The aforementioned GI Kentucky Derby prep race has been his only victory in 2023, and in pairing with a nose runner-up effort in the GIII Indiana Derby July 8 to familiar foe GSW & MGISP Verifying (Justify), has been the only time the son of Violence has been on the board this year. The 6-1 distant third choice here for the cut back in distance behind that returning rival and the eventual runner-up, Raise Cain was content to stalk from fourth as a leading trio battled it out on the front. Riding the rail into the turn but moved to the outside at the five sixteenths pole, he was rolling in the six path with a full head of steam entering the lane. Locking horns with Dr. Venkman after catching him late in the stretch, he nailed that rival in the shadow of the wire by a head as Post Time (Frosted) rallied from last to round out the trifecta.

Watch the full replay as RAISE CAIN finds the wire first in the Perryville (L)! pic.twitter.com/qpCikFTyg5

— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 21, 2023

“I think it's probably what he wants to do. His only wins were around one turn. He got us to the (GI Kentucky) Derby and he's been such an over-achieving horse, he really deserved it,” said Ben Colebrook. “I think (jockey) Luis Saez made the difference. He rode him great. I mean, all the riders have ridden him well, but Luis gives you that just extra little bit. That's probably what we needed today.”

The first black-type runner for his dam, Raise Cain joins a trio of siblings to get their picture taken on the mare's tally. Lemon Belle, out of MGSW Queenie Belle (Bertrando)–making her a half-sister to GISW & MGISP Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), dam of two-time champion MGISW Unique Bella (Tapit)–has a 2-year-old Frostelle (Frosted) as well as a 2023 Constitution colt and visited red-hot Justify for 2024. This is the female family of Canadian staple MGISP Sir Sahib (Fort Larned). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

PERRYVILLE S., $235,188, Keeneland, 10-21, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.58, ft.
1–RAISE CAIN, 118, c, 3, by Violence
         1st Dam: Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid
         2nd Dam: Queenie Belle, by Bertrando
         3rd Dam: Lady Argyle, by Don B.
($180,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $65,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Andrew N. and Rania Warren; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ben Colebrook; J-Luis Saez. $153,063. Lifetime Record: GSW, 13-3-2-1, $577,066.
2–Dr. Venkman, 118, g, 3, Ghostzapper–Theory of Change, by Archarcharch. ($105,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Dan J. Agnew, Clint Bunch, Mark Cohen, and James Hailey; B-Ghostzapper Syndicate & Hidden Brook Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $39,500.
3–Post Time, 118, c, 3, Frosted–Vielsalm, by Fairbanks. ($85,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT). O-Hillwood Stable LLC; B-Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman & Milton P Higgins III (MD); T-Brittany T. Russell. $19,750.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 5HF. Odds: 6.44, 1.26, 7.42.
Also Ran: Loyal Company, Verifying, Confidence Game.

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“Nice and easy… finished well and galloped out well. Just what you're looking for,” said Colebrook. “He started out slow and then finished well.”

Colebrook, who will be saddling his first Kentucky Derby starter, plans to work Raise Cain next Thursday or Friday depending on weather before vanning to Churchill Downs May 1.

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6th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1mT, 4:02 p.m.
With Aqueduct's turf courses open for business during the month of April, it is time to head to the inner where SACRED RHYME (Mendelssohn) will be making his maiden voyage for the ownership group of Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Jonathan Poulin. This $310,000 KEESEP purchase is a half-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf victor Fire At Will (Declaration of War). Turf runs deeper here in the colt's dam Flirt (Kitten's Joy), who is out of Gamely Girl (Arch), responsible for GI Summer S. scorer Decorated Invader (Declaration of War, $617,823). Trained by Chad Brown and ridden from post two by Jose Ortiz, the bay colt will face another firster in John Oxley's TWIRLER (Twirling Candy). The $205,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling is trained by Bill Mott and will have the services of Kendrick Carmouche from post seven. TJCIS PPS

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This time around, Colebrook decided to avoid the tumultuous travel schedule altogether, ensuring that he would be on-site to watch both of his stable stars perform, as the pair of colts are pointed for Saturday's $1 million GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

While Colebrook said it would have been ideal to keep the two sophomores–who are both campaigned by Andrew and Rania Warren–separate for their final Kentucky Derby preps, he opted against shipping Raise Cain back to Aqueduct for the GII Wood Memorial S. and ultimately decided it would be best to remain at their home track.

