Horse of the Year 2001 won’t be decided until they run the Breeders’ Cup Classic Oct. 27 at Belmont Park.
But today at Belmont we peek ahead to the Breeders’ Cup when two front-runners for Horse of the Year, Albert The Great and Include, clash again in the 115th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap at the Classic distance of a mile-and-a-quarter.
Include is 5-for-5 this year, including a neck victory over Albert The Great in the Pimlico Special. Coming off a four-length romp in the Mass- Cap, he packs 122 pounds in the Suburban with Jerry Bailey up.
But the Maryland-based Include is playing on Albert The Great’s home court this go-round. Albert is 5-for-6 at the Big B, and despite trainer Nick Zito’s warnings – “This is the first time this year he’s running back on three weeks rest. With the heat, I’m a little concerned” – the storied Suburban is his race to win.
After all, notes Zito, “He’s Albert The Great, one of the best horses in the country.
“We’ve had so many good ones. Strike the Gold. Louis Quatorze. Star Standard. Mr. Greeley. Go For Gin. He ranks right up there with all of them.”
A 4-year-old son of Go For Gin, who won the Kentucky Derby for Zito in 1994, Albert wasn’t great to begin with last year, losing his first four starts. But he quickly won four straight, including the Dwyer here last July by three lengths, leaving the Preakness and Belmont winners in his wake.
The wheels came off the bandwagon when Albert ran last, beaten 28 lengths, in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga. He rebounded big-time in the Travers, taking the lead in the stretch only to be nailed on the wire by Unshaded.
After finishing third in the Jerome (his only loss at Belmont), Albert gave Zito one of the great victories in his career, winning the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup last October by six lengths in 1:59.1, the fastest mile-and-a-quarter ever run by a 3-year-old at Belmont Park.
After wrapping up his 2000 season with a solid fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, Albert The Great didn’t race again until February, finishing second in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream. In March he set a track record winning the Widener at Hialeah by 53/4 lengths.
Albert was 3-5 to win the Pimlico Special in May under highweight of 121 pounds. But after taking the lead in the stretch he was run down late by Include, who was packing a feathery 114.
“I was devastated,” Zito said. “I thought we had it won. We should have had it won.”
Lugging 122 pounds in his last start, the June 10 Brooklyn at Belmont, Albert and jockey Jorge Chavez drew off down the lane to score by 31/4 lengths.
“I’m very happy with the four races he’s had so far,” Zito said, “but I’ll be glad when the Suburban is over. He’ll be gone immediately (to Saratoga), get some hay and water, get strong again. Because the Whitney is on the calendar, and I’ve got 28 days to prepare him for it.
“It’s a long year, and our main goal is the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Belmont Park in October.”
The Suburban, part of the “NTRA Champions” series, will be televised live by CBS (4:30-6 p.m.) along with the Hollywood Gold Cup, which features Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve.