Centennial Farms’ Kentucky-bred Antiquarian earned his first top-level score, taking the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga on Sunday, Aug. 31. The victory earned Antiquarian a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in November at Del Mar.
Largely unaffected by an early incident in the race that caused Irad Ortiz Jr. to be unseated from Mindframe, Antiquarian gave trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez their second Grade 1 win of the weekend. Fierceness won the Pacific Classic (G1) for the pair the day before.
“Mixed emotions,” said Pletcher. “You hate to see anything like that happen but at the same time I want Antiquarian to get his due. “Centennial—that’s a huge win for them, so I’m happy for them.”
Trouble Free Trip
Antiquarian is a son of the Centennial Farms-campaigned Preservationist. He exited post eight alertly as Phileas Fogg veered in sharply under Kendrick Carmouche. The early jostling for position caused Contrary Thinking to shy into White Abarrio. He in turn bumped Mindframe, unseating Ortiz.
The post-time favorite Sierra Leone altered course as his jockey Flavien Prat attempted to avoid Ortiz on the track.
“I didn’t know what happened,” Velazquez said. “I saw Edgard try to put his feet back in the irons and I had my mind made up that I wanted to take my horse back and tried to give him a break the first part of the race. That’s the way it worked out.”
After three-quarters in 1:11.92, Contrary Thinking came back to the field. Phileas Fogg took command as Antiquarian improved to the inside of a backpedaling White Abarrio with Highland Falls launching a wide bid.
Phileas Fogg responded at the top of the lane through one-mile in 1:36.83. He held a two-length advantage at the stretch call. Antiquarian got rolling to his outside and narrowed the gap within the eighth pole with Whitney-winner Sierra Leone closed rapidly. Antiquarian flew by Phileas Fogg inside the final sixteenth with the jump on Sierra Leone to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 2:02.16.
“Kendrick was kind of nudging his horse and I was like, ‘I better get a little closer to him before he gets away from me,’” Velazquez said. “I got close to him, and he responded really well.”
Antiquarian Gives Centennial Farms a Second Jockey Club Gold Cup
Don Little, Jr., president and co-owner of Centennial Farms, was thrilled to secure a second Jockey Club Gold Cup win to go along with Colonial Affair in 1994.
“To have this a second time that Centennial has won this prestigious trophy is really, really exciting and special,” Little said. “In one way, people were cheering for Sierra Leone to win the Whitney and the Jockey Club. But our horse Colonial Affair was the last to do it. We keep that in the record books, and it’s just been a great go. Team Todd, all the way.”
The 2024 Grade 3 Peter Pan-winning Antiquarian was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones. He is out of the winning Istan mare Lifetime Memory. His dam is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Speaktomeofsummer and stakes-winner Proud Reunion.