Month: February 2023

‘We’ve Got A Good Group Of Horses’: Brad Cox Will Try To Add To 3-Year-Old Arsenal In Rebel

Trainer Brad Cox bids for his seventh victory in a 2022-2023 Kentucky Derby points race in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Saturday at Oaklawn.

The 1 1/16-mile Rebel anchors as 12-race program that begins at noon (Central). The card also features the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles and the $150,000 Carousel Stakes for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs. Probable post time for the Rebel, the 11th race, is 5:23 p.m. (Central). The infield, weather permitting, will be open for the first time this season.

The Rebel will offer 100 points (50-20-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. The Rebel is the final major local prep for the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1. The 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby is Oaklawn's fourth and final Kentucky Derby points race.

The projected 11-horse Rebel field from the rail out:

  1. Verifying, Florent Geroux to ride, 122 pounds, 2-1 on the morning line;
  2. Powerful, Isaac Castillo, 117, 20-1;
  3. Red Route One, Cristian Torres, 117, 10-1;
  4. Gun Pilot, Ricardo Santana Jr., 122, 8-1;
  5. Giant Mischief, Irad Ortiz Jr., 117, 5-2;
  6. Reincarnate, John Velazquez, 122, 7-2;
  7. Confidence Game, James Graham, 119, 15-1;
  8. Talladega, Flavien Prat, 117, 30-1;
  9. Event Detail, Gerardo Corrales, 117, 30-1;
  10. Bourbon Bash, Mickaelle Michel, 117, 20-1; and
  11. Frosted Departure, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 20-1.

Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award winner (2020 and 2021) as the country's outstanding trainer, is scheduled to send out the top two program choices, Verifying and Giant Mischief, in search of his first Rebel victory and fifth victory in Oaklawn's last 11 Kentucky Derby points races.

Among Cox's six victories in 2022-2023 Kentucky Derby points races is the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 mile Jan. 1 at Oaklawn with Victory Formation. Smarty Jones runner-up Angel of Empire returned to win a Kentucky Derby points race, the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles, last Saturday at Fair Grounds. The week before, Cox struck in another 1 1/8-mile qualifying race, the $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, with Oaklawn entry-level allowance winner Hit Show.

“Look, we've got a good group of horses,” Cox said. “We kind of knew that a year-and-a half ago when we went to the Keeneland yearling sale shopping. Think we selected a very good group of horses and we were fortunate to be sent a lot of good horses as well. Look, we're in a good position. Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, between those two tracks, it gives us the opportunity to split some of these up and been able to send one up to New York as well. We'll continue to go down those avenues and hopefully these horses can continue to develop throughout the winter and into the spring.”

Verifying, a half-brother to champion and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Midnight Bisou, exits a powerful 5 ¼-length entry-level allowance victory at 1 mile Jan. 14 at Oaklawn in his 3-year-old debut. From the first crop of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Verifying's time of 1:37.23 was then a meet best and the race produced two next-out winners in Gun Pilot (second) and Two Eagles River (third).

“It looks like it was a key race,” Cox said. “Hopefully, he can move forward as well off that race. He certainly seems to have physically. He really seems to have developed over the last month or so. He's doing good. Little bit of a tough post, but good horses overcome posts and I'm hopeful and think that he's a good horse. So, we'll see how it goes.”

A $775,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, Verifying has four published workouts at Fair Grounds since his allowance victory. He will be ridden for the first time by Ortiz, honored four times with an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey.

Giant Mischief will be making his first start since finishing a troubled second in the $400,000 Remington Park Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 17 at Remington Park. A son of Into Mischief, Giant Mischief has won 2 of 3 starts after being purchased for $475,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Giant Mischief has worked five times this year at Fair Grounds in advance of the Rebel, which has been scheduled 3-year-old debut for two months.

“He's really doing well,” Cox said. “Happy with how he's training leading up (to the Rebel). I thought he ran a winning race last time. I'm hopeful and confident that he'll be able to get out of the gate and get himself a good position and he can handle the mile and a sixteenth.”

Lightly raced Gun Pilot (2 for 3) makes his stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. After winning his career debut on Churchill Downs' Nov. 26 “Stars of Tomorrow 2” program, Gun Pilot finished second to Verifying in his two-turn debut. Gun Pilot returned to beat Bourbon Bash by two lengths in an entry-level allowance at 1 mile Feb. 4 at Oaklawn.

Gun Pilot, a son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, received his early lessons in south Texas, at El Primero Training Center (run by Asmussen's parents, Keith and Marilyn), and races for his breeder, Three Chimneys Farm (Goncalo Torrealba). Three Chimneys stands Gun Runner.

