Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Contact: Jenny Kellner
AFLEET EXPRESS TO MISS JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP; EYES 2011 RETURN
ELMONT, N.Y. – Grade 1 Travers winner Afleet Express will miss the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational at Belmont Park on Saturday, October 2, after having suffered a small tear in the upper suspensory ligament of his left foreleg, said trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
The 3-year-old son of Afleet Alex, who is owned by Gainesway Stable and Martin Cherry, will be rested for 90 days before being brought back for a 2011 campaign, said the trainer.
“He’s not lame; he never took a bad step,” said Jerkens of Afleet Express, who won four of his seven starts this year. “It’s just a little tear, and we probably got it in time so there was no real lasting damage. It’s disappointing because he was in great shape, but we want to have him back as a 4-year-old, so we won’t go on this year.”
Afleet Express, who won the Grade 3 Pegasus and finished third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before nosing out Fly Down in a thrilling edition of the Midsummer Derby, will likely return to training in Florida early next year, said Jerkens.
The centerpiece of the Fall Championship meet at Belmont Park, the 1 ¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup is likely to feature Grade 1 Whitney winner Blame, Fly Down, Grade 1 Woodward runner-up Mythical Power, Hollywood Gold Cup runner-up Rail Trip, Hold Me Back, and possibly Dry Martini, Tranquil Manner and Musket Man, according to Andrew Byrnes, stakes coordinator for The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).
Along with the Jockey Club Gold Cup,
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