Horse Racing Betting - Summer Bird cruises to Jockey Club Gold Cup victory
- Who: Thoroughbreds – Summer Bird, Quality Road, Munnings
- What: Horse Racing Betting Results - The Jockey Club Gold Cup, The Vosburgh
- Where: Belmont Park
- When: Saturday, October 3rd
In a deceptively easy effort, Summer Bird captured The Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday by a length over Quality Road. In doing so, he clearly established himself as the frontrunner for year-end honors among 3YO males. It was evident from his past performances that Summer Bird could handle Belmont Park as well as a sloppy track, and he did both in the Gold Cup, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 111 in the process. After the race, jockey Kent Desormeaux said that Summer Bird was “idling” on the lead, and that “it was a lot easier than it looked.” This horse has gotten really good at the right time, and will most likely head to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. If he were to win that race, he’d no doubt receive some consideration for “Horse of the Year”, but remember that he was no match for Rachel Alexandra in The Haskell...she’d get my vote regardless of the outcome in the Classic. In Friday’s article, I recommended a win bet on Summer Bird at odds of 7-5 or better. I bet him at that price shortly before post time, but his final odds dipped to 6-5, disappointing those who bet horses. I’ll take credit for a winning play, even though the $4.50 return fell a bit shy of true value. Also in Friday’s article, I stated my preference for Munnings in The Vosburgh, but only if the track was labeled fast. Coincidentally, the rains came during the race prior (The Beldame), and by the time the horses were on the track for The Vosburgh, the Belmont strip was a sea of slop. Munnings (final odds of 2.40-1) finished a non-threatening third in a reduced field of four. Sometimes your best horse racing betting results for the day are in the races you pass and the losses you avoid. Until next time, happy gambling!
Pete Mitchell is BetOnline.com's horse racing expert.
