign with an encouraging fourth to the brilliant filly Enable in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders Cup Turf. In the bay’s first try of 2019, he unseated his rider at the start of a Apr. 5 Keeneland optional claimer before turning in a career best performance in the May 11 GI Man ‘O’ War S. Arklow posted the highest Beyer Speed Figure of his career, earning a 105, when just failing to catch Channel Maker (English Channel) by a neck at the wire after unleashing a powerful stretch run.

“On paper, we think he’s as good as the best there is in the country, but the mile and quarter is a little shorter than he would like so we decided to give the Belmont Gold Cup a whirl,” Donegal Racing’s Jerry Crawford told the NYRA notes team. “There’s a little fear of the unknown in going this long but he’s showing signs of being able to get the two miles and we know that he likes the turf at Belmont.”

Leading the European contingent is Luke Comer’s Raa Atoll (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Previously trained by John Gosden, the 4-year-old was transferred into Comer’s barn and triumphed off a 10-month layoff in the May 12 G2 Comer Group International Oleander Rennen S. at Hoppergarten (Ger). The race was contested over the same grueling two-mile distance of the Gold Cup.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Mootasadir (GB) (Dansili {GB}) boasts a six-for-nine lifetime record, including a win in the Sep. 28 G3 Recruit Island Diamond S. over the Dundalk (Ire) synthetic. Hugo Palmer conditions the colt, who captured his first two starts of this year routing over synthetic surfaces before failing to threaten when sixth in the May 17 G2 Matchbook Yorkshire Cup at York (GB).

The Alessandro Botti-trained Amade (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) has twice proven victorious over the two-mile distance this year, albeit on a synthetic surface, including a Mar. 7 allowance score at Chelmsford (GB) two starts back.

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