It’s All About You, and Aptitude

If Aptitude and You perform on Oct. 27 the way they did Saturday in New York, Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel will end his Breeders’ Cup dry spell.

Frankel, who has been unable to win with his first 36 starters in the Breeders’ Cup, added two more Grade I victories to his resume with victories by You in the $500,000 Frizette and Aptitude in the $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup Saturday at Belmont Park, which is also the site this year of racing’s biggest day.

On a day filled with Breeders’ Cup preps around the country, Officer remained unbeaten with an easy score in the $500,000 Champagne at Belmont, Siphonic made an impressive stakes debut with an authoritative win in the $400,000 Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and Swept Overboard ended Kona Gold’s winning streak at seven with a come-from-behind victory in the $207,100 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita.

Frankel almost added another Grade I. Favored Flute finished second in the $500,000 Beldame, a race in which winner Exogenous, the 7-2 second choice, had to survive a stewards’ inquiry after drifting in through the stretch and causing third-place finisher Spain to check briefly.

Without being set down by jockey Victor Espinoza--which was also the case in his four wins at Hollywood Park and Del Mar--Officer toyed with his rivals in the Champagne, winning by nearly four lengths in 1:431/5 for the 11/16 miles.

“At this time, I have never had a 2-year-old as good as this horse,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the Bertrando colt, who is owned by Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. “I’m glad we brought him to New York. With everything that has gone on here--in this community, everywhere--people need a lift. We went to [the site of the World Trade Center] and saw what was going on down there.

“It opens your eyes a little bit. It makes you think. Here I am worried about losing a race or a horse getting sick. You lose perspective. The people who were here today got a little bit of excitement. They were clapping for Officer when he came back. Hopefully, this is the start of something big. There are always racing fans looking for that next superstar. Hopefully, he’s it.”

Seeking his second consecutive win in the Ancient Title, Kona Gold was no match in the final sixteenth for Swept Overboard, the 7-2 second choice in the Grade I.

Far back early under Eddie Delahoussaye, the gray son of End Sweep ran his last quarter in under 23 seconds while winning by 21/2 lengths in 1:073/5. Kona Gold, who was spotting the winner 11 pounds (127-116), finished three lengths ahead of I Love Silver as the 3-5 favorite.

It was the first loss for the 7-year-old since he finished a nose behind stablemate Son Of A Pistol in the San Carlos Handicap on March 4, 2000.

After winning for the sixth time in 13 starts, andfourth in five races at Santa Anita, Swept Overboard will try to topple the defending Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion in 20 days. They will carry level weight that day, however.

“Swept Overboard ran a great race, but weight can stop a freight train,” said Bruce Headley, Kona Gold’s trainer. “Down the backside, he was trying to get the weight going. It’s hard to do, that’s a lot of weight.”

Aptitude, who promised far more than he delivered earlier in his career, has come into his own for Frankel.

Since being fitted with blinkers--and, his trainer said, fitter now than he’s ever been--the son of A.P. Indy has won three in a row after his 10-length romp in the Jockey Club Gold Cup under Jerry Bailey.

Although he was lucky to capture the Hollywood Gold Cup thanks to the controversial disqualification of Futural, Aptitude has been dominant in his last two. Before Saturday, he had won the Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Aug. 19 by a little more than four lengths.

Siphonic, a son of multiple-stakes winner Siphon who is owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Amerman and trained by Dave Hofmans, followed up his maiden win at Del Mar on Aug. 26 with a six-length victory in the Breeders’ Futurity, a Grade II.