William C. Schettine and Dell Ridge Farm's Shakespeare had
to prove a lot on Saturday afternoon. Although undefeated in four
starts, Shakespeare had never raced in a Grade 1 event and had never
raced beyond 1 1/8 miles. But on Breeders' Cup Preview Day at Belmont Park,
Shakespeare came of age as he out-fought English Channel to win the Grade 1, $750,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at 1 1/2 miles on the Widener Turf Course by a head. "He was great," said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott of the
9-10 favorite. "I think he answered all the
questions I had. Obviously, he didn't run away from his fields, but that
may be better because he showed he could fight a little bit. A lot of
horses won't win a dogfight. He showed he had it in him. You just hope
it doesn't set him back. Sometimes, hard races can set horses back and
they are not at the top of their game, but we do have four weeks. They
were going a little slower than I would have hoped. I was starting to
think that maybe we were back farther than we should have been. To come
from six or seven lengths back off a slow pace is a strong feat. If he's
healthy, he goes to the Breeders' Cup Turf."
Results Chart from DRF
The son of 1987 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Theatrical now looms a huge presence for the Turf at this distance on this course on October 29th. It should be noted that Theatrical won the Turf Classic here before winning the Breeders' Cup Turf at Hollywood Park in 1987. "I was more worried about him today than I will be four weeks from now," said winning jockey Jerry Bailey. "He was coming back three weeks off a (course) record performance. I think he probably regressed a little bit. He was still good enough to get the job done. He had the worst trip of anybody. I was parked on both turns. I had to put him in to probably a 4 1/2 to 5-furlong drive. I know English Channel can blast off at any minute, and I didn't want to give him the edge. I'm very thrilled. He's the kind I get up early in the morning for."
In addition to the aforementioned challenges, Shakespeare also had to overcome a slow pace that dictated earl by Islero Noir, who waltzed early on the good course to the tune of a 24.87, 50.72, and 1:15.91 pace. Both Shakespeare and English Channel, who came with an outside bid, dug in and only a head bob gave the decision to Shakespeare, who hit the wire in 2:27.22 for the 1 1/2 mile trip over the firm going.
"English Channel ran an incredible race," said his jockey, John Velazquez. "He kept giving me more coming down the lane. He did not want to give up, but each time he tried to get the lead, Shakespeare kept coming back. He was unbelievable." English Channel is also expected to run back in the Turf. "He ran a dynamite race," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "We're delighted with his effort. He came up on the wrong end of the bob. It was a slow pace, but I'm happy and pleased with the way he relaxed and rated with that kind of pace. This is a big, big race for him and we'll probably go on to the (Breeders' Cup Turf)."
Also likely for the Breeders' Cup Turf is third-place finisher Ace, who was coupled with Salford City. "The pace was too slow for him," said T.J. Comerford, assistant to trainer Aidan O'Brien. "Come Breeders' Cup time, they should be going quicker. He'll go back home (to Ireland) tomorrow." Added Ace's jockey, Patrick Valenzuela, "He got beat a length for everything. I think he will relax a little better next time. It was a slow pace. He seemed to relax, but I wish he would have come off the bit a little better. If he could have relaxed, he would have finished a little better. He's a very good horse."
Meteor Storm, Salford City, Alost, and Islero Noir completed the order of finish.
Jockey Club Gold Cup
Beldame Stakes
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational
The Vosburgh
Flower Bowl Invitational