“It's extremely promising,” Asmussen said. “A very nice homebred of Three Chimneys. Went to Laredo. Came out of there and dad was very high on the horse. Won first time out at Churchill. I think we were unfortunate for him to get stuck in quarantine (equine herpesvirus) at Churchill and just stay there 30 days past time to get out of there and I thought he really needed his first run here and move forward after it. Has trained well since the allowance win and we're going to jump off in the deep water of the Rebel.”

Asmussen is also scheduled to send out another son of Gun Runner, Red Route One, who exits a second-place finish behind unbeaten Arabian Knight in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 28. Red Route One fell far back early in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest before rallying to finish 5 ½ lengths behind Arabian Knight in Oaklawn's second Kentucky Derby points race.

“I thought he came out of it well,” Asmussen said. “His work back here over the racetrack was good. But obviously the way he finished up in the Southwest was encouraging.”

Reincarnate, from the first crop of champion Good Magic, has won his last two starts, including the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) at 1 mile Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. Reincarnate was recently transferred from Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the Rebel a record eight times, to another Southern California-based trainer, Tim Yakteen.

Horses trained by Baffert are ineligible to collect qualifying points, owing to a suspension by Churchill Downs. The suspension stems from Baffert's Medina Spirit being disqualified from his 2021 Kentucky Derby victory because of a medication violation. Yakteen is a former Baffert assistant.

Confidence Game finished third behind the Cox-trained Instant Coffee in the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 21 at Fair Grounds in his last start for trainer Keith Desormeaux. Frosted Departure won the inaugural $150,000 Renaissance Stakes for 2-year-olds at 6 furlongs Dec. 31 at Oaklawn for trainer Kenny McPeek before stretching out to finish third in the Southwest.

Bourbon Bash returns to stakes company after finishing second earlier this month behind Gun Pilot for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Bourbon Bash had made his previous five starts in stakes, including a third-place finish behind Frosted Departure and Two Eagles River in the Renaissance.

“We've got to get better,” Lukas said. “We've got to get a good trip and the horse has to improve. The whole thing has to improve. That's going to be a little bit rougher. The hill's getting steeper now and we've got to hope that the maturity is going to let him do better. We have to do better. We'd like to be on the board. If we're on the board, I'd call that a success at this point.”

Cox, with a victory Saturday, would join Baffert, Asmussen and Lukas as the only trainers to sweep Oaklawn's four-race series of Kentucky Derby points races.

The post ‘We’ve Got A Good Group Of Horses’: Brad Cox Will Try To Add To 3-Year-Old Arsenal In Rebel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Oaklawn: Honeybee Stakes Attracts 12 Fillies With Oaks Aspirations

An evenly matched field of 12 is entered in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn.

Probable post time for the Honeybee, the 10th of 12 races, is 4:43 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at noon. The card also features the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and the $150,000 Carousel Stakes for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs. The infield, weather permitting, will be open for the first time this season.

The projected Honeybee field from the rail out:

  1. Effortlesslyelgant, Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride, 117 pounds, 20-1 on the morning line;
  2. Towhead, Isaac Castillo, 122, 9-2;
  3. Grand Love, Joel Rosario, 117, 3-1;
  4. Gambling Girl, Irad Ortiz Jr., 117, 12-1;
  5. Condensation, Francisco Arrieta, 122, 12-1;
  6. Take Charge Briana, Mickaelle Michel, 117, 20-1;
  7. Wet Paint, Flavien Prat, 122, 7-2;
  8. Defining Purpose, David Cabrera, 119, 9-2;
  9. Boss Lady Bailey, Florent Geroux, 117, 12-1;
  10. Doudoudouwanadance, James Graham, 117, 20-1;
  11. Olivia Twist, Cristian Torres, 119, 15-1; and
  12. Taxed, Rafael Bejarano, 117, 15-1.

The Honeybee will offer 100 points (50-20-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. The Honeybee is Oaklawn's second of three points races for the Kentucky Oaks, a series that concludes with the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 1.

Honeybee program favorite Grand Love will be making her first start since finishing sixth, beaten six lengths by eventual Eclipse Award winner Wonder Wheel, in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 4 at Keeneland. The speedy Grand Love races for her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm (Goncalo Torrealba), and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who is seeking his record-tying sixth Honeybee victory.

“Talented filly,” Asmussen said. “Anxious to run her, get her 3-year-old year started.”

The Honeybee brings back Wet Paint, Taxed, Defining Purpose, Take Charge Briana and Olivia Twist, the 1-2-3-4-5 finishers, respectively, from the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28. The Martha Washington was Oaklawn's first Kentucky Oaks points race.

Wet Paint is perfect in two career starts on dirt for trainer Brad Cox. Both starts, including the Martha Washington, were over an off track.

“She's doing well,” Cox said. “She had a good work this weekend. Looks like a larger field. Hopefully, that will give her a good pace to run into. It looks the track could be wet. She doesn't seem to mind that. See how it goes. I'm excited about her.”

