Sixties Icon Leads Marathon Field

Owned by Susan Roy, Sixties Icon is in the best form of his career for trainer Jeremy Noseda. The 5-year-old son of Galileo—Lord Divine, by Sadler’s Wells has produced a 4-1-0 record from six starts this season. He enters off a 2 1/4-length score in the 12-furlong Cumberland Lodge Stakes (Eng-III) on Ascot’s turf Sept. 28. The multiple graded-stakes winner has earned just under $1 million in his career. Lordship Stud bred the bay horse in England.

Frankie Dettori rides Sixties Icon, who will break from post four.

The 5-2 second choice in the Marathon is 6-year-old Zappa. The Afternoon Deelites gelding comes off consecutive off-the-board finishes in grade I company in California, but three starts back took the Cougar II Handicap by 6 1/4 lengths on the Del Mar Polytrack. The John Sadler trainee also won the San Pasqual Handicap (gr. II) in January in his 2008 debut. He is 2-0-1 from nine starts this season. Garrett Gomez, who rode in the Cougar II, gets the return call.

Mike Mitchell will saddle a pair of horses starters in the event, including 9-2 third choice Big Booster. The 7-year-old gelding was third in the Cougar II in his last start, but had back-to-back stakes scores in California beginning with the grade II San Juan Capistrano Handicap April 20. Rafael Bejarano retains the mount.

Mitchell’s other starter is Church Service, who was claimed for $50,000 earlier this year and has gone on to capture a grade III turf event at Lone Star.