A field of ten entered in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct on Saturday
By NY Hot List staff | Friday, September 29, 2023
The Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic is the feature on Saturday in the Belmont at the Big A meeting. The top three finishers from the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf – Rebel’s Romance, Stone Age, and the mare War Like Goddess – top a field of ten turf specialists that will race 1 1/2 miles.
Rebel’s Romance won that Breeders’ Cup race and has nine career victories. Last time in the Bowling Green (G2) at Saratoga, he clipped heels and lost his rider.
“I think without the incident, he was going so well and to me, he would have won easily,” said Sophie Chretien, Charlie Appleby’s traveling assistant. “It’s something we weren’t expecting. But in the mornings, he doesn’t show anything is wrong. He’s been racing a long time and he looks so happy, hopefully he goes over like that.”
The 5-year-old mare War Like Goddess won the Turf Classic last year on her way to a third-place finish in the BC Turf for trainer Bill Mott. She had a troubled trip in the Glens Falls (G2) at Saratoga and just missed the win by a neck.
“I think if she’s on the inside and is covered up early, that’s fine,” Mott said. “The fact that she was rank around the first turn [hindered her]. He [jockey Joel Rosario] asked her to run a little out of the gate and she was up on the bridle, and then he asked her to slow down. It’s like, ‘Do you want me to go, or do you want me to stop?’ You can’t have it both ways.”
The $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) at Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 6, 2:40 pm EDT.
(6) War Like Goddess won this race last year and went on to finish third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. She won her debut at Gulfstream Park in the Bewitch (G3) for her 10th career victory. She was ranked last month in the Glens Falls (G2) at Saratoga and still just missed the win by a neck. (5) Rebel’s Romance won the BC Turf in 2022 which was the 9th win of his career. At Saratoga in the Bowling Green (G2), he clipped heels and lost his rider. (3) Stone Age is now in the barn of Chad Brown after running second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. His last six starts were in Grade 1 or Group 1 races, so he has plenty of back class. (8) Pioneering Spirit is the winner of 5 out of his last 6 starts for Linda Rice and that includes the Bernard Baruch at Saratoga with the best speed figure of his career.
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