Taxed was beaten two lengths in the Martha Washington for trainer Randy Morse, who claimed the daughter of Grade 1 winner Collected for $50,000 Nov. 20 at Churchill Downs. Taxed, in her first start for Morse, finished fourth in the inaugural $150,000 Year's End Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 mile Dec. 31 at Oaklawn.

“If she'll go forward just a little bit more,” Morse said.

Defining Purpose was a 5 ¼-length winner of the Year's End, but weakened late as the even-money favorite in the Martha Washington.

“She wasn't as good as she is now,” said retired jockey Robby Albarado, who regularly gets on Defining Purpose in the morning for McPeek. “She's training a lot better now. Looking forward to that.”

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas won his record sixth Honeybee last year with heavily favored Secret Oath, who also captured the Kentucky Oaks and was one of three finalists for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly. Lukas will be represented Saturday by Take Charge Briana, who is seeking her first career stakes victory. Take Charge Briana was beaten 6 ½ lengths in the Martha Washington, her fifth consecutive stakes try. She also ran third in the Year's End.

“We keep looking for her to show her real form,” Lukas said. “She's training well enough to win that kind of a race. We just need her to step up and go for her 'A' game. Again, I keep looking for an improvement. Little bit immature, that filly is. Distance may help her. The extra sixteenth of a mile might help her.”

Towhead, trained by Mike Maker, bids for her third consecutive victory. She broke her maiden by 3 ¼ lengths at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 20 at Oaklawn in her last start.

Effortlesslyelgant exits a front-running 4 ¾-length maiden special weight victory sprinting for high-percentage trainer Norm Casse and prominent Arkansas owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. The Honeybee will mark just the third career start, and first around two turns, for Effortlesslyelgant, a daughter of Grade 1 winner Liam's Map.

“To me, this is a tough test,” Casse said. “We're jumping into the deep end of the pool. Skipping a condition; we're running her in a stake. All that being said, we're doing it while trying to route for the first time. But we've always felt like this filly was very, very talented. We've been excited about her from Day 1 and have always felt that she is a two-turn horse and here we are. Expecting her to run really well on Saturday.”

Shedaresthedevil, trained by Cox and co-owned by Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, also won the Honeybee and Kentucky Oaks in 2020.

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Letter To The Editor: Casse On Role Of Regulatory Veterinarian – Most Thankless And Important Job On The Track

To The Editor:

Regulatory veterinarians who check horses for soundness before a race have the most thankless job on the track, and maybe the most important one.

That's why I feel it's necessary to respond to the Carlos Vaccarezza letter to the editor concerning the vet scratch of his unraced filly, Royal Blood, from a Feb. 18 maiden race at Gulfstream Park. I'm not condemning Carlo in any way and hope that his filly makes it to the races and is successful.

How would you like to wake up every morning and know that decisions you have to make 40 or 50 times a day – in a minute or two and without a whole lot of data – can cost a horse its life and endanger its rider if you don't get it right. How many horses' lives and possibly the lives or health of jockeys have been saved by this procedure?

Are they always going to be 100 percent right? Probably not. But consider what they are dealing with and what they are trying to accomplish. Imagine what it's like to go to a trainer and tell them you're going to scratch his or her horse. And keep in mind how difficult filling these positions has become. It's a real struggle.

I average around 1,400 starts a year and probably 10 times a year we might have a vet scratch. Over the years, I would say 95 percent of those horses that were scratched we ended up having to give them time off after taking a closer look. They weren't perfect and benefited from the additional time.

The vets at Gulfstream Park scratched one of my horses out of a $1-million race on Pegasus World Cup day. I didn't agree with them 100 percent, but I saw where they were coming from and appreciated their concerns. It was fair.

Normally, if you question their decision, they'll bring in another vet for a second opinion and sometimes a third one. In our case on Pegasus day, they allowed our vet to be there during the inspection. I knew the horse quite well and it was not a new issue they were seeing, but I understood it was not worth the risk. The regulatory vets in South Florida have been nothing but professional in my experience.

I've looked at horses at 6:30 in the morning that were sound, but that same horse might not look so good at nine o'clock during a pre-race inspection. There are so many moving parts and things can change quickly.

California racing was ready to fall into the Pacific Ocean after the 2019 crisis of racing fatalities. The Stronach Group and California regulators significantly tightened pre-race and pre-training procedures, and because of those changes they are much stronger today. Not perfect – nothing is – but much improved.

These are horses' lives, these are people's lives, and this is our sport's life at stake. Safety of the horses and riders is the most important issue we face.

— Mark Casse

Ocala, Florida

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please send it to info @ paulickreport.com along with your name, home state, and relationship to horse racing (owner, fan, horseplayer, etc). We will request consent before publication. 

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