Familiar Cast of Characters in Hirsch

The usual suspects among the East Coast turf division square off Saturday in Belmont’s GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S., a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Big Blue Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) leads a trio of Chad Brown trainees. The now 7-year-old, who was beaten a nose for the win here two years ago and who finished fourth last season, kicked off this year with a score in this venue’s GIII Fort Marcy S. May 2. Second behind stablemate Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) in the GI Manhattan S. June 6, he defeated both that runner and Twilight Eclipse (Purim) while annexing his second GI United Nations S. at Monmouth July 5. The bay was last seen rallying from far back to finish second by a neck over yielding sod in the GI Arlington Million Aug. 15. Shining Copper (Aragorn {Ire}), Big Blue Kitten’s rabbit, finished one spot back in third, while Slumber was eighth and Quiet Force (Dynaformer) was 10th.

West Point Thoroughbreds’ Twilight Eclipse, who could break the $2-million mark in career earnings with a win here, was beaten a neck by Main Sequence (Aldebaran) in last year’s running of this, and gave a good account of himself in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf with a third-place run behind the aforementioned eventual champion. The Tom Albertrani pupil annexed the GI Man O’ War S. here in May, and was only off the board this year when seventh in the Manhattan. He was most recently third behind formidable foreign invader Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the Spa’s GI Sword Dancer S. Aug. 29. “He’s doing just fine,” Albertrani said of the 6-year-old. “He still continues to train very well. He’s been very consistent and he’s going into the race in great shape.” Of the last start, the conditioner added, “I thought he ran well in the Sword Dancer. For some reason, it seemed like we got a little further back than we wanted to be and he was always in between horses. I don’t think he ever really got into a comfort zone throughout the whole race. He was always in between, not in a bad spot but not in a perfect spot, and he still came with a nice run.”

Red Rifle (Giant’s Causeway) has paired up career-best 107 Beyer Speed figures in his last two starts. He parlayed a perfect trip into a clear-cut victory in Saratoga’s GII Bowling Green H. Aug. 21, and was second in the Sword Dancer last out. Longshot Perfect Title (Perfect Soul {Ire}), who enters off back-to-back Saratoga turf tallies, rounds out the field.