Brad Cox watched Saudi Crown finish second by the slimmest of margins in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes July 1 at Belmont Park – he still cringes at bit thinking about the replay – and started thinking about September in Philadelphia.
“I love how he's doing,” Cox said Thursday morning from Kentucky, two days before Saudi Crown runs in the Grade 1, $1 million betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing just outside Philly. “We've been pointing for this ever since he ran second at Belmont.”
The 7-2 second choice on the morning line set by Parx Director of Racing and Racing Secretary David Osojnak, Saudi Crown looks to improve off his second in the Dwyer and second in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy last time out at Saratoga Race Course. Cox considered another path to get to the nine-furlong Pennsylvania Derby, one direct through Parx, but took a different route.
“We didn't know how we were going to get there,” Cox said. “We thought we were going to take the Smarty Jones path, then back to the Pennsylvania Derby, but the way the Jim Dandy came up, we thought we'd take a run there and he ran well. Ran a winning race. Then came out of it in good order.”
Saudi Crown made all the pace in the Dwyer and Jim Dandy before losing both by a nose. The most recent came after a rough stretch run in the Jim Dandy, where Saudi Crown wasn't affected, as Forte got up in the final jump on a sloppy track.
Cox didn't seriously consider running Saudi Crown, a $240,000 purchase at last year's OBS April sale for FMQ Stables, back in four weeks in Saratoga's Travers. He preferred the eight-week gap between the Jim Dandy and Pennsylvania Derby.
“I'm hopeful he'll move forward now with some time between races,” Cox said. “Running back in four weeks would have been asking a lot of him. He ran huge (in the Jim Dandy), a great race.”
Saudi Crown earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in his last two starts – a 106 in the Dwyer and 105 in the Jim Dandy. The son of Always Dreaming holds that edge over his 10 rivals in the Pennsylvania Derby, with only 10-1 longshot Gilmore earning a triple-digit figure when he recorded a 104 when third in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont.
“Those are two serious numbers, and all of his numbers have been serious,” Cox said. “He's a good horse. A very good horse.”
The post Saudi Crown Ran ‘Two Serious Numbers’ In Preparation For Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
