Moreno Looks to go to Head of the Class

As handicap stars like Game on Dude (Awesome Again) and Palace Malice (Curlin) have fallen by the wayside of the 2014 racing season, GI Whitney H. winner Moreno (Ghostzapper) may be the leading older horse in training much by default. The Southern Equine runner could cement that position in Saturday’s GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. 
“Looks like I’ve got the Last of the Mohicans, so to speak, for the older horses,” admitted trainer Eric Guillot. 
Moreno wired the field to best Itsmyluckyday (Lawyer Ron) by 1 1/4 lengths in the Aug. 2 Whitney, but that rival turned the tables and ran him down late to take the Aug. 30 GI Woodward S. by a half-length. 
Guillot said his charge was never short on ability, but was easily discouraged. 
“The only reason I got beat in the Woodward last month was, not because my horse got outrun by Itsmyluckyday, but because Itsmylucky jumped on top of me and pounded against me for an eighth of a mile,” Guillot explained. “And he’s running because he’s got heart and Moreno is like ‘Hey. What the hell? What’s this horse doing?’ And then after the gallop-out, I got five in front of him again. So he’s got this quirky disposition, but he’s also got this unbelievable ability.” 
Moreno could be facing pace competition Saturday from California invader Big Cazanova (Giant’s Causeway). 
“Am I scared of him beating me, no,” Guillot said of the 5-year-old who is coming off a pair of optional claimer victories at Del Mar. “Am I scared of him hurting Moreno’s chances, of course. Anybody knows the ding-dong head-to-head battle is not a smart thing. Maybe this is going to be the time that, if [Big Cazanova] goes out there and he wants to set fractions, I don’t want to go, then I’ll sit right off of him. If he lets me inherit the lead out of the gate, then I’m going to set the fractions.” 
Guillot said Moreno does not need to be on the lead to win the Gold Cup. 
“Moreno does not have to have the lead right out of the gate,” the trainer confirmed. “What he doesn’t like is when there are four or five in front of him and he’s inside a wall of horses and there is dirt in his face.” 
In preparation for the Gold Cup, Moreno worked five furlongs over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track in 1:03.31 last Saturday. 
“Fitness isn’t an issue,” Guillot said. “I’m not worried about his fitness. He is fitter than a trout swimming upstream.”