Raise Cain has already proven himself at Keeneland. The son of Violence broke his maiden and ran third in the Bowman Mill S. there last fall and then trained at the Lexington oval throughout the winter. Following his 7 1/2-length score in the Gotham, where he earned a career-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure going from eleventh to first over a muddy Aqueduct track, the bay has put in two works at Keeneland, most recently going four furlongs in :47.80 on Mar. 30.

“He came out of the Gotham in good shape and he's had two nice works here,” Colebrook explained. “He's familiar with the surroundings and he's won here before, so he's coming into the race really well.”

Entering his first Grade I contest as the third choice with morning-line odds of 9/2, Raise Cain will break from post 10 in an 11-horse field with Joel Rosario aboard. Colebrook explained why he believes the race–and the post position–will favor the colt's closing running style.

“On paper it looks like there will be some pace and hopefully from that outside post [he can] just get over and work out a trip like he did in the Gotham where he can make that one run and sustain it. We're just looking for a good race and something to build off of to hopefully go on to Churchill.”

While Raise Cain has already secured 54 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, his stablemate Scoobie Quando will need a breakthrough performance on Saturday for a chance at making it to the Derby starting gate.

Unraced at two, Scoobie Quando was confidently placed for his winning debut in the Turfway Prevue S. in January. He ran second in his next two starts at Turfway, getting lost in the pack and making late moves in both races.

“He went all the way back to last at the top of the stretch and then he flew home,” Colebrook said of the colt's second-place effort 3 ½ lengths behind Congruent (Tapit) in the John Battaglia last time out. “Nothing against the winner, who ran a great race, but I think the margin would have been closer and it would have been a horse race had we gotten out earlier.”

Scoobie Quando was initially slated for the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks on Mar. 25, but a minor skin issue the morning of the race forced him to scratch. While Colebrook considered running the son of Uncle Mo in the GIII Lexington S. on April 15, he ultimately decided that the timing of the Blue Grass would be the ideal setup for a Derby bid.

That initial setback from the Jeff Ruby scratch may have proven to be a blessing in disguise as Colebrook said that Scoobie Quando seems to have taken to the main track as he prepares for his dirt debut. The colt breezed a sharp five furlongs in :59.80 (1/13) over the Keeneland main track on Mar. 30.

“We worked him very aggressive on the dirt and he worked really, really well,” Colebrook noted. “[Jockey] Luan Machado was on him and thought he got over the dirt surface better than the Tapeta. So Scoobie over the dirt is a little bit of an unknown, but in the mornings he certainly seems like he really relishes the track.”

'Scoobie' may be the less experienced of Colebrook's two Blue Grass contender, but the trainer spoke highly of both horses.

“They're both very quality horses,” he said. “I think Scoobie has always shown a little bit more brilliance in his works. Raise Cain has always been kind of workman-like and does everything you ask of him. He was one that when you ran him first time, he didn't even know what was going on because he was so relaxed. He's just very reliable. Scoobie has certainly done nothing wrong so far, but he's just a little more inexperienced at this stage because he got a later start.”

A native of Central Kentucky, Colebrook grew up attending the Keeneland race meet with his father. The horseman is now in his eleventh year of training and Keeneland has become the setting for some of his best achievements. He saddled his first winner there in 2013, scored his first graded stakes win with Sparking Review in the GIII Pin Oak Valley View (Lemon Drop Kid) a year later, and celebrated his first career Grade I victory with Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity in 2018. This weekend, he hopes to add another 'first' to the list as he saddles his first two runners for the famed track's premier Derby prep race.

