By Duane Fonseca
Thursday’s Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup at Saratoga Racecourse could pave the way for Siskany to become Charlie Appleby’s first runner in the Melbourne Cup since 2019.
Newmarket based Appleby oversaw the development of Cross Counter, who brought Godolphin its first success in the staying contest, widely known ‘the race that stops the nation’, in 2018, with the son of Teofilo returning the following year in a bid to defend his title only to finish a very close eighth.
A six-year-old Dubawi gelding, Siskany enjoyed a lucrative winter campaign in Dubai when winning the Listed Al Khail Trophy and the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, before a staying on fourth in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup sponsored by Al Tayer Motors behind Tower Of London.
Shipped thereafter to the US, Siskany will now look to defend his title in the Belmont Gold Cup, a race he won commandingly last term and one that offers a ‘golden ticket’ for an automatic berth into the G1 Melbourne Cup on November at Flemington in Australia.
Speaking of Siskany’s chances Thursday, a hopeful Appleby commented: “Siskany was last seen in Dubai in the Gold Cup running his usual solid race.
“He’s a past winner of the Belmont Gold Cup last year, so he’s coming back for a renewal of that. He’s in good form and hopefully he can get it done again.”
