Sultry Song Takes Gold Cup East

That East-to-West jinx that frequently accompanies horses when they travel to California for major races was dashed Saturday when Sultry Song, a supplementary starter in the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup, rallied through the stretch for a 3 1/2-length victory.

The 4-year-old Cox’s Ridge colt had lost to Strike The Gold and Pleasant Tap on his home track three weeks ago, finishing third in the Nassau County Handicap at Belmont Park. But the Nassau County was only Sultry Song’s second race in seven months, and his first start on dirt since October.

On Saturday, the lightweight of the six-horse field at 113 pounds, Sultry Song sent yet another Gold Cup highweight to defeat when Twilight Agenda, carrying 121 pounds, finished last. Another Review, carrying 120 pounds and favored at 11-10, was third.

For more than a decade, since Perrault won the stake at 127 pounds in 1982, the highweight has been an albatross for Gold Cup runners. Ferdinand won the race under 124 pounds in 1987, but all other highweights in the last 10 years have been beaten.

Marquetry, the lightweight in last year’s field with 110 pounds, has won only one of nine starts--and has been second or worse eight consecutive times--since his Gold Cup victory. On Saturday, while carrying 118 pounds, he held on for second place, a head better than Another Review before 22,098.

Another Review, who was last for the first mile Saturday, was three lengths better than Defensive Play, Marquetry’s stablemate and the fourth-place finisher. Then came Ibero and Twilight Agenda.

Running 1 1/4 miles in 2:00 1/5, Sultry Song paid $21.80 and earned $550,000, about $44,000 more than he had in 17 previous starts. The 10 points he won give him 15 in the American Championship Racing Series, which will pay $750,000 to the nine-race points leader. Best Pal leads with 23 points, followed by Strike The Gold with 20 and Sea Cadet and Twilight Agenda with 17 apiece.

The injured Best Pal and Sea Cadet, back in training after a lengthy rest, are not expected to run in the remaining series races, the Suburban Handicap at Belmont on July 18, the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park on Aug. 8 and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 30.

After Rockingham Park canceled this month’s $500,000 ACRS race because of financial problems, Sultry Song’s trainer Pat Kelly considered the Suburban Handicap, originally scheduled for July 4. But when Rockingham bailed out, the Belmont race was moved to July 18 and inserted into the ACRS schedule.

The revised date sent Kelly to Sultry Song’s breeders and owners, Dr. John and Charlotte Weber, with the idea that they spend $15,000 to fly their colt to the West Coast and pay a $25,000 supplementary fee to get Sultry Song into the race.

“If you were going to take a shot at a million-dollar race, this was the place to be,” said Bailey, who had never won aboard Sultry Song.

“The heavy hitters weren’t here, and there was a short field. I’m not taking anything away from the winner, though. He ran a good race and won in a fast time.”

Ibero and Twilight Agenda were the pace-setters, moving through the first three-quarters of a mile in 22 4/5, 46 1/5 and 1:10. Bailey kept Sultry Song to the outside, content to lose ground into the clubhouse turn.

Down the backstretch, they were in fifth place, outside of Another Review, who was running last. “I was comfortable where we were, because we were never more than five lengths off the leaders,” Bailey said.

“I had my eye on Defensive Play and Another Review, who were inside me. I had Another Review in a pocket. When I had to let my horse go, I didn’t want to let Another Review out of the pocket too soon.”

Kent Desormeaux swung Another Review, who had come into the Gold Cup off a three-race winning streak, to the outside as they straightened out for the stretch run. “We were stuck back there, and that might have mattered,” said Chris Speckert, Another Review’s trainer.

“He was boxed in all the way, but I don’t know what would have happened if we’d had more room. This horse does his best running when he’s outside, off the pace.”

“J.D. (Bailey) rode a brilliant race,” Desormeaux said. “Then his horse went on, and mine didn’t. When I swung him out, there was nothing. They went fast enough (early) to come back to us, but we couldn’t get to the winner.”

In mid-stretch, Bailey hit Sultry Song once left-handed, then switched the whip to the other side and hit him four more times.

Sultry Song, who has won seven of 18 starts, will be flown back to New York on Wednesday, probably to run in the Suburban Handicap as well.