“This will be my first time with a runner in the Blue Grass and to have two in it is crazier,” he said. “It's a dream come true just to have a horse that's good enough to run in the Blue Grass because I grew up watching the Blue Grass as a kid. It's one of the biggest preps for the Derby and it's here at our home track so it's a big deal to even be in the race. We're super proud of that and hopefully they both can give a good account of themselves, which I think they will.”

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Raise Cain had his first work since the Gotham when going four furlongs in :49.00 (1/3) at Keeneland Mar. 22.

“He's been training great and put on weight,” said Colebrook. “He'll breeze again [Thursday] at Keeneland. I think he really gets it now and now he's confident and feeling good. I think he's sitting on a big race wherever we go. It's exciting.”

Colebrook continued, “I don't think the Blue Grass will be a full field and it's one of those things where if we can run in our own backyard, it will take a strong reason for us to go to the Wood. But, it could still happen if something changes with defections and it's still on our radar. We're taking it day by day.”

Two horses who finished behind Raise Cain with troubled trips in the Gotham are expected to line up fo rthe Apr. 8 GII Wood Memorial.

Victoria's Ranch's Mr. Swagger (Maclean's Music), sixth over a muddy and sealed main track in the Gotham, is expected to return to Aqueduct for the Wood.

A maiden winner in his 6 1/2-furlong debut at Aqueduct Jan. 28, the Juan Avila trainee was making just his second career start in the one-mile Gotham. He worked six furlongs in 1:19.47 (1/2) over a muddy Parx surface Saturday.

“He's perfect,” Avila said. “He went easy and strong and finished up very nice. We are ready for the Wood Memorial and I think he's ready for a nice race.”

Mr. Swagger, who added blinkers when exiting post three in the Gotham, was bumped at the break and prompted the pace from fourth position at the half-mile call, but failed to fire after saving ground through the turn.

“In the Gotham, I said to Carlos [Olivero] that I want to see Mr. Swagger be in last place, but he was much closer,” Avila said. “Hopefully, this time he can stay back.”

Avila said Mr. Swagger will keep the blinkers on for the Wood Memorial.

Also expected in the Wood Memorial line-up is Cypress Creek Equine's Clear the Air (Ransom the Moon), who maintained rail-skimming position from seventh in the Gotham before going four wide in upper stretch and checking around the three-sixteenths pole. He continued to find more down the lane and finished 10 3/4 lengths in arrears of the victorious Raise Cain.

“It wasn't really what we drew up on paper going into it,” trainer Will Walden admitted. “I know when you get a bunch of horses running around in the slop, it almost never goes according to plan. Raise Cain got some momentum. He went inside and we went outside. The hole we were going for closed at the three sixteenths. When you get fully stopped on a big horse, it can be hard to re-rally. But he started picking off horses and started to get going. But by that time, it was too late in the game. If he doesn't get stopped, I think he ends up second or third.”

A maiden winner going six furlongs at Turfway in January, Clear the Air was a troubled fourth in a one-mile optional claimer at Turfway Feb. 11 before his Gotham effort. He worked four furlongs in :48.00 (3/77) at Turfway Saturday.

“He's a big, long stretchy horse and he's very efficient,” Walden said. “The way he breezes and gallops out, he looks like a two-turn horse. He also did run two turns at Turfway going a mile. That was again a horrible trip. He never got out of cover until well inside the sixteenth pole. But the two turns that day never seemed to be an issue. He looked loaded the whole time.”

Walden said he expects to see continued improvement in his charge.

“He won't officially be a 3-year-old until May 5,” Walden said. “I've felt all along that this horse has all the talent in the world. I believe he has graded-stakes type of potential. I don't know exactly when the lightbulb will fully go off. He's still big and green, but if things go right for him, he can put it together. It wouldn't shock me if he went up there and ran really big.”

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Last week two of his horses ran in the money on Wednesday, then another made it to the winner's circle on Thursday, and on Saturday he and his wife Rania celebrated their first graded stakes win with Raise Cain (Violence) in the GIII Gotham S. The weekend wrapped up with a pair of runner-up efforts from Scoobie Quando (Uncle Mo) in the John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway and Wizard of Westwood (Tu Brutus {Chi}) in the Baffle S. on the turf at Santa Anita.

