Bernardini looks for challenge in Jockey Club

Bernardini will take on older horses for the first time in the Jockey Club (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) BERNARDINI (A.P. Indy) came out of his 7 1/2-length triumph in Saturday’s Travers S. (G1) in good condition, eating up his dinner and walking the barn on Sunday morning, according to trainer Tom Albertrani. “He looked great,” the conditioner explained. “It’s the same he’s always done after his races. That’s a good sign.” The Darley homebred ran his career record to five-for-six with the Travers score, adding it to previous victories in the Preakness S. (G1), Jim Dandy S. (G2) and Withers S. (G3), all coming by easy margins. He’ll face his biggest challenge in his next race while taking on older rivals for the first time in the October 7 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park. “I don’t know how much he has got left until he is challenged,” Albertrani commented. “He has never been challenged. Right now, he has been winning by daylight in his last five races. (Jockey) Javier (Castellano) couldn’t pull him up after the wire. There’s a lot more to this horse than what we have seen. How can we top that?” After the Jockey Club, Bernardini will likely go for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on November 4 at Churchill Downs, and could even take down Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old honors if he wins both.

“We know that facing older horses isn’t the easiest thing to do,” Albertrani said.
“Hopefully, if we can tackle the older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup,
this horse is going to look pretty awesome in the Breeders’ Cup. Right now, with the way he has been running, and as long as he stays healthy
and on top of his game, he’s going to be a very serious horse when he faces the
older horses. He’s still going to be the one to fear.”

One of those Bernardini is expected to clash with in the Jockey Club is Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes), who remains undefeated in the United States after
capturing the Pimlico Special H. (G1), Suburban H. (G1) and Whitney H. (G1).
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is hoping his four-year-old charge’s experience will
give him the edge over his younger rival.

“We’ve been facing older horses, and (Bernardini) has been facing three-year-olds,”
McLaughlin said. “We feel that would be a slight edge for us. We love our horse
and we’re not going to take anything away from him. But with the way Bernardini
is going at it, he’s a very impressive horse.

“Part of training horses is surrounding yourself with the best people as much
as possible and your horses with the worse company as possible,” he added.
“Obviously, that’s not what we want to do, is go against Bernardini. It’s
inevitable and we have to do it. So, let’s do it.”

DR. PLEASURE (Thunder Gulch), who ran third in the Travers, beaten 13 3/4 lengths,
exited his race well, as did stablemate MINISTER’S BID (Deputy Minister), who
acted up in the paddock, continued misbehaving in the post parade and was
fractious in the starting gate before finishing last of the six-horse field.

“Dr. Pleasure was pulling us back to the barn after the race,” trainer John
T. Ward Jr. said. “I was happy with his race. He’s still improving and I think
he’s going to be a heck of a handicap horse next year. Minister’s Bid was just
mad. He does not like that holding barn. You could see in the paddock he was
getting madder, madder and madder. He didn’t run his race.”

Ward hasn’t determined where he will be sending his charges next.