Horse Racing Roundup : With Alysheba in the Barn, Waquoit Wins Gold Cup

While Alysheba stayed in the barn on a cold, wet Saturday, Waquoit earned $637,800 with the easiest of victories in the $1,063,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

Waquoit, ridden by Jose Santos, took the lead 70 yards from the start and finished 15 lengths in front of Personal Flag. New York-bred Easy N Dirty was another 20 lengths back, and 15 1/2 lengths in front of last-place Creme Fraiche, who was trying for his third consecutive Gold Cup victory.

An expected showcase of Kentucky Derby winners never materialized, as Winning Colors, this year’s winner, also was scratched because of a sloppy track.

Winning Colors had been scheduled to run in the $114,600 Rare Perfume for 3-year-old fillies, which was won by Topicount.

It was to have been Winning Colors’ second start since she finished sixth in the Belmont Stakes June 11. On Sept. 10 at Belmont, she finished second to Personal Ensign in the Maskette.

Alysheba’s trainer, Jack Van Berg, had hoped to use a victory in the Gold Cup and one in the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs to put his horse into first place on the all-time money-winning list. However, he didn’t think it was worth the risk to run the 1987 Derby winner in Saturday’s conditions.

Alysheba is second on the all-time list with $4,469,242. The leader is retired John Henry with $6,597,947.

“I was afraid of him (Alysheba) running down on his heels,” Van Berg said of the colt who has won five of seven starts this year, including his last two. “I watched four races, and the horses were coming back with their bandages shredded. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to him that happened at Saratoga. Then I’d be out of the Breeders’ Cup.”

Waquoit completed 1 1/2 miles in 2:27 3/5 and paid $3.40 and $2.20. Personal Flag returned $2.60. There was no show betting.

The victory boosted Waquoit’s earnings to $1,901,360.

Brown Bess ran down Jungle Dawn in the final 100 yards for a three-quarter-length victory in the $200,000 California Jockey Club Handicap at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, Calif.

Ridden by Jack Kaenel, Brown Bess set a turf course record for 1 1/8 miles of 1:46 3/5, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:47 held by Drumalis. Brown Bess paid $23.80 to win.