All this from someone who got into racing with the intention of owning just one horse.

Warren grew up attending the races with his parents William and Suzanne Warren, who have campaigned a number of graded stakes winners led by GI Breeders' Cup Classic victor and 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam and 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner City of Light.

When City of Light retired to stud, Warren started to think about getting involved in the sport himself.

“I was intrigued by the breeding aspect of the game and how horses could sell for astronomical prices at the sales,” Warren said. “I wanted to buy one filly, race her, and then breed her to City of Light and get a really nice foal.”

After enlisting the help of City of Light's trainer Michael McCarthy, Warren attended the 2019 OBS March Sale wielding a list of sires that might nick well with the new stallion. But buying one filly quickly led to the purchase of another, and six months later he was at the Keeneland September Sale looking at colts.

“The plan changed a bit and I ended up buying a few more horses than I anticipated,” he said with a laugh. “I became intrigued with the talent selection process and with trying to find that needle in the haystack.”

Warren wasn't too far into his foray in the industry when he landed on what would eventually become that first graded stakes winner. He picked out a Violence colt from the Warrendale Sales consignment for $180,000.

“I've had a handful of horses by Violence and they've shown good flashes of ability for me,” Warren said. “On his female side, having Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song) in there is pretty impressive. I have advisors helping me look at them and after you vet them if they still look good, you feel pretty good. All the stars have to align for you to want to be spending money on a horse because you're gambling at a high stakes.”

The Warren family | courtesy Andrew Warren

As Raise Cain was training as a 2-year-old with Eisaman Equine, Warren was starting to feel disheartened when his first few purchases hadn't turned out to be as productive on the racetrack as hoped. He decided to send a few of his 2-year-olds through the ring at the OBS June Sale.

“I was weary about how maybe I needed to cut down on how much I was into this,” Warren recalled. “I didn't go in with the mindset to pinhook, but when I've felt like my stable has gotten too big, I've tried to reduce at the 2-year-old sales to come back with the appropriate amount of risk that I want to be taking.”

Despite improving steadily at a juvenile, Raise Cain went through the ring unsold for $65,000. Warren decided to stick with his original plan and he sent the colt on to Ben Colebrook.

Raise Cain broke his maiden last fall at Keeneland and then placed in two stakes as a juvenile.

Warren was cheering from his home in Oklahoma as Raise Cain closed down the stretch in the Gotham to win by 7 ½ lengths at odds of 23-1, earning 50 points on the Kentucky Derby trail.

“I had kind of pushed for this race, for him to get into a stake, and when he was 30-1 morning line I knew we were in the deep end of the pool,” he admitted. “I knew he had a lot of ability and I knew it was within him to perform like that, but I didn't want to get too high on him because you can get humbled pretty quickly in this game.”

While Warren said he was disappointed that he couldn't make the race in person, he explained that it was just as meaningful to watch the victory at home with his father. The younger Warren works alongside his father in their family's Tulsa-based oil and gas exploration and production company.

Warren echoed what Colebrook has already indicated concerning Raise Cain's next start. The GI Blue Grass S. at his home track or the GII Wood Memorial S. back at Aqueduct are their top two considerations.

Meanwhile, Warren has another potential Kentucky Derby contender in Scoobie Quando. The son of Uncle Mo graduated on debut early this year in the Turfway Preview S. and made his third career start in the John Battaglia Memorial S. last Saturday. After getting stuck behind a wall of horses, Scoobie Quando was able to make a late run to finish second, earning eight points on the Derby trail.

Purchased by Warren for $160,000 as a yearling, Scoobie Quando was yet another OBS June pinhook attempt, but the colt failed to reach his reserve at $125,000.

“He had value and was a nice horse, but had some chips that needed to be removed,” Warren recalled. “People at the 2-year-old sales weren't giving money for horses that would probably need surgery, so we thought we would do the surgery and see how it works out.”

