ELMONT, N.Y. -- For 90 minutes on a warm, humid autumn afternoon, Belmont Park was the epicenter of the racing world. That's how it always used to be on the day they ran the Jockey Club Gold Cup, until the Breeders' Cup changed the game forever. Yet it was like old times Saturday as many of the best horses in the United States congregated for four consecutive Grade I stakes, their final tuneups for Oct. 25 at Santa Anita.

The Vosburgh for sprinters preceded two terrific grass races, the Flower Bowl for females and the Turf Classic for the boys. Then came the main event, the 85th Gold Cup, the race that used to crown the Horse of the Year before the Classic was invented in 1984.

As the sun began to dip over the nearby skyscrapers of Manhattan, the star of Mineshaft continued to rise far above every other horse pointing for the Classic or any other autumn stakes. In another stunningly easy runaway, the 4-year-old son of A.P. Indy made the connections of his four overmatched rivals wonder why they bothered to take him on.

"We're happy to be fourth," said Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains State Shinto. "I was very impressed with the winner. He's a great horse and he's great for our business."

With little encouragement from jockey Robby Albarado, Mineshaft ended the race midway on the turn, when he left Moon Ballad and Jerry Bailey behind. Moon Ballad faded to last while Mineshaft loped past pacesetter Quest, a 22-1 shot who hung on for second as the world's top dirt horse galloped away to a 4 1/4-length rout that could have been eight or 10.

"Today was very impressive," trainer Neil Howard said. "It's the Jockey Club Gold Cup -- I don't know what else to say."

The ease with which Mineshaft won was remarkable. If you could ignore the competition that appeared to be roller-skating in reverse, Mineshaft didn't ever appear to be extending himself. What might he do if he were really asked to cut loose?

"He was doing it so easy," Albarado said. "He was just in second gear there.

"Every race, he exceeds my expectations. Every time I ride him, I think that there can't be any more. And in every race, there is more and more."

Richard Migliore, who was third, eight lengths behind, on Evening Attire, said the winner's style disguises his quickness. "He runs fast and he runs hard," Migliore said. "People have this misunderstanding that if a horse isn't whipped, he's not running. Believe me, that horse was running.

"He's probably the best horse in the country right now."

Probably?

At odds of 2-5. Mineshaft capped an all-Grade I Pick 4 that returned a generous $122.50 that included wins by Ghostzapper ($8.20, Vosburgh); Dimitrova ($9.40, Flower Bowl) and Sulamani ($3.50, Turf Classic). At the top of the stretch in the Gold Cup, those tickets could have been cashed.

Mineshaft, a trim, dark bay, doesn't look like a world-beater in the paddock, where his leisurely demeanor wouldn't catch the eye of a casual observer. His past performances are something else, however, with six wins in his last seven races, including four Grade I's. His machinelike run of gigantic speed figures are reminiscent of the numbers Cigar cranked out during his record-tying, 16-race streak from 1994-96, and Mineshaft may be the best horse since Hall of Famers Cigar and Skip Away ruled the mid- and late '90s.

His time of 2:00.25 on a fast track was very impressive, considering he wasn't extended. His 10th win in 18 career starts was worth $600,000 and raised his career total to $2,283,344 for co-owners Will Farish and James Elkins.

Farish, the American Ambassador to the Court of St. James in England, left the door open to possibly skipping the Classic, for which Mineshaft would be odds-on. Even rich people don't pass up free money, but Farish wasn't guaranteeing his superstar would show up at Santa Anita.

"This has been our target," Farish said of the Gold Cup. "He's had a hard, hard campaign, and we'll see about [the Breeders' Cup]. This is a race I've wanted to win all my life, and it's a great, great thrill.

"I told Neil over the winter that this was the race I wanted to point for. This has always been a championship race. Of course, the Breeders' Cup now has come on, but this is a great, great race and really a test of champions."

Mineshaft has been in steady training since last November and has had nine races this year. However, his two-month break before his romp Sept. 6 in the Woodward may have been enough to keep him in high gear through the Breeders' Cup.

Howard, a notorious worrier, and Farish, a very conservative guy, typically wouldn't commit to the Classic. Even if he did skip it, he'd certainly be Horse of the Year. Still, it would be a shame if he wasn't there on racing's greatest day.

"We're going to sit down and see how the horse comes out of the race and assess the situation, just like we do after every race," Howard said. "Mr. Farish likes to sit down and watch the horse real close."

So does everybody in the sport.

"I'm not ruling anything out," Farish said. "This was a big day for us."

There's a better one coming out in California.