Grade 1 winners Summer Bird and Quality Road, and $3 million winner Asiatic Boy will share the track next weekend at Belmont Park, squaring off in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
This morning, the three colts were on Belmont's main track, getting in their final works before the 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.
Winner of the Belmont and Travers and runner-up to superfilly Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell, Summer Bird went five furlongs in 1:02.40 with regular Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux up for trainer Tim Ice.
“It was perfect,” Ice said. “Last week’s work was superb, so wanted to slow him down a little today. He galloped out very strong and he’s right on target.”
Jockey John Velazquez was aboard Quality Road, who was caught in 1:01.60 for five-eighths. Record-setting winner of the Florida Derby on March 28 and the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga, Quality Road was third in the Travers.
Asiatic Boy, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, fired a bullet half-mile in :47.88, the fastest of 38 horses at the distance on the day. Forced to skip the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga with a fever, he came back to run fourth behind Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward on Sept. 5.
Other Grade 1 stakes on tap for Oct. 3 at Belmont Park are the Flower Bowl Invitational and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, both on grass; and the Vosburgh and Beldame on dirt.
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