Captain Steve, winning the Dubai World Cup earlier this year.
Captain Steve got the go-ahead for the July 1 Hollywood Gold Cup with a five-furlong work in 1:00.20 at Santa Anita Park Tuesday morning. He was one of four Gold Cup hopefuls to work Tuesday.With Dana Barnes aboard, Captain Steve went an opening quarter-mile in :23.40, three furlongs in :36.60, and a half-mile in :48.40. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.80.Trainer Bob Baffert said the Mike Pegram-owned 4-year-old is ready for the Gold Cup. In his last start on June 16, Captain Steve finished second to Guided Tour in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs."It has been my plan all along; I just didn't tell anybody," Baffert said. "I figured he'd need the one at Churchill, but I didn't want to get too many people excited in case something happened at the last minute."Gary Stevens will ride Captain Steve. Four others are expected for the Gold Cup: Futural, Power Wing, and the Bobby Frankel-trained duo of Aptitute and Skimming.Aptitude, to be ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Hollywood Park. He worked with blinkers, and will wear them in the Gold Cup.Skimming, winner of the June 10 Californian Handicap at Hollywood, worked five furlongs in 1:01.40, while Futural worked six furlongs in 1:13.40. Power Wing is scheduled to work Wednesday morning at Hollywood.
