2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup Preview at Belmont Park

Key Takeaways:

• The Jockey Club Gold Cup, formerly the Jockey Club Stakes, features a compact seven-horse field led by reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young, with an automatic berth in this year’s Classic on the line.
• At this main event of the fall meeting, there’s plenty of potential pace up front from Phileas Fogg, Chunk of Gold and Banishing, which could set things up well for runners capable of sitting off the battle and finishing late.
• Forever Young (3-5) is the clear horse to beat, with proven 1 ¼-mile form, tactical versatility and a strong record off long layoffs, making him tough to oppose if he returns in his usual form.
• Baeza (9-2) should benefit from the projected pace, and his deep-closing style and solid record at 1 ¼ miles make him the most appealing alternative to the favorite.
• Stars and Stripes (15-1) has plenty to prove against this level, but his stamina and stalking style give him upside at a price after winning the 1 ¾-mile Birdstone last out.

After three years of rebuilding, the new Belmont Park reopens Friday, September 18, with a card that features the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup. The race drew a field of seven top handicap-division horses, led by reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young, who has pointed to this race as his tune-up for his title defense. The prize isn’t just a million-dollar purse, but it also offers an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Forever Young will have to get through a field of talented horses. Though a foot bruise kept Sovereignty out of the race, Bill Mott brings both Baeza as well as Stars and Stripes to the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Phileas Fogg returns to the races for the first time since his blowout score in the Suburban (G2) at the Spa.

The history of the race goes back over 100 years to 1919. All-time greats like Man O’ War, Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Citation, Kelso, Affirmed, John Henry, Cigar, and Curlin are all past winners of this race. Nowadays, it's also often a live prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic: runner-up Vino Rosso won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2019, and winner Olympiad was second behind Flightline in 2022.

Jockey Club Gold Cup Information

• Race Date: Friday, September 18
• Track: Belmont Park
• Post Time: 4:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ¼ miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup Draw and Odds

This is the full field organized by post position, including trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. Note that Chunk of Gold and Banishing will be scratched from the race.

Jockey Club Gold Cup Prep Race Results

All but one runner in the Jockey Club Gold Cup comes out of a stakes race, with two coming out of other races at the top level. Forever Young makes his first start back since March 28, when he was second to Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup (G1). Baeza was most recently fourth, six lengths behind stablemate Sovereignty, after another rough start in the Whitney (G1) on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

One other horse expected to race comes out of a different graded race. Phileas Fogg makes his first start since July 4 at Saratoga, when he set the pace and kept on strong to win the 1 ¼-mile Suburban (G2) by 10 lengths.

Stars and Stripes emerged as an exciting prospect in the distance division when he nosed out stablemate Parchment Party in the 1 ¾-mile Birdstone last out, and turns back for this.

The only horse coming out of a non-stakes engagement is Render Judgment, who closed well for second, 2 ½ lengths behind heavy favorite Georgia Magic in a second-level allowance going 1 ⅛ miles at Saratoga on August 21.

Jockey Club Gold Cup Contenders

These are the seven runners in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in order of post positions:

1. Baeza: Baeza obviously has the class for this, and he can run a good race at 1 ¼ miles. He’s not quite up to the standard of the top of the division – though it seems like at least some of that is that he still hasn’t quite figured out how to start. Adding gate padding last out for the Whitney didn’t help; it seems like his best shot is going to be if the pace gets lively enough for the last run to be the best run. The scratches hurt him, though – originally there were three serious speed horses, but it’s down to just Phileas Fogg on the front end. On class, Baeza should still get a piece of it, though getting all the way there is unlikely without as much speed in the field.
2. Stars and Stripes: Fitness is absolutely not a question here for the second-stringer from the Bill Mott barn – he just won a race going 1 ¾ miles over Parchment Party, the nation’s premier dirt marathoner. Class is the question, however. He did win the 1 3/16- mile Ben Ali three starts back at Keeneland, but he was a no-show behind Phileas Fogg in the Suburban two back. He has decent tactical speed and a jockey (John Velazquez) who has won this race four times already, and with just nine career starts he has some upside. But, demand a price, as he will need to run the race of his life.
3. Chunk of Gold: Chunk of Gold will be scratched and pointed to the Lukas Classic (G2) at Churchill Downs instead.
4. Phileas Fogg: It’s clear what Phileas Fogg’s game is: he’s best at 1 ¼ miles, and he likes to send to the lead and play catch-me-if-you-can. No one came anywhere close to catching him in the Suburban (G2) last out, and he won by 10 lengths. He has had two and a half months since that race; he can come back well off of similar layoffs. The scratches of Chunk of Gold and Banishing help him a lot; it went from a bona fide pace battle to a situation in which Phileas Fogg gets to play a game of catch-me-if-you-can.
5. Banishing: Banishing will be scratched and rerouted to either the Lukas Classic (G2) at Churchill Downs or the Ack Ack (G3) at Keeneland.
6. Render Judgment: This Kenny McPeek trainee has been a solid allowance horse this year, but never seems to run to his company when trying a graded-stakes race. The distance is appealing, since he cleared his first-level allowance condition two starts back going 1 3/16 miles at Churchill Downs. And, he has tactical speed that could play well. Still, he has never run a race anywhere near fast enough to be a factor.
7. Forever Young: He’s the best Classic-distance dirt horse in the world. There’s always the question of how he comes back off a lay, since he hasn’t raced since the Dubai World Cup (G1) back in March, but that’s his typical layoff time, and he has come back a winner off of a long summer layoff the last two years, so there’s reason to think he’ll be in good form for this. He has the tactical versatility to not leave himself too much to do now that most of the speed has scratched, and he’ll be hard to hold off late.

Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

1. Forever Young (3-5)

The big question here is: are you for Forever Young, or are you against Forever Young? He’ll be a short enough price that you either have to back him and look for prices elsewhere, or spurn him completely. And – it’s not the sexiest part of handicapping, but sometimes the wisdom comes in knowing when the favorite is the goods.

Especially with Sovereignty out of the picture, Forever Young looms large. He is a dyed-in-the-wool 1 ¼-mile horse, he’s a proven international shipper, and he can take his racecourse with him. He should be able to stay out of the pace battle but doesn’t have to drop too far out of it if it turns out that horses do need to be forward to get a good trip. The biggest question is that it’s been since March since he last raced – but he always comes back sharp off the long summer layoff, and all signs suggest that he looks like himself as he gets settled in at Belmont Park. If he races like himself, he should win this.

2. Phileas Fogg (4-1)

As the field was drawn, it was a nightmare scenario for Phileas Fogg, with two other speed horses likely to fight him. Then – both Chunk of Gold and Banishing were taken out of the race. That’s bad news for deep closer Baeza, but it’s great news for Phileas Fogg, who gets left alone on the early lead.

Whether he can hold off a horse like Forever Young late is a huge question; he’s a very nice Grade 2, Grade 3 level horse but isn’t proven at this level yet. He is the sort of horse who needs a dream setup to have his say against real top-level horses. But, with the scratches, the in-form Phileas Fogg gets that dream setup. Forever Young would still have to have a bit of an off day, but if he does somehow wake up on the wrong side of his hay net Saturday, Phileas Fogg has a chance to be going, going, gone.

3. Stars and Stripes (15-1)

The “other” Bill Mott horse, Stars and Stripes, has to run the best race of his life to be a contender here. However, in a race full of horses who either have pace questions, class questions, or both of the above? Stars and Stripes is still a lightly-raced four-year-old with stamina to spare. He’ll have no trouble staying the 1 ¼ miles, especially with the fitness from winning at 1 ¾ miles last out. And, he won at 1 3/16 miles three back, meaning this distance shouldn’t be too sharp for him.

From a pace perspective, he has a good running style for this. He should be able to get a cozy spot a few lengths from the lead, much better positioned after the scratches than his stablemate Baeza will be, and he won’t get burned up in the pace battle. He’ll have to run a career best to run up to the standard of Forever Young or even Baeza on their day, but he’s fit, he’s lightly raced, and at the price he’ll at least be running in range to get into the frame at appealing odds.

Jockey Club Gold Cup FAQ

Q: When and where is the Jockey Club Gold Cup?

A: The race takes place Friday, September 18, the first day that the newly rebuilt Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, is open again for racing. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is the fifth race of nine on the opening-day card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins?

A: “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons leads all trainers with seven victories between 1929 and 1956, including with stars like Gallant Fox and Nashua. Among trainers with horses entered in the 2026 edition, Bill Mott leads with four wins. He has won the Jockey Club Gold Cup before with Cigar (1995), Flat Out (2012), Ron the Greek (2013), and Olympiad (2022). He can win a fifth with either Baeza or Stars and Stripes.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Jockey Club Gold Cup?

A: Forever Young is the 3-5 morning-line favorite in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and should hold as a heavy choice. He is the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, well proven at the distance, and has a strong record of holding his form when shipping internationally.

Q: Who is the best Jockey Club Gold Cup rider?

A: Eddie Arcaro won this race an unprecedented 11 times between 1935 and 1961. Among jockeys who ride the race in 2026, John Velazquez has had the most success. He has won four times: with Tonalist (2015), Hoppertunity (2016), Code of Honor (2019), and Antiquarian (2025). He has the call to ride Stars and Stripes this year.

Q: Who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2025?

A: Antiquarian won the 2025 Jockey Club Gold Cup for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. Pletcher does not have a Jockey Club Gold Cup horse this year after Antiquarian was retired last month; Velazquez rides Stars and Stripes for Bill Mott.