The Jockey Club Gold Cup is one of the most important races for older dirt horses in the United States. First run in 1919, the race has been won by many champions and remains a major late season test on the road to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup
The 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup is scheduled for Friday, September 18 at the new Belmont Park. The Grade 1 race carries a $1 million purse and will be contested over 1 1/4 miles on dirt for horses three years old and older.
The race headlines the first live racing program at the rebuilt Belmont Park. New York Racing Association lists the Jockey Club Gold Cup for 4:14 p.m. Eastern, with national television coverage scheduled on FOX.
The winner receives an automatic berth in the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, making the Gold Cup one of the most important remaining dirt races before the championship.
Updated 2026 field
The field is now down to five runners after Banishing and Chunk of Gold were withdrawn on September 15. Baeza remains in post 1, Stars and Stripes in post 2, Phileas Fogg in post 4, Render Judgment in post 6 and Forever Young in post 7.
Forever Young is the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and will make his first start since finishing second in the Dubai World Cup. He completed a five eighths work in 1:02.17 over the Belmont Park main track on September 15.
Phileas Fogg arrives after a 10 length Suburban victory at Saratoga over the same 1 1/4 mile distance. Baeza brings recent Grade 1 experience from the Whitney, while Stars and Stripes enters from a Birdstone victory.
Banishing will bypass Belmont with his connections considering the Lukas Classic or Ack Ack at Churchill Downs on September 26. Chunk of Gold will also skip the race and is expected to target the Lukas Classic.
Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty was not entered because of a foot abscess.
A race with more than a century of history
The Jockey Club Gold Cup was established in 1919 and quickly became a defining race for elite American dirt horses. Man o’ War won in 1920, and the list of later champions includes Hill Prince, Nashua, Sword Dancer, Buckpasser, Damascus, Forego, John Henry, Easy Goer, Cigar, Skip Away and Curlin.
Kelso owns one of the race’s greatest records. He won five consecutive editions from 1960 through 1964. Triple Crown winners Gallant Fox, Whirlaway, Citation and Affirmed also won the race during their careers.
Belmont Park and Saratoga
The Jockey Club Gold Cup was contested at Belmont Park from 1975 through 2020 before moving to Saratoga Race Course from 2021 through 2025. The 2026 edition brings the race back to Belmont as part of the opening program for the rebuilt facility.
That return gives the race an unusual role in 2026. It is both a historic championship event and the centerpiece of a new era for New York racing.
Recent winner
Antiquarian won the 2025 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. The victory was his first Grade 1 score and secured a Breeders’ Cup Classic berth.
Why the race matters
The Jockey Club Gold Cup sits late enough in the season to attract established older horses and ambitious three year olds, but early enough to serve as a final major preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Its 1 1/4 mile distance matches the Breeders’ Cup Classic distance, which makes performance in the Gold Cup especially useful when evaluating stamina, pace and championship form.
Follow the 2026 race
Read the latest field update in Forever Young Heads Five Horse Jockey Club Gold Cup Field at Belmont Park.
For venue context, visit the Belmont Park guide. For more championship context, visit the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Breeders’ Cup hub and the Major Races guide.
Official sources
New York Racing Association, Belmont Park notes for September 15
New York Racing Association, Belmont Park opening information