brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

More Than Ready Filly ‘Rock’ Solid in Matron

Bubble Rock ran to the money and earned her black-type badge with a decisive victory in the GII Matron S. at Belmont. Runner-up to the re-opposing Lady Danae (Klimt) on debut sprinting on the Saratoga lawn Aug. 13, she broke through next out with a 3 1/4-length graduation over that course and distance Sept. 3. Favored to repeat in this step up in class, the dark bay ran two wide in a joint fourth through a swift first quarter. Ranging up three wide turning for home, Bubble Rock tugged her way clear late to score. Gal In A Rush closed resolutely for second.

“She's progressed a lot mentally,” said trainer Brad Cox's assistant Dustin Dugas. “She's been a very nervous filly to work with and she's kind of taken some time. She's really progressed mentally and physically she's a very big, good-looking filly and moves great.”

“She's nice. Last time she won and finished well, too,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz. “I just did the same thing today. I waited for my time to go and when I asked her, she finished up really strong again. She's got a really good size to her and she always finishes well, so I think she'll be alright.”

Pedigree Notes:

Bubble Rock is the 96th graded winner and 211th black-type scorer for the timeless More Than Ready. The filly is also the 92nd graded victress and 170th black-type winner out of a daughter of the late, great Giant's Causeway. She is bred on the same More Than Ready/Giant's Causeway cross as MGISWs Verrazano and Say the Word. The winner's dam Reef Point's most recent produce is a yearling colt by Candy Ride (Arg). She aborted her 2021 foal and was bred to Twirling Candy this spring. Bubble Rock's second dam GSW Dixie City (Dixie Union) is also responsible for Korean champion sprinter Blue Chipper (Tiznow). This is also the family of MGSW & GISP young sire Unified (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Saturday, Belmont
MATRON S.-GIII, $150,000, Belmont, 10-9, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:08.01, fm.
1–BUBBLE ROCK, 120, f, 2, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Reef Point, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Dixie City, by Dixie Union
3rd Dam: City Sister, by Carson City
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Shortleaf
Stable, Inc.; B-Shortleaf Stable (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Irad Ortiz,
Jr. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $157,500. Werk Nick
Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gal in a Rush, 120, f, 2, Ghostzapper–Hudson River Gal, by
Dynaformer. ($130,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $375,000 2yo '21
OBSMAR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Chris Larsen and
Titletown Racing Stables; B-Tom & Mary Lou Teal & Adena
Springs (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $30,000.
3–Mystic Eyes, 120, f, 2, Maclean's Music–Cloudburst, by
Storm Cat. ($40,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-MeB Racing Stables LLC
and Vincent D. Esopi; B-Pursuit of Success LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $18,000.
Margins: HF, HF, HF. Odds: 1.50, 29.75, 3.50.
Also Ran: Makin My Move, The Club, Lady Danae, Dufresne, High Arabian, Mainstay. Scratched: Benbang, Chi Town Lady, Poppy Flower.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Juju’s Map, Special Reserve To Ship Back To Louisville After Stakes Triumphs

The two stakes winners on Friday, opening day of Keeneland's 17-day Fall Meet – Albaugh Family Stables' Juju's Map, the 4¼-length winner of the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades, and Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher's Special Reserve, winner of the Grade 1 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix, both spent the night at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., following their triumphs.

“She's good and happy this morning,” reported Tessa Bisha, assistant to Brad Cox about Juju's Map, who earned a starting berth in the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to be run at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., Nov. 5. “She is leaving this morning to go back to Churchill Downs.”

Special Reserve, who earned a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, is scheduled to return to trainer Mike Maker's main base at the Trackside Training Center in Louisville, Ky. Maker indicated that Special Reserve would ship to Del Mar on Oct. 31.

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Juju’s Map Earns Juvenile Fillies Spot With Darley Alcibiades Victory

Albaugh Family Stables LLC's Juju's Map, narrowly favored over her Brad Cox stablemate Matareya, tracked pacesetter Runup through the initial stages of Friday's Grade 1, $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes, took command on the stretch turn and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory under Florent Geroux in the 1 1/16-mile main track contest for 2-year-old fillies on the opening day card at the Lexington, Ky., oval.

