2017 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - The G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes comes our way this Saturday, October 7 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Horses three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Belmont Park's dirt track and race 1 1/4 miles for the winner's share of the $750,000 purse and the automatic berth into the 2017 $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

A field of seven will line up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes - race 10 on Belmont Park's busy Saturday schedule. Post time is 5:23 PM. Let's take a peek into the past performances of all seven entries for this "Win and You're" in Breeders' Cup Classic qualifier.

2017 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes Entries at Belmont Park

Keen Ice

Posted a win over American Pharoah (the only horse to beat Pharoah) in the G1 Travers Stakes at 16-1 August 29, 2015 but has been just OK since - mostly because he had been racing with a cannon bone fracture. Last time out was an OK second behind the terrific Gun Runner in the G1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga August 5 which followed a nice three length win with a career-best 112 Beyer Speed Figure in the G2 Suburban Stakes July 8, a seventh in the Dubai World Cup in March and a fourth in the G1 Pegasus World Cup. Before that was an OK second in the G3 Harlan's Holiday Stakes December 17, a respectable but distant third behind Arrogate and American Pharoah in the Breeders' Cup Classic, another third in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Belmont Park October 7 and an eighth in the 2016 Dubai World Cup. Other good results include a second behind American Pharoah in the G1 Haskell Invitational August 2, 2015 and a respectable third in the 2015 Belmont Stakes. He also had a seventh in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. Keen Ice has quietly placed in five of his last seven starts overall against some terrific competition and will chase a second graded stakes score in three starts with Jose Ortiz in the saddle from the outside post 7.

Rally Cry

Todd Pletcher trained colt has four wins, two seconds and three third place finishes in 11 career starts - competitive virtually every time out. He arrives off an OK second behind Gun Runner in the G1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga September 2 which followed a good 8 3/4 length win with a 109 BRIS Speed Figure in the minor Alydar Stakes on that track August 6, a disappointing sixth in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap here June 10, an Allowance score on this track April 30, a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream March 15, a third in the minor Easy Goer Stakes last June and an Allowance score last April. Before that was a sixth in his only other graded stakes action to date - the G3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in March, 2016. Rally Cry has won two of his last four starts overall and will be out to build on two very nice efforts. John Velazquez will be in the irons from post 5.

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Pavel

Lightly raced Doug O'Neill trained colt has just three career starts with two wins. Last time out was a good six length win with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure in the G3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx September 4 after an OK fourth in his stakes debut - in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga July 29. He won his debut by 4 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita July 1. Pavel has been competitive so far and will be after a third win in four starts and second straight with Mario Gutierrez in the irons from gate 4.

Destin

Has 11 career starts for Todd Pletcher with four wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. He enters off an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Saratoga August 23 which followed a third in a similar race on this track May 28 and nine months away. Before the layoff was a disappointing ninth in the 2016 G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, an OK third in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes on that track July 30, a good runner-up finish behind Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes, an OK sixth in the 2016 Kentucky Derby and a terrific two race win streak - the G2 Tampa Bay Derby and by 2 1/4 lengths in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes. Destin has been competitive so far in his career and shoots for a third graded stakes score in his first graded stakes action in 14 months. Luis Saez rides from gate 6.

Good Samaritan

Legendary trainer Bill Mott sends out Good Samaritan for his ninth career start. His first resulted in a maiden score at Saratoga August 13 and his second was a very successful graded stakes debut - a win in the G2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine September 10. He has been competitive in six starts since - a disappointing fifth last time out however in the G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga August 26 followed a good 4 3/4 length win in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes, an OK fourth in the G1 Belmont Derby Invitational July 8, a second behind Oscar Performance in the G3 Pennine Ridge Stakes here June 3, another second in the G2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs May 6 and a respectable third as favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November. Good Samaritan has been competitive in every career start so far but hopes to bounce back off an uncharacteristic performance when he leaves from post 3 with Joel Rosario aboard.

Diversify

Richard Violette Jr. trained gelding has placed in eight of nine career starts - six wins and two second-place finishes. He steps into graded stakes company for the first time Saturday off an impressive 11 1/2 length win in the minor Evan Shipman Stakes at Saratoga August 21, another win in the minor Saginaw Stakes on this track July 2 and a pair of seconds - the best of which coming in the minor Commentator Stakes here May 29. Diversify has been seriously trending upward ahead of this week and will try to make it three straight stakes wins with Irad Ortiz guiding him from the rail.

Highland Sky

Barclay Tagg trained colt has three wins, three seconds and three third-place finishes in 12 career starts. He finished sixth in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and had consecutive runner-up finishes in graded stakes action in 2016 - the G3 Pennine Ridge Stakes June 4 and the G1 Belmont Derby Invitational July 9 and has raced five straight Allowance Optional Claiming races since. Last time out was a third on this track September 9 after a seventh, consecutive thirds and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Gulfstream in February. Highland Sky has quietly placed in eight of his last nine starts and will chase a first graded stakes win in his dirt debut Saturday. Rajiv Maragh has been tabbed to ride from gate 2.

2017 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes Odds & Entries

Race 10 on Belmont Park's Saturday card with a Post Time of 5:23 PM

Entry	Horse	ML Odds	Jockey	Trainer
1	Diversify	7-2	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	Richard Violette, Jr.
2	Highland Sky	20-1	Rajiv Maragh	Barclay Tagg
3	Good Samaritan	8-1	Joel Rosario	William Mott
4	Pavel	5-2	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O'Neill
5	Rally Cry	6-1	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher
6	Destin	12-1	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher
7	Keen Ice	9-5	Jose Ortiz	Todd Pletcher

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