Great ones battle at Belmont

Racing fans should savor Saturday's Woodward Stakes at New York's Belmont Park. The Grade I $500,000 race may be the only time the unique equine fearsome foursome of Gentlemen, Free House, Coronado's Quest and Skip Away will meet in competition.

Although the Nov. 7 $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic is still a possible for the four, two would have to pay a high stipend supplement to enter the championship showdown.

Skip Away owner Carolyn Hine, upon the advice of her trainer and husband Sonny Hine, anted up $480,000 for the privilege of running in last year's renewal. He gets a credit for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Skip Away, in case you forgot, got the cheese and a multiple return in Breeders' Cup 1997. But, in order for the foursome to rematch in the Classic, the ownership of Gentlemen and Free House would have to cough up supplemental payments of $800,000 EACH to face Skip Away and company under the twin spires.

Since Skip Away, Gentlemen and Coronado's Quest have all been ticketed for racing retirement at the end of this season, it would almost take a miracle quadruple-deadbeat to assure a Breeders' Cup Classic encore.

It is more realistic to assume that one or more of the four will get beat by one or another at Belmont on Saturday by enough of a margin to discourage another go round at such an expensive cost.

Gentlemen could make the following Jockey Club Gold Cup, also at Belmont on Oct. 10, his final start. Should Gentlemen run well on Saturday and in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, his connections have already indicated they would consider the Breeders' Cup Mile, on the grass, as their Cup day option instead of the Classic. The supplement for the Mile would be just $200,000 for a $1 million purse.

Free House, if successful Saturday, could pay his way into the Classic starting lineup. Co-owner John Toffan was quoted in Thursday's Daily Racing Form as saying, "And if he wins, well, you have to go for the Classic, don't you?" Well, that's the $800,000 question.

As far as the sophomore Coronado's Quest, the 1 1/4 mile distance of the Classic may be a shade more than he can handle against the likes of the best in the handicap division. Even though Quest got the trip in the Travers at Saratoga, in a desperate dissipating photo finish, the 1 1/8 miles Woodward distance is much more potent. In addition, he is already syndicated for breeding and wouldn't help the stud fee with a Classic defeat.

As for Skip Away, he too is already syndicated for stud duty, but, Hine wants the sport's all-time earnings record for Skippy, who is less than $794,000 short of Cigar's record of $9,999,815, and a repeat Classic victory would assure a deserved Horse of the Year title in the process. So, enjoy the Woodward, it could be a vintage race the ages.

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