Flat Out impresses his trainer after a sharp workout, as anticipations take a new high before the Jockey Club Gold Cup
The 5-year-old gelding, Flat Out, has had a pretty good season at the Spa, where he participated in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap on 6 August, 2011, and afterwards he represented trainer Charles Dickey in the Grade 1 Woodward on 3 September, 2011.
He rolled in second in both of these races, defeated by Tizway in the Whitney Handicap while Havre de Grace got the best of him in the Grade 1 Woodward.
It is a pretty satisfactory performance from a trainer’s point of view, but Scooter Dickey would’ve loved his experienced gelding to have won one race out of the two.
Courtesy of those good runs in those two tough races, Charles Dickey has entered Flat Out in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational on 1 October, at Belmont Park dirt course.
Before the Saratoga meet, Flat Out ran the race of his career, the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on 2 July, 2011, destroying his competitors by covering 1 1/8 miles in 1 minute and 46.6 seconds.
Flat Out defeated Hymn Book by a massive margin of 6 ½ lengths, which shows that the Belmont Park is a happy hunting ground for the son of Flatter, out of Cresta Lil by Cresta Rider.
The anticipation heightened for the connections of Flat Out, when they saw the gelding rip the training ground apart by turning in a speedy workout session. He blew five furlongs in 58.60 seconds at Monmouth Park on 16 September.
The next assignment for Flat Out also brings higher expectations from the horse, but it is not going to be easy at all, considering some serious elite runners who will take the field on 1 October.
There is the Triple Crown trio to begin with, Stay Thirsty, Ruler on Ice and Shackleford. All three will be looking to go all out to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
The list doesn’t end there and gets more scary with Tizway, Rail Trip, Apart, Mission Impazible, Giant Oak, Hymn Book and Haynesfield in the line-up.
The line-up shows that there is no easy horse in this race and whoever wins it will most definitely top his or her division.
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