Blame blitzes bullet half-mile for Jockey Club Gold Cup

Blame will try to emulate his Gold Cup-winning ancestors *Princequillo and Buckpasser (EquiSport Photos) Multiple Grade 1 star BLAME (Arch) zipped a half-mile in a bullet :48 over Keeneland’s Polytrack Monday, turning in his final work in advance of Saturday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park. With Casey Chavez aboard, the Al Stall Jr. charge exercised on a cool, damp morning at approximately 7:45 a.m. (EDT), and posted the best of six works at the distance. “He went :25 for the first quarter and :23 for the second quarter and cooled out just right, which is the most important thing,” Stall said. “This was more of just a blow-out type work. We weren’t trying to gain anything by it fitness-wise. This was just kind of a sharpener. It’s just very routine.”

The work was Blame’s fourth straight at Keeneland since returning to his home
base on Rice Road on August 30 following a summer at Saratoga, where he
outkicked Quality Road (Elusive Quality) in the August 7 Whitney H. (G1).

In his first work back, Blame traveled five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 on September
5. He followed up with two sharp six-furlong works, clocking 1:11 4/5 on
September 12 and 1:12 on September 19.

“He had a bunch of stiff works, and I wanted to get a two-mile gallop into
him, that’s why I (blew him out today),” Stall said. “That’s needed here or
there.”

Owned and bred by Adele B. Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm, Blame rides into
the Gold Cup on a five-win streak that includes victories in the aforementioned
Whitney, Stephen Foster H. (G1), William Donald Schaefer S. (G3), Clark H. (G2)
and Fayette S. (G2). In 11 career starts, Blame has an 8-1-2 record with career
earnings of $1,518,214.

For the week leading up to the Gold Cup, Blame will walk Tuesday morning, jog
Wednesday and then lightly train on Thursday before boarding a plane for New
York around 10 a.m.

The Gold Cup will serve as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at
Churchill Downs on November 6.