Jockey Club Gold Cup
| Class | Grade I |
|---|---|
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1919 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight | Weight-For-Age |
| Purse | $1,000,000 (2026)[1][2] |
The Jockey Club Gold Cup (previously the Jockey Club Stakes) is a thoroughbred flat race held in September at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Inaugurated in 1919, it is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Classic.[3]
Since its inception, the Jockey Club Gold Cup has primarily been run at Belmont Park as the main event of its fall meeting. The exceptions were all but two runnings between 1958 and 1974, when the race was held at Aqueduct Racetrack,[4][5] and from 2021 to 2025, when it was run at Saratoga Race Course.[6] It was announced that the 2026 running of the race would return to Belmont Park, which was scheduled to reopen for live racing after several years of track and building reconstruction projects.[1]
The past winners of the Gold Cup are a who's who of award-winning Hall of Fame horses, including Easy Goer, Man o' War, Cigar, Skip Away, Curlin, Slew o' Gold, John Henry, Affirmed, Forego, Shuvee, Damascus, Buckpasser, Kelso, Sword Dancer, Nashua, Citation, Whirlaway and War Admiral.
Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup in five consecutive years from 1960 to 1964, when the race was run at Aqueduct. Ten horses have won the race twice, including Curlin, Skip Away, Slew o' Gold, Nashua, and Triple Tiara winner Shuvee.
In 1920, Man o' War won the Jockey Club Stakes against the only horse willing to race him. Damask, owned by Harry Payne Whitney, was entered as a sporting gesture and to keep Man o' War from having to run alone in a "walkover." Damask finished 15 lengths behind, with Man o' War held under strong restraint in order not to humiliate his rival. Even so, Man o' War broke the American record for a mile and a half.
In the 1978 running, Exceller defeated the previous year's Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, by a nose in a memorable stretch duel, with the 1978 Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, finishing fifth after his saddle slipped. Sportswriter Bill Nack wrote, "Exceller won by the snip of his chocolate nose. ... That battling final furlong remains Seattle Slew's most enduring legacy as a racehorse."[7]
From 1976 to 1989, the Jockey Club Gold Cup was run at 1+1⁄2 miles, but from 1921 through 1975 it was two miles (3.2 km) long, second in distance only to the less prestigious, 2+1⁄4-mile Display Handicap.
Records
[edit]Time record: (at current 1+1⁄4 miles)
- 1:58.89 – Skip Away (1997)
Most wins:
- 5 – Kelso (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
Most wins by an owner:
- 5 – Glen Riddle Farm (1919, 1920, 1925, 1926, 1938)
- 5 – Bohemia Stable (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 11 – Eddie Arcaro (1935, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 6 – Jim Fitzsimmons (1929, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1955, 1956)
Winners
[edit]1In 2019, Vino Rosso finished first but was disqualified and placed second.
2In 1927, Brown Bud finished first but was disqualified.
3Only two horses started in 1920.
Notes
[edit]- 1 2 Grening, David (May 7, 2026). "Jockey Club Gold Cup will help usher in new era at Belmont". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes Profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ↑ "Breeders' Cup Challenge". Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ↑ Ryall, G.F.T. (April 24, 1959). "The Race Track". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ Ryall, G.F.T. (October 27, 1972). "The Race Track". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ Grening, David (19 February 2021). "Jockey Club Gold Cup, Flower Bowl being shifted to Saratoga". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ↑ Dwyre, Bill (16 September 2008). "Two horses do rare feat, then meet". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