Now with two good shots at making it to the Kentucky Derby with horses that went through the ring unsold as juveniles, Warren said the colts' achievements this year have been reassurance that he is taking the right steps in the game.

“I was pretty excited just to have the two horses in those races last weekend,” he noted. “It's definitely incredibly fortunate that they have both developed this way and have come along like they have because I've had quite a few over the past couple of years that didn't develop and go the way I wanted them to go. To be able to finally have a little fruit from the labor is pretty unbelievable.”

While the majority of the horses in Warren's 30-some strong stable are with Ben Colebrook, he also has horses in California with Michael McCarthy and several others with Bret Calhoun, Anthony Farrior and Barbara Minshall.

Warren said the most exciting part of his journey in racing so far has been enjoying the ride with his family. He shared that his wife, Rania, follows their stable as much as he does, and now that their daughter has turned three, they hope to be able to travel and attend more races in person.

Warren has been to the Kentucky Derby twice to cheer on his parents' horses. In 2008 their colt Denis of Cork (Harlan's Holiday) finished third.

“I remember going both times that they had a horse running and it was an unbelievable experience,” Warren said. “To be able to go to the Derby would be beyond exciting, very emotional, and a thrill for everyone. It would be incredible to share the experience with my friends and family, but to be able to share it with my dad would be very special.”

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“We're based at Keeneland and if it wasn't for that, the Wood would be circled. I guess we'll just sit back and see how the nominations are,” Colebrook said. “If one is significantly easier than the other, that would change our thinking. If you don't have to ship, why do it? But the Blue Grass could come up significantly tougher. In which case, we would go to the Wood.”

Colebrook had a quick turnaround Saturday. The Gotham field left the gate at 5:01 p.m. and the trainer was back in Kentucky in time to saddle Scoobie Quando (Uncle Mo)–owned by the same connections–to a runner-up effort in the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, which went off at 9:29 p.m.

“Luckily, it worked out. Going to JFK you pass the chute, so I got the Uber driver to stop and I watched them run down the backside,” Colebrook said. “I switched on to my phone and watched the rest of the race, so I got to the airport in plenty of time, luckily. The plane was on time, so I made it to Turfway as they were walking over to saddle, so everything worked out. I didn't really consider doing that until the overnights came out and they carded that race late at Turfway. So, I figured why not try it? I always really liked Scoobie, so I wanted to be there for that race.”

Scoobie Quando, who graduated on debut in the Jan. 7 Turfway Preview S. and was making his third lifetime start in the Battaglia, was behind a wall of horses late in the turn before angling out and rallying to finish second in the 1 1/16-mile test. He earned eight points on the Derby trail and could make his next start in the Mar. 25 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, which is a 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier.

“The timing isn't great, but he didn't really get to run last night. I don't think it was a tough race, so I'm leaning towards the Jeff Ruby,” Colebrook said. “If the race took a lot out of him, we would probably skip it and look for something on the dirt or the turf with him, eventually. When I had him on the main track at Keeneland, he worked really well on it. I still think the dirt is within his wheelhouse. But if not, we have synthetic and turf to fall back on. The way he ran last night, we have to at least consider the Ruby.”

Trainer Brad Cox said the Wood Memorial was the next likely start for Gotham runner-up Slip Mahoney (Arrogate). The gray colt, who was coming off a maiden-breaking score at Aqueduct Jan. 21, broke a step slow from post 10 in the 14-horse Gotham field and trailed in 13th through the first half-mile. He improved to eighth at the top of the stretch while racing eight wide in pursuit of stablemate Eyeing Clover (Lookin At Lucky) and Raise Cain, who made an inside rally from 11th and showed an impressive turn of foot down the center lane under Jose Lezcano. Slip Mahoney gained with each stride down the stretch and surged past Eyeing Clover, but could not collar Raise Cain.

“Overall, I thought for the first time facing winners, it was a positive race,” Cox said. “I never expected him to be that far back. Hopefully he gets a little better trip and a little better position in the Wood.”

Eyeing Clover, who came into his stakes debut off a dominant six-furlong optional-claiming victory at Fair Grounds Jan. 28, finished fourth in the Gotham.

