Brad Cox

The white-hot Flavien Prat conjured up one final lunge from distant second favorite Fionn (Twirling Candy) and nabbed long-odds on choice Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) right on the wire to take out Saturday's $500,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It was the fifth victory on the program for the reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey. Opulent Restraint (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the break and stepped away to open a clear lead turning down the back from Totally Justified (Justify) and a three-wide Nitrogen, as Prat settled Fionn in the...

6th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-5, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.94, fm, 1 length. EMBRACE TIME (f, 2, Not This Time--Dontmesswithjoanne {SW, $180,638}, by Pioneerof the Nile), a firster from the Brad Cox barn, stood professionally in the gate for her debut. Kept under a tight hold early by Flavien Prat, she raced midpack on the outside as 7-2 Gorrono Ranch (War of Will) set the early pace. With Prat reserving Embrace Time while well off the :23.95 and :48.24 fractions, he finally gave the filly her cue on the turn. Fifth into...

Having been nothing less than spectacular in two prior starts, 'TDN Rising Star' Verifire (Authentic) took his step up to stakes company with aplomb, taking Sunday's closing day Maxfield Stakes at Churchill Downs. A $1-million OBS March purchase for Resolute Racing after selling for $260,000 at Keeneland the previous September, the son of Authentic debuted with a TDN Rising Star-earning 6 1/4-length victory at Colonial Mar. 15. Pounded down to 1-20 favoritism in his return, he rolled home a 6 1/2-length winner over next out winner Saxton (Mosler) in a...

1st-Churchill Downs, $117,975, Msw, 6-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:34.03, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. LEMON ZEST (f, 3, Nyquist--Larkin, by Bernardini) came into this second jump out of a live maiden on debut May 17 beneath these Twin Spires. The winner of that contest, Me and Molly McGee (Vekoma), won a first-level allowance at this venue June 22 after a prolonged duel and earned an 85 Beyer for the effort. The runner-up Spun Candy (Hard Spun) broke her maiden June 28--also at Churchill--and earned an 86 for her troubles while High...

With a fortunate spark of front-end speed, Serendipity (Street Sense) made every pole a winning one to take her first higher level race in the GIII Selene Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday. A former member of Brad Cox's shedrow, the filly won for that trainer in her debut going two turns on the grass at Gulfstream Park Mar. 23. Forced to run on the main track at the Big A May 9, the bay was a fading runner-up against optional claimers in her next start. Tabbed as the 5-2 second...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $118,987, Msw, 6-27, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.21, ft, 3 lengths. CHOPSTICKS (f, 2, Essential Quality--Miss Southern Miss {SW & GSP, $220,399}, by More Than Ready) got her picture taken at Churchill Downs on Friday afternoon and became the first winner for freshman sire Essential Quality (by Tapit). The 2-1 second choice here broke from one of the outside posts and vied for a spot midpack up the backstretch as a pair of speedsters went to town on each other. Chopsticks had plenty of pace to run into around...

2nd-Belmont The Big A, $92,000, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 6-27, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:34.40, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. HIGHLAND FALLS (h, 5, Curlin--Round Pond {MGISW, $1,998,700}, by Awesome Again) was last seen running ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in a stacked edition of the race, but had come into that contest off a victory two back Sept. 1 in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. Hammered at the windows here like he could not lose, the 1-5 favorite never gave them any reason to doubt in his...

Keeping his run of strong form going, heavily-favored 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) justified his 1-5 odds with a strong effort in the GIII Salvatore Mile at Monmouth Saturday. Never out of the exacta in ten lifetime starts, the son of Uncle Mo missed nearly his entire 4-year-old season but has come back just as good as a 5-year-old, racking up three straight wins including a last-out score on a muddy track at Aqueduct in the GIII Westchester Stakes May 4 which resulted in a career-best 102 Beyer...

'TDN Rising Star' Admiral Dennis (Constitution), a last-out rallying fourth in the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 8, sat much closer to the pace than usual and drew off in the stretch to salute at odds of 2-1 in Saturday's inaugural running of the Delaware Derby. He tracked favored Kentucky Outlaw (Outwork) from second, traveled nicely on the far turn to reach even terms and took care of business from there to win as much the best by 3 1/4 lengths. Admiral Dennis, an optional claiming winner at...

8th-Churchill Downs, $123,202, Alw, 6-13, (NW1X), 3yo/up, 1 1/2m (off turf), 2:31.72, sy, 14 1/2 lengths. EMERGENCE (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Belle Watling, by Pulpit) closed from well back in his Feb. 1 debut to graduate at first asking over Gulfstream's synthetic track by 3 1/4 lengths. Moved over to the grass two back Mar. 1 at that venue for the Listed Colonel Liam Stakes at a mile, he failed to produce that same kick and finished a flat eighth behind winner Mi Bago (Vekoma), who would just miss hitting the...

8th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f&m, 1mT, 4:22 p.m. ET. MO EXPECTATIONS (Uncle Mo) makes the races for the first time under the care of trainer Brad Cox. Stonestreet went to $1.15-million during the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale to acquire Havisham (Bernardini), who at the time was carrying their filly. Mo Expectations is a half-sister to Joel Politi's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress (Alteration). That dam's first registered foal--the stakes placed Invictus (Into Mischief)--is also a member of Cox's shedrow. TJCIS PPS

2nd-SA, 60K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 4:33 p.m. Baoma Corp went to $900,000 to acquire HIMIKA (Curlin) just two months ago at OBS April after the filly worked in a co-fastest :9.4. Bred by Klaravich Stables, she is the first foal out of stakes-placed Motivated Seller (Into Mischief), who set a new track record at Saratoga in 2021 going 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.48. Himika signaled her readiness with a near-bullet four-furlong work June 7 in :46 4/5 (2/74). TJCIS PPS 2nd-CD, 120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 5:29 p.m. First-crop...