Whitney champ Blame training for Jockey Club Gold Cup

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Saratoga Springs, NY (Sports Network) - Four-year-old colt Blame, fresh off his victory in the Whitney Handicap, had a half-mile workout Thursday morning at Saratoga. The Al Stall, Jr. trainee is being prepared for the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 2.

"I was going to work him tomorrow (Friday), but he was showing me that he was ready; he had too much energy," said Stall. "He did it perfectly. He went :26 and :24 on his own, which was fine."

Blame, owned by Adele Dilschnider and Claiborne Farm, worked four-furlongs in 50.61 on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track.

The colt, ridden by Garrett Gomez, defeated 1-2 favorite Quality Road in the $750,000 Whitney over 1 1/8-miles. On June 12 Blame won the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.

"He's had three solid races in a row this year," said Stall. "He seems better now that he was before the Whitney."

Blame posted his fifth straight win in the Whitney and has won eight of 11 lifetime starts for more than $1.5 million.

Quality Road will start next in the Woodward Handicap at Saratoga over the Labor Day weekend. If all goes well in that race, Quality Road should meet Blame again in the Gold Cup.