Evening Attire Wouldn't Mind an Off Track

Thomas Kelly's Evening Attire, a longshot in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I), galloped over the Belmont Park training track Wednesday.

Winner of the Saratoga Breeders' Cup (gr. II) in his last start, Evening Attire is making the first Grade 1 start of his career on Saturday.

A 4-year-old, Evening Attire has had the majority of his success has a one-run closer. He has, however, been able to race close up to the pace with some success, although his only near-the-lead win was achieved over a four-horse allowance field at Aqueduct in May.

Trainer Pat Kelly is obviously aware Saturday's JCGC lacks a ton of early speed, but said he is leaving the race up to jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.

"My job is to get him over there in one piece," Kelly said. "The other stuff is game time stuff, like they say in the NBA and NFL. Shaun knows the horse and I'll let him do what he wants."

According to Kelly, Evening Attire did something in the Spa Breeders' Cup that few horses do at Saratoga - run down a loose-on-the-lead horse in the mud after trailing by more than five lengths at the quarter-pole.

"You just don't see many horses get up making that move in the mud up there," Kelly said. "He had three on us at the eighth-pole and I thought the race was over. It was a thrill watching him. Hopefully, we can do it again."

With rain in the forecast for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, there is a good chance the track could come up "off" on JCGC day. Evening Attire has performed well over wet tracks, compiling a 2-1-0 record from three starts on an off-track.

"That wouldn't bother me," Kelly said. "He runs over anything."