“I'm not sure what we're going to do with him yet,” Cox said. “I'm not certain how far he wants to go, so we'll just regroup and come up with a game plan here in the near future.”

Imaginary Stables' Howgreatisnate (Speightster) arrived home to Fair Hill in good order after stumbling at the start of the Gotham. The bay gelding was unbeaten in four starts, including a win in the Future Stars S. at Parx in December, heading into the Gotham, but saw his streak end as the gates opened when he unseated jockey J.D. Acosta and completed the course before being collared by the outrider.

“He was fresh and a little too eager and he outbroke himself coming out of the gate. He pushed so hard, his front feet went underneath him and he just went down,” trainer Andrew Simoff said. “He came out OK. He got a little scrape on his pastern and we're keeping an eye on it, but other than that he looks good. If he's good in the next two or three days and there's no issues or inflammation, I'll look to run him right back.”

Of possible next starts for Howgreatisnate, Simoff said, “If he had run fifth or sixth yesterday, I could deal with it and say he's not what we thought. We were trying to get a line on him to see if he could compete with the bigger horses. Now that I didn't get that opportunity, it's hard to figure out what to do next. Had he run second or third, the Wood would be a no brainer.”

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California invader Carmel Road (Quality Road) set a pressured pace heading into the far turn as the riderless and previously unbeaten Howgreatisnate (Speightster) made for some tense moments leading the big field of 14 after stumbling and tossing jockey J. D. Acosta at the start.

Raise Cain, meanwhile, raced toward the rear through fast fractions of :22.52 and :45.53, and somehow worked his way to the rail from a high draw. He was checked and altered course to the outside as he began to roll leaving the quarter pole and exploded down the center of the stretch beneath Jose Lezcano to win as much the best while matching strides late with the aforementioned loose horse. It was 7 1/2 lengths back to Slip Mahoney (Arrogate) in second. Longshot General Banker (Central Banker) was third.

Raise Cain picks up 50 GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the victory.

Raise Cain, a sharp winner at second asking at Keeneland Oct. 9, took on stakes company in his next three attempts. He finished third in the Bowman Mill S. at Keeneland Oct. 29, second in the Gun Runner S. trying two turns for the first time at Fair Grounds Dec. 26 and fifth over the all-weather in Turfway's Leonatus S. last time Jan. 21.

“He finally had some pace to run into, and I think that's what he's been missing to be honest,” winning trainer Ben Colebrook said. “He never really had any pace to close into except in his maiden win. I don't know that it's necessarily one turn that he needs, but I definitely think pace to close into is what he needs because he's such a relaxed horse and he can make that one big run like he did today. More credit goes to Jose [Lezcano] for the ride. It was just a phenomenal ride.

He continued, “He's bred to go longer and if he were to go on to the Derby, you usually get plenty of pace in there. I think more than anything pace is what he needs. He's never run a bad race. We're nominated to the Blue Grass [at Keeneland] and we'll nominate to the Wood Memorial. It'll probably be one of those two races and we'll see how it plays out and go to whichever race looks like the best option.”

Pedigree Notes:

It's an embarrassment of riches for Hill 'n' Dale sire Violence on this year's Kentucky Derby trail, as Raise Cain joins Violence's champion Forte on the narrowing path to the first Saturday in May. Forte added Gulfstream's GII Fountain of Youth S. to his CV less than an hour after Raise Cain's Gotham victory Saturday. With the addition of Raise Cain, Violence makes it 31 black-type winners and nine graded winners for his Northern Hemisphere-breds. Raise Cain is also one of 92 stakes winners as a broodmare sire for Lane's End pensioner Lemon Drop Kid.

The 13-year-old Lemon Belle is out of 2001 GII Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup winner Queenie Belle, making her a half-sister to 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner and $3.8-million Keeneland November broodmare Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), also dam of two-time champion Unique Bella (Tapit). The family traces tail-female to extraordinary English turn-of-the-century racemare Pretty Polly (GB) (Gallinule {GB}), who later turned into an influential broodmare through her daughters.

