Turns out, Rail Trip learned his lessons well

Funny how sometimes before a big race we'll write about how it's not a star-studded field and how it looks like seven, eight or nine horses have a chance to win. But really, the way he ran Saturday, Rail Trip was the only horse that had a chance to win the 70th running of the Hollywood Gold Cup. He was that good, that brilliant en route to a dominating three-length victory in a Cushion Track-record 2:00.75 for the 1 1/4-mile distance many skeptics said he'd never successfully negotiate.

Jockey Jose Valdivia, Jr., who was criticized for a careless ride in the Santana Mile at Santa Anita on April 4 when he went to sleep in the saddle and almost blew a huge lead in the stretch aboard the 4-year-old gelding, deserves a lot of credit for his ride aboard the son of Jump Start. He sat just behind the pace-setting Tres Borrachos for much of the way, made his move turning for home and the race was over as he regained the luster he'd lost by finishing second in a pair of Grade 2 stakes after beginning his career with five consecutive victories.

Trainer Ron Ellis revealed the grand plan after the race, that the Gold Cup was the main objective all along and they used it to determine if they should point Rail Trip to the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7 or the Dirt Mile the same day. I guess we all know the answer to that now, huh?

"He was so relaxed when he came by the stands the first time, and that's what we've really been working on," Ellis said. "All the races that he's run has kind of been a buildup to this, and it's pretty satisfying when a plan works out.

"This would have been the first big race that made sense. I mean, a lot of people wanted to run him into the Santa Anita Handicap but he just wasn't mentally ready for that. Luckily, the (owners Mace and Samantha) Siegels are very patient and have a lot of faith in me and they let me skip that race and point for this one, and I'm glad that their patience was rewarded."

Samantha Siegel said the bettors jumped off the bandwagon too quickly, that the gelding was still learning and that even though he'd lost those two Grade 2 stakes, he never looked that bad in defeat. He'd gone postward as the favorite in all seven of his races before Saturday, and the public let him get away at a generous 9-1 in the Gold Cup.

"This horse has been learning by leaps and bounds his last two races," she said. "The allowance races were paid workouts. He got to gallop around and get paid, (but) he didn't learn about how to run competitively when other horses come to him, and that's what happened in the last two races.

"He got his education. He'd only had seven starts, and three of those races were pieces of cake. It's hard to get battle tested. Now he knows what it's all about. In the paddock and the walking ring (Saturday), Jose got on him, he arched his neck and walked around and he knows he's the deal. That's what you want to see."

Said Ellis: "I think he really learned a lot off the two races here. The first race here, it was the first race he was ever challenged and he wasn't really sure what to do. I thought he ran a really game race last time. He had to battle with Ball Four and put him away and it kind of took its toll in the end. He got a perfect ride by Valdivia today. It just all worked out."