ELMONT, N.Y. – Just a 4-year-old, improving all the time, classy, versatile, and talented, Loft’s ceiling looks higher than ever after he overcame a difficult trip and dominated the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup on Friday. The first North American starter for German trainer Marcel Weiss, Loft, with a swift, powerful move from the three-furlong pole to the wire, won the two-mile Gold Cup by 3 1/4 lengths over late-running British Royalty. Strong Tide, an Indiana-bred, held third after taking the lead from pacesetting Abaan in upper stretch. But Loft held an even larger edge over this field than his bare margin of victory. Settling at the back of an eight-horse field from the start, Loft was patiently ridden by Andrasch Starke, who replaced intended rider Rene Piecheluk when the latter was unable to obtain a visa to travel here from Germany. Things were much more complicated early for the race’s other overseas shipper, Outbox, a need the lead type who broke poorly, was slow to find his stride, and rushed wide around the first of three turns to push Abaan’s pace. The posted half-mile split. 49.56, was strong for this two-mile distance, and Loft’s position near the tail seemed fine. :: DRF has you covered! Get everything you need to win big on Belmont Stakes Day with a Winner's Package and get 41% off the retail price. Then the final turn came, and Starke found himself following Novo Sol, who ran out of gas shortly after hitting the bend and shuffled Loft back to last just as he was supposed to be obtaining contending position. “I wasn’t in a hurry early. I had a horse in front of me, he stopped running. It was the wrong horse to follow. I didn’t want to go so wide during the last corner, but that was the right thing to do,” said Starke. Coming four or five paths off the inside rail, Loft swooped past idling rivals and bore down on the leaders. Sustaining his run while turning athletically into the homestretch, he collared Strong Tide and won going away. “He made everything of no consequence and ran a good race,” Starke said. Winning time over firm going officially was 3:16.68. If correct, that was both a stakes and course record. Loft, the second choice, paid $7.40. Behind Strong Tide came Cibolian, Abaan, Box N Score, Outbox, and Novo Sol. Loft was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 96. Weiss became internationally known when he sent 80-1 shot Torquator Tasso out to win the 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Loft won’t be winning the Arc, though he has raced effectively over 1 1/2 miles, but he could turn into one of Europe’s better staying horses. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Join DRF Bets and get a $250 deposit match bonus, $10 free bet, and access to FREE DRF Formulator! By German stallion Adlerflug and out of Labrice, by Dubawi, Loft has been out of the money only twice in 11 races. Since being stretched to distances of 1 3/4 miles he has come seriously forward, and in his first two-mile try, he was an eye-catching winner of the Group 2 Oleander-Rennen last month at Hoppegarten. That race earned Loft automatic fees-paid entry into the Gold Cup, where he became the fifth straight European-trained winner. Weiss through an interpreter said there were no set plans for Loft. Staying horses typically hit their peak later than middle-distance runners. Loft already has turned into a very nice horse. The sky’s the limit.