Raise Cain is Lemon Belle's first stakes winner. She also has a 2-year-old colt by Frosted, who hammered for $12,000 to Laura Kelton at last year's Keeneland September sale, and delivered a Constitution colt Feb. 21. Her most recent trip through the sales ring was at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, where she brought $285,000 from Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds–Raise Cain's breeder–while carrying a full-brother to Raise Cain, since named Nasty Habit and who remains unraced.

Saturday, Aqueduct Racetrack
GOTHAM S.-GIII, $300,000, Aqueduct, 3-4, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.09, my.
1–RAISE CAIN, 118, c, 3, by Violence
1st Dam: Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Queenie Belle, by Bertrando
3rd Dam: Lady Argyle, by Don B.
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($180,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP; $65,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Warren,
Andrew N. and Warren, Rania; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds,
LLC (KY); T-Ben Colebrook; J-Jose Lezcano. $165,000. Lifetime
Record: 6-2-1-1, $268,578. Click for the free Equineline.com
catalog-style pedigree.
2–Slip Mahoney, 118, c, 3, Arrogate–Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($150,000 Ylg '21
KEESEP). O-Gold Square LLC; B-Hill 'N' Dale Equine Holdings,
Inc. & Philip J. Steinberg (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $60,000.
3–General Banker, 118, c, 3, Central Banker–Elusive Jozi, by
Johannesburg. O-Seacoast Thoroughbreds of N. E.; B-Seacoast
Thoroughbreds of New England (NY); T-James W. Ferraro.
$36,000.
Margins: 7HF, 1HF, NO. Odds: 23.50, 6.20, 30.00.
Also Ran: Eyeing Clover, Clear the Air, Mr. Swagger, Lugan Knight, Carmel Road, Radio Red, Transect, Recruiter, Uncorrelated, Clubhouse, Howgreatisnate. Scratched: Fort Warren. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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The 6-year-old daughter of Verrazano is now slated for retirement after getting her first stakes victory in the six-furlong race over Joy's Rocket. Ain't No Elmers finished third. Li'l Tootsie, the 2-1 favorite, finished sixth.

“The trainer told me to just try not to get into trouble,” said jockey David Cabrera of the instructions sent by Kentucky-based trainer Ben Colebrook. “Once I got her sitting comfortable, she was just relaxed, so I knew they were going to have a tough time catching us.”

Miss Mosaic brings a glittering pedigree to the breeding shed, joining two siblings with stakes wins on their resumes, including Miss Temple City a multiple Grade 1-winner. The victory snapped a three-race string of second-place finishes including a runner-up performance in the Mrs. Claus Stakes at Parx Racing last month.

“It's an amazing story,” said winning owner/breeder Aaron Jutte, who noted the mare will now be bred to top sire Tapit. “We had a lot of trouble with her, Miss Mosaic, in her early career and gave her a bunch of time off. As a single owner, you don't have to worry about partners at that point, so you can give her all the time off in the world you want. Just like 2-year-old stuff and so we just gave her, basically, her 2-year-old and halfway through her 3-year-old career off. She didn't make a start until she was at the end of her 3-year-old career.”

The filly Sarah Harper set the pace but gave way at the top of the stretch to Miss Mosaic. The field chased her home as she finished in 1:10 3/5 over a fast track. She returned $16.80, $8.20 and $5.40 at odds of 7-1.

Racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first post.

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That gray blur Saturday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., was the Cox-trained Knicks Go carrying his dazzling speed to a 2 3/4-length victory over Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit in the $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

“It means a lot to show up on this stage at the Breeders' Cup; it's the world's stage,” said Cox, a graduate of Iroquois High School in Louisville's South End who grew up a couple of furlongs from Churchill Downs' backstretch. “We saw that this week with so many Euros and horses from Japan and now an ownership based out of Korea with an American horse winning the Classic.

“There are a lot of things we want to accomplish at the Derby, the Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup, and this was one was very, very high on our list of races we wanted to win. We capped it off, but we would like to win it again as well.”

