SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Grey Wizard, second in the Belmont Gold Cup a year ago, went one position better Thursday, rallying from last under John Velazquez to get up in the final jump and win the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup by a head over Champagne Juan at Saratoga. The Gold Cup, over two miles on turf, was the featured event among four stakes and 10 races on opening day of the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival before an announced crowd of 22,072 at Saratoga Race Course. The event is being held at Saratoga while Belmont Park is undergoing renovation. Two years ago, on this corresponding card, the crowd at Belmont was 2,822. There was no racing on the Thursday of this week last year due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. In the 2023 Belmont Gold Cup, The Grey Wizard finished second, two lengths behind Siskany, who was back this year to defend his title. Thursday, Siskany raced in third, six lengths off the fast pace set by So High. Meanwhile, The Grey Wizard was last, 19 3/4 lengths behind after the first mile. Going into the clubhouse turn the last time, The Grey Wizard had to go wide. With a half-mile to go, the field began to bunch up as So High faded. Champagne Juan, saving ground along the inside under Joel Rosario, inherited the lead going into the far turn. Meanwhile, The Grey Wizard was beginning to launch a sustained, albeit wide, run. He came into the stretch quite wide but was able to run down Champagne Juan in the final jump and won despite taking the worst of the bob. Champagne Juan was a head better than Limited Liability. :: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more “He’s a little bit of a tough horse to watch, I was never sure he was going to get there to be honest,” winning trainer Graham Motion said. “This is what he wants to do, and he’s very good when he gets to do it.” Champagne Juan was vanned off after the race with an apparent issue to his right foreleg, trainer Christophe Clement said. The win had multiple meanings for the connections of The Grey Wizard. First, the Belmont Gold Cup is an automatic qualifier for the Melbourne Gold Cup to be run in November in Australia. Second, the win came two weeks after the passing of co-owner Al Frassetto, whose blue and gold silks with a diamond frame were worn by Velazquez. “He’s so passionate about international racing,” Motion said. “He would have loved this.” Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which has partnered on horses with Frassetto for 17 years, said Thursday’s victory was significant. “This was a pretty emotional and special victory in his honor,” Wellman said by phone from California. “Whether you believe in it or not, there had to be an angel on Johnny’s shoulder that last sixteenth of a mile. It was actually really cool. His family has a succession plan in place and his sons were there to lead him in today.” Wellman praised Velazquez for his ride, in which he had to make several different moves. “There are very few, if any, other jockeys in the world capable of getting that horse to win today,” Wellman said. Velazquez said he was watching jockey William Buick aboard Siskany, but Velazquez was behind horses and said he had to wait to get outside and make his run. “I saw at the three-eighths that Will wasn’t going anywhere and from there I knew he didn’t have anything,” Velazquez said. “I just wanted to get out and I finally did at the quarter pole and got home on time.” The Grey Wizard, a 5-year-old gelding by Caravaggio, earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for covering the two miles in 3:18.35. He returned $14.40. Champagne Juan, under Joel Rosario, inherited the lead at the half-mile pole when pacesetting So High tired. He ran hard for the final half-mile, bobbled three times in the stretch and came up just short. “When I went into the turn I thought it was only a one horse race,” Rosario said. “He went on and he did unbelievable, too bad we got caught the last part of it.” Rosario said he pulled Champagne Juan up on the gallop-out because “he wasn’t traveling the best.” Motion said he would take plenty of time before deciding whether to pursue the Melbourne Cup. “I’m huge about international racing, I love the idea,” Motion said. “It’s a huge undertaking to do that, but it’s nice to think about it.” :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save up to 52% on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more Ortiz cleared to ride Irad Ortiz Jr. appeared to escape serious injury after banging his foot in the starting gate prior to the start of race 5. Ortiz’s mount flipped in the gate and Ortiz banged his left foot on the gate. He was forced to miss his remaining mounts on the card and was taken to Saratoga Hospital for evaluation. X-rays and an MRI on Ortiz’s foot were negative and the five-time Eclipse Award winning rider is cleared to ride Friday at Saratoga. His agent, Steve Rushing, said Ortiz would see how he feels Friday morning before deciding whether or not to ride. * All-sources handle on Thursday’s 10-race card was $18,168,565. The previous record handle on a Thursday during Belmont Stakes week was $10,309,890 in 2017. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.