Effinex (background) will attempt to improve on his third-place finish in the 2015 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Photo by NYRA/Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
NYRA Press Release: Opting to pass on the Grade 1 Woodward, trainer Jimmy Jerkens reported multiple graded stakes winner Effinex has been in fine fettle following his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 6. The 5-year-old son of Mineshaft is next slated to target the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 8.
“Right now, it looks like he won’t run again until the Gold Cup, so we’re not really getting after him too much at the moment,” said Jerkens. “He’s just been getting the occasional strong gallop and hasn’t had a scheduled work since he ran. We’ll start getting back serious with him when we return to Belmont.”
Jerkens is expected to enter Jay Gatsby in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap on closing day at Saratoga.
The 4-year-old Giant’s Causeway colt is coming off a hard-fought second-place finish in the August 6 Lure, in which he rallied from next-to-last to miss by a nose. On Sunday, he breezed five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf course in 1:04.46.
“He’s doing good and had a nice work yesterday,” said Jerkens. “That was a hard loss in the Lure. He actually was ahead of that horse [Shining Copper] late in the lane and just lost the bob. It was good to see the horse [Offering Plan] that was behind them come back run a good third in the West Point the other day [August 28]. I think he’s a legitimate contender and has to improve but it looks like he’s been getting there and moving forward little by little.”
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to sign up for email newsletters and special offers from The Turf Board!