Cox also finished third in the Classic with Essential Quality, the Belmont and Travers Stakes winner who was making his last start before going to stud at owner Godolphin's Jonabell Farm in Lexington.

Knicks Go, running 1 1/4 miles for the first time, came home the final quarter-mile in a sensational :24.29 to complete matters in 1:59.57, not far off Candy Ride's 1:59.11 in 2003.

“He just took off again,” said jockey Joel Rosario. “He just like keeps going with the speed he has, and at the mile and a quarter he was amazing.”

The ascent of Cox — a multiple-times leading trainer at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Ellis Park— to the top ranks of horse racing also is amazing.

Since Monomoy Girl became his first Grade 1 winner and first champion in 2018, Cox has powered to eight Breeders' Cup victories to put him in a tie for ninth all-time with Britain's Sir Michael Stoute and Steve Asmussen. D. Wayne Lukas leads the way with 20, followed by Bob Baffert (18), Chad Brown (15), Aidan O'Brien (13), Todd Pletcher (12), Bill Mott (10), and Richard Mandella and Shug McGaughey (nine).

Knicks Go was foaled in Maryland, is owned by the Korea Racing Authority and has raced all over America as well as Saudi Arabia, with Del Mar being his 14th racetrack. At $8,673,135, he has paid back the KRA's $87,000 tenfold.

But his racing career began with a victory at Ellis Park on July 4, 2018. Then trained by Lexington-based Ben Colebrook, Knicks Go also won Keeneland's G1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at 70-1 and took second at 40-1 odds in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

Knicks Go was sent to Cox after a 3-year-old season that included finishing second by a half-length to Gray Magician in the 2019 Ellis Park Derby. He sped to a 3-for-3 record for his new barn at age 4, capped by a romp in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, part of Cox's Cup quartet at Keeneland. In seven 2021 races at seven tracks, he has lost only twice, those being the Metropolitan Mile and Saudi Cup with one-turn configurations.

If Knicks Go didn't race at Ellis Park this year, he certainly was a visiting dignitary, with Cox sending him to the Pea Patch to train under the oversight of assistant trainer Jorje Abrego between a 10 1/4-length win in Iowa's G3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker and a 4 1/2-length tour de force in Saratoga's prestigious Whitney. As with Iowa, Cox similarly took a path of lesser resistance before the Breeders' Cup by running Knicks Go in Churchill Downs' G3 Lukas Classic.

Cox now has trained 10 different Grade 1-winning horses, with Knicks Go virtually assured of being his fifth to win at least one championship as the overwhelming favorite to be voted Horse of the Year and top older male. Essential Quality, last year's 2-year-old champion, makes a strong case as leading 3-year-old, though Medina Spirit will have a lot of support as well.

Cox, who also finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with Ellis Park maiden and Keeneland's G1 Darley Alcibiades winner JuJu's Map, is well-poised to repeat as Eclipse Award-winning trainer. His barn's earnings lead North America at $29.18 million while the Classic was Cox's 229th win of the year, ranking No. 4. In addition to Essential Quality's Belmont Stakes being his first Triple Crown victory, Cox will also become the Kentucky Derby-winning trainer with Mandaloun should Medina Spirit be disqualified for a medication infraction.

Knicks Go could follow the path of Gun Runner, the Asmussen-trained 2017 Classic winner the first time the Breeders' Cup was at Del Mar, and race one more time in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Knicks Go, who won the Pegasus in January to start his season, ultimately will head to Taylor Made Farm in Jessamine County, Ky., to begin a stallion career.

“I think he's got everything it takes to be a stallion,” Cox said. “He was a Grade 1 winner at 2, and obviously Ben Colebrook was responsible for that. He did a great job with him. He was a Grade 1 winner at 4, 5. He's traveled around the world and he's a very tough, durable horse. He's extremely sound. And I think we're in a day and age where horses go to stud so early, and he's a little bit of a throwback horse in that he's raced at 4 and 5 and raced as much as he has. So very proud of what he has accomplished this year and ending last year and hopefully he'll pass it on as a stallion.”

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