Gentlemans Club may not have been in the 2026 North America Cup conversation as the summer months waned last year, but back-to-back big miles at The Meadowlands in November earned him solid contender status for the prestigious event.
The Downbytheseaside colt out of the Breeders Crown-winning mare See You At Peelers started his career with consecutive victories, taking a non-winners-of-two event at Pocono Downs and a first-leg split of the Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) at Northfield Park, both in 1:54.3. After making an early break in his next OHSS appearance, Gentlemans Club returned to victory lane in the next leg with a 1:51.4 mile at Scioto Downs.
The $162,162 Lexington buy went winless for the rest of that series and took a month off, resurfacing in New Jersey at the end of October. After a place finish in his first start back, the colt notched a 1:50.2 score in a conditioned event at The Meadowlands. He then uncorked an identical clocking over a good surface as he made two moves to the lead and dug in down the lane to win the $470,423 Governor’s Cup over the likes of New York champion Fragment, International Stallion and Bluegrass Stakes winner Melillo and Kentucky champion Ubrute.
The colt, trained by Aaron Lambert and owned by Anthony Licastro of Eastern Creek, New South Wales, Australia, finished his rookie year with five wins and $335,511 in earnings in 10 starts.
“He had a little bit of bad luck, as far as a couple of times, and it’s not an easy circuit out there in Ohio, there are a lot of good horses out there, so you’ve got to have good luck,” said Lambert. “But I was just really happy with the way he ended out the year. I’ve always thought the horse was pretty good, so for him to get a nice win like that was good.”
Given a 20-1 billing in TROT Magazine’s 2026 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Gentlemans Club is set to make his Canadian debut in this weekend's N.A. Cup elims. He's prepped for his stiffest test to date against solid older company at The Big M and Pocono, most recently finishing second to Captain Luke in a 1:48.3 mile — race timed in 1:49 — on Saturday, May 30.
Trot Insider spoke with Lambert for an inside look at the colt.
Where did he winter and when did you start back with him?
“I turned him out at Andy and Julie Miller's there [in New Jersey], and they've done a great job with him. He came back looking like a million dollars, and we brought him back at the beginning of the year, and touch wood, he’s really been great so far. We’ve had no problems with him training down."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
“He’s definitely a bit bigger, a bit stronger. Apart from that, he's about the same as he always was. He's a colt, but you wouldn't know it. He's just a beautiful horse to be around.”
What does his tentative schedule look like after the North America Cup?
“We gave him a shot at the North America Cup, the Meadowlands Pace, there are your two bigger tracks. We staked him to the Ohio stuff, and if need be, we’ll go there too, but we thought we’ll give him a shot there in a couple of the bigger races and see how it shakes out.
“I didn't stake him to — not that he's a bad-gaited horse or anything like that — but we didn't really put him in any of the races on a half-mile track. So, no Little Brown Jug, no Messenger, none of that kind of stuff, just to try to keep him on the bigger track.”
What's his biggest asset/strength?
“He’s just got great manners, and the driver can do lots of things with him. And he's just got a big set of lungs. That's why he's just better on a bigger track, the more runway he has, the better he is.”
At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?
“You never really know until they get racing, but he always trained down like a really nice horse, he’s got a great demeanour about him, he’s super intelligent — he ticks a lot of boxes. But I think when he won in [1:51.4] at Scioto Downs, I thought then that he’s a horse that’s still got some improvement to do off that run, and if he’d keep going on a little bit from there on he’s going to be pretty good."
As someone who hasn't won this race before, how does it feel to have a horse that appears to have a legit shot at the North America Cup?
“It’s nice. I had raced in it before, years ago, I had a couple of horses entered. But it's nice to have a horse of that calibre in the stable, that's for sure."
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Gentlemans Club winning at The Meadowlands)