Brad Cox

5th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:21 p.m. ET Split divisions of juvenile filly sprinters get the Saratoga baby race season underway on opening day Thursday, with this latter half appearing to be clearly the saltier spot on paper. Heads turned when a filly by thus-far unheralded freshman sire Valiant Minister hammered for $360,000--120 times the Bridlewood Farm resident's stud fee--at OBS April, but one viewing of OUTFOXED's breeze-show effort quickly explains why. The dark bay barreled through a powerful :20 4/5 quarter-mile work, sparking a bidding war that...

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), third in the GI Kentucky Derby and runner-up to Essential Quality (Tapit) when last seen in the GI Belmont S. June 5, was installed the 6-5 morning-line favorite and was assigned gate four in a field of seven sophomores for Saturday's $1-million GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park. Flavien Prat has the call for trainer Doug O'Neill. "I think it sets up perfectly for us," Greg Hahn, whose Roadrunner Racing campaigns Hot Rod Charlier in partnership with Boat Racing LLC, William Strauss and Gainesway Stable,...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Once again, Saratoga opens its world-renowned race meet with the question: How many? During the COVID-19 summer of 2020, the issue was whether there might be some loosening on the ban on spectators during the 40-day season. That never happened, though a limited number of owners were allowed to see their horses run, and some of the world's best Thoroughbreds played to a oh-so quiet empty house at America's oldest race track. With restrictions completely lifted in New York State in time for the 153rd season,...

With his horse's year having been rejuvenated with a powerful performance in the GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H., trainer Brad Cox is ready to tackle bigger and better things with stable star Knicks Go (Paynter). Cox said Wednesday that Knicks Go will race next Aug. 7 in Saratoga's GI Whitney S., a 'Win and You're In' to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "We always thought that the Whitney was the race we were going to point for this summer," Cox said. "We felt it was necessary to get a run...

7th-Ellis, $51,080, Msw, 7-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.05, ft, 1/2 length. PALM COTTAGE (f, 3, American Pharoah--Walkwithapurpose {MSW & GSP, $297,210}, by Candy Ride {Arg}), installed the 4-5 top choice in this first go, broke a step slow, but quickly put her self into a close-up third as Upandcomingstar (Into Mischief), prompted by Strong Silent (Wicked Strong), led through an opening quarter mile in :22.53. Hemmed in along the rail exiting the far turn, Palm Cottage swung out three wide turning for home, ground her way to the fore with...

Knicks Go (Paynter), a razor-sharp winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 7 and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 23, got back on track in a big way with a front-running, tour-de-force victory in Friday evening's GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. Fourth in both the $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 and GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 5, the 3-5 favorite cleared the field heading into the clubhouse turn in this return to his preferred two-turn trip. The 2018 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity hero carved...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 7th-ELP, $51K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, post time: 2:02 p.m. ET Some particularly well-bred and expensive sophomore fillies are set to debut Saturday at Ellis Park. Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stables and Spendthrift Farm's confidently named Upandcomingstar (Into Mischief) has been prepped for this by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. The $500,000 KEESEP yearling is out of 2010 GIII Azeri S. winner Freedom Star (Street Cry {Ire}). Larry Best's OXO Equine, meanwhile, will be represented by Brad Cox-trained Palm Cottage (American Pharoah). A $575,000...

1st-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-25, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.75, ft, head. INTERSTATEDAYDREAM (f, 2, Classic Empire--Babcock, by Uncle Mo) was backed down to 3-5 favoritism for this unveiling off a speedy string of works at Keeneland and Churchill Downs. The bay kept a close eye on the leaders from a two-wide third through a :22.95 first quarter. Wearing down the pacesetters in the lane, she was confronted by Miss Interpret (Street Sense) on her outside and the pair battled to the line with Interstatedaydream getting up by a head. She...

Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun (Into Mischief), who may yet be named this year's GI Kentucky Derby winner should Medina Spirit (Protonico) be disqualified, held off a determined Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) to kick off the second half of his sophomore campaign with a win in the TVG.com Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park Sunday. Sent off the 1-5 favorite while facing just four rivals, Mandaloun was squeezed back to last soon after the break and trailed the compact field as longshot Lugamo (Chitu) set a leisurely pace up front with Weyburn a...

Juddmonte homebred and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun (Into Mischief) tops a small field set for Sunday's TVG Pegasus S., the local prep for the $1-million GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth July 17. Opening his account with a pair of wins in Kentucky, the 'TDN Rising Star' was third as the 4-5 favorite in the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 16 and rebounded to win that venue's GII Risen Star S. Feb. 13. A puzzling sixth as the favorite in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20, Mandaloun got back...

GI Belmont S.-winning conditioner Brad Cox grabbed one more stakes win for the road Sunday as unbeaten Australasia rallied past rivals to earn a first black-type victory out of Louisiana-bred company. An 8 1/4-length MSW winner at Fair Grounds last November, the dark bay reeled off a pair of dominant stakes scores at Delta Downs before annexing the two-turn Crescent City Oaks back in NOLA Mar. 20. She picked up another big check when shortening up for a GI Kentucky Oaks day allowance at Churchill Apr. 30, but was facing...

Essential Quality (Tapit) got great marks from trainer Brad Cox the morning after the colt triumphed in a strong renewal of the GI Belmont S., and Cox said the Godolphin homebred will be pointed next to the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 28 at Saratoga. The Belmont victory marked the first Grade I win as a sophomore for last year's champion 2-year-old male and offered a measure of redemption for the gray, who was the beaten favorite when fourth in last month's GI Kentucky Derby, his first career defeat. "He...