Flat Out installed as the morning line favourite for the Jockey Club Gold Cup ahead of Mike Repole’s Stay Thirsty
Trained by Charles Dickey, also known as Scooter Dickey for Preston Stables, the 5-year-old gelding, Flat Out, has been installed as the 7 to 5 morning-line favourite in the Grade 1 $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, ahead of the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes'
winner, Stay Thirsty.
Trainer Scooter Dickey thinks that his 5-year-old has done enough to be in the Breeders’ Cup Classic line-up, but he would like Flat Out to improve on his consistent second place finishes.
The son of Flatter, out of Cresta Lil by Cresta Rider, Flat Out had been a little unlucky running into the likes of Tizway and Havre de Grace in his last two starts.
Flat Out was coming off a fine win in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park’s dirt course at about 1 1/8 miles on 2 July, 2011, when he got stopped in his tracks by slightly better runners, when he was expected to take the momentum into those difficult
races.
Tizway came to the party, next up in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap, at the same distance as Suburban Handicap, at Saratoga on 6 August, as Flat Out defeated the field except the one that counted, Tizway, turning in a second place finish.
The performance was not bad by any means, as he had too good of a horse in Tizway to overcome, and Scooter Dickey must be satisfied.
It was then that the filly everyone had been talking about, the one who was about to take on the males, Havre de Grace, was in the fray against males for the first time in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, and she did what she was expected to.
The 4-year-old filly destroyed males, but Flat Out was again second best. It wasn’t a shabby performance, but a little extra effort in the final yards would had him standing with Tizway, as the best older horse of the year so far.
However, Scooter is of the view that “He doesn’t have to win; he showed me already he can compete with those kind of horses’’.
Fair enough, and he will probably meet the same lot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the ones he has been running against all year long, but with Tizway scratched and Stay Thirsty against older males for the first time, it can be a golden opportunity for Flat
Out to bring back some winning momentum before the big race.
Tags: