Disqualification Gives Gold Cup to Aptitude

Never shy about criticizing stewards, Bobby Frankel said he won’t utter a harsh word about the men and women who officiate thoroughbred racing for the rest of 2001.

The Hall of Fame trainer has a good reason for his vow of silence.

In a span of about 30 minutes on opposite coasts Sunday, Frankel won a pair of Grade I races on disqualifications, a first in the sport.

Not long after Senure, the 7-5 favorite, was moved from second to first in the $500,000 United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., Aptitude was declared the winner of the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup after Futural was disqualified for ducking in and allegedly interfering with Skimming with slightly more than an eighth of a mile to go. Skimming was coupled in the wagering with Aptitude as the Juddmonte Farms-owned entry.

Clearly no better than the second-best horse in the Gold Cup, Aptitude nevertheless collected the first stakes victory of his career and gave jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. his first win in Hollywood Park’s biggest race since he clicked with Super Diamond in 1986.

Now tied with Bill Shoemaker for most Gold Cup victories with eight, Pincay, who had his first mount in the race since 1997, wasn’t apologizing afterward.

“I’ll take it any way I can,” said the world’s winningest rider. “From where I was, it looked bad, but I didn’t know how bad.

“The first time I saw the replay, I didn’t think it was that much. But, the more I looked at it, the worse it looked. It looked like the bump was pretty hard. The bump was so hard that I thought they [the stewards] would take some action.”

Frankel and Pincay’s gain was Craig Dollase and Chris McCarron’s loss. A Gold Cup victory would have been a first for both the young trainer and McCarron, who looked as if he would finally win the race in his 19th attempt on a day when the track gave away bobble-headed dolls featuring his likeness.

Instead, although he and Futural, a 5-year-old Future Storm gelding, crossed the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front, they will be recorded as the third-place finisher. Stewards Pete Pedersen, George Slender and Tom Ward placed Futural behind Skimming, whom he bumped when joining that horse and 7-10 favorite Captain Steve while on the outside.

“I thought they would leave the number up,” said McCarron. “I was celebrating after the wire because the bump was so minor it didn’t make any difference at all.

“I’m surprised by the decision. I thought the contact was incidental and didn’t have any bearing on the outcome of the race. If that is the standard they usually go by, they obviously did not feel that way today.

“I was on the best horse. It’s a shame they had to penalize the owners and the trainer. They could have penalized me afterward. They didn’t have the right to penalize the owners and the trainer, especially when [Aptitude and Skimming] have the same owner. I’m very disappointed.”

After deliberating for about nine minutes, the stewards made their decision, leading to only the second disqualification in Gold Cup history. In 1981, Eleven Stitches became the winner after Caterman was disqualified for interference near the wire.

Of course, there were far different reactions in the winner’s circle. Frankel was understandably gleeful while others associated with Futural reacted angrily.

“You stole the race,” one unidentified woman screamed at Frankel. “We know who the real winner is.” Another man directed a couple of profanities his way.

“[Futural, Skimming and Captain Steve] were head and head for the lead when [Futural] came in and there was contact and also [McCarron] continued on in after the contact for a jump,” Ward said, explaining the stewards’ ruling. “[Skimming’s] momentum was seriously compromised. [Skimming’s rider Garrett] Gomez had to snatch him pretty hard.

“They had run 1 1/8 miles at the time and it was tough to get him going again. Garrett felt he still had a lot of horse under him. The interference was significant. That was our position.

“It was unfortunate because Chris was obviously on the best horse, but under the rules, if interference takes place and we think it cost the horse a placing, then we have to put Chris behind that horse.”

Fitted with blinkers and ridden by Pincay for the first time, Aptitude was last early in the ‘Cup--as expected--and looked as if he might win the race the usual way when he began to rally.

However, Futural, who drifted in again once clear, pulled away approaching the wire.

“I feel a little bit [for Futural’s connections],” said Frankel, “but it’s part of the game. It was an obvious foul. I mean, Futural knocked Skimming off his feet.

“I knew [Skimming] was fouled, but you don’t know how the stewards are going to interpret it and my percentage with the stewards hasn’t been too good lately.

“This has been unbelievable. I didn’t see the race from Monmouth, but everybody who did said the [disqualification of With Anticipation] was very obvious.

“I’ve got three more horses in today, so maybe I can get a couple of more disqualifications and set an all-time record. This might be more fun than winning.”

Frankel didn’t add to his victory total after the Gold Cup, but earlier in the day Lido Palace was second to Albert The Great in the $500,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park at New York.

Almost forgotten in the Gold Cup aftermath was the failure of Captain Steve. Fifteen days after he finished second behind Guided Tour as the odds-on favorite in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, the 4-year-old son of Fly So Free checked in fourth. He defeated only longshot Power Wing, who was beaten by 33 1/2 lengths after setting the early pace.

“He didn’t run like he did last time,” said Captain Steve’s trainer, Bob Baffert, who was looking for his second Gold Cup victory in three years. “We took a shot and it didn’t work out. He emptied out. He didn’t have anything left at the end.”

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In other stakes races run at Hollywood Park, Go Go, the 13-10 favorite, won for the third consecutive time, taking the $200,000 A Gleam Handicap by a half-length over Kitty On The Track.

McCarron got some consolation for the Gold Cup in the $217,000 Honeymoon Breeders’ Cup Handicap when 5-2 favorite Innit rallied along the rail to beat 5-1 shot Live Your Dreams by a neck in 2:01 1/5 for the 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Ceeband ($91.80) pulled the biggest surprise of the day in the $296,000 Triple Bend Breeders’ Cup Handicap. The upset helped trigger a record one-day pick six carryover. There will be $691,095.45 awaiting pick-six players when racing resumes Wednesday.