The Darley Alcibiades is a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In Challenge Series race, giving the winner a fees-paid berth to the G1 Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Nov. 5, along with a travel allowance to California for the horse.

Distinctlypossible, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, finished second, a neck in front of a fast-finishing Sequist and jockey Junior Alvarado in third. Mama Rina was fourth, followed by Dream Lith and Matareya in a dead heat for fifth, then Penny Saver, Miss Interpret, Runup, Myfavoritedaughter and Pipeline Girl in the field of 11. Diamond Wow was scratched.

The Liam's Map filly out of Nagambie, by Flatter, bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich III, covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.52. She paid $6.80 on a $2 mutuel.

The win was the ninth Grade 1 victory of 2021 for Cox and it was his second in the Alcibiades, the first coming in 2019 with British Idiom. It was the first Alcibiades for Geroux and the Albaugh Family Stables headed by Dennis Albaugh of Ankeny, Iowa.

Juju's Map was a $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase. She was winning for the second time in three starts, having broken her maiden in front-running fashion in her second outing at Ellis Park on Sept. 3.

In the Alcibiades, Geroux saved ground after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was content to sit in second while Runup set fractions of :22.75 for the opening quarter and :46:00 for the half mile. Geroux moved Juju's Map to the front through six furlongs in 1:11.23, and she was never seriously threatened thereafter, clicking off a mile split of 1:36.93 en route to her final time.

Cox said if Juju's Map exited the win in good order it would be on to the Breeders' Cup.

“She sat close to a hot pace and was still able to finish, and I thought, 'That's what good horses do,'” said Cox. “She broke running, Florent (Geroux) put her in a good position and she finished up well. I'm very proud of her performance. We'll obviously talk it over with the Albaugh team, and as long as she comes out of it in good order I think we'll march on toward California (and the Nov. 5, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies-G1). It was a good trip last time and hopefully she can show up and run her race and be very effective.”

“She's very talented to start with, but today it was tricky because there were a couple other speed horses,” said Geroux. “From the one hole, you have to use speed to your advantage, to make sure they don't cross over and slow it down too fast. So I just wanted to break ahead so if they wanted the lead they would have to work for it, and that's what they did.

“I was able to ease her back in the first turn. From there she took a nice breather with me down the backside and from there I knew she was going to be pretty tough. Turning for home I saw (Matareya) coming up and she's pretty talented too, but when I asked her down the lane she gave me another gear, the kind of effort you want to see, and hopefully she's going into the Breeders' Cup in the right way.”

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Liam’s Map Filly Impressive in Alcibiades

Albaugh Family Stables's Juju's Map (Liam's Map) threw her hat in the ring among what appears to be a solid juvenile filly division with a powerful victory in Friday's “Win and You're In” GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. Reined in to avoid a speed duel heading into the first bend, the rail-drawn bay sat in a clear second as Runup (Runhappy) zipped along through splits of :22.75 and :46 flat. The 2-1 favorite took over midway on the home bend, and was briefly challenged by her stablemate Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile), but opened up at will once she straightened to report home a convincing 4 1/4-length winner. Pricey maiden Distinctlypossible (Curlin) got going late to be second, with longshot and GI Spinaway S. fourth Sequist (Nyquist) rounding out the trifecta.

“She's very talented to start with, but today it was tricky because there were a couple other speed horses,” said winning rider Florent Geroux. “From the one hole, you have to use speed to your advantage, to make sure they don't cross over and slow it down too fast. So I just wanted to break ahead so if they wanted the lead they would have to work for it, and that's what they did.

“I was able to ease her back in the first turn. From there she took a nice breather with me down the backside and from there I knew she was going to be pretty tough. Turning for home I saw [Matareya] coming up and she's pretty talented too, but when I asked her down the lane she gave me another gear, the kind of effort you want to see, and hopefully she's going into the Breeders' Cup in the right way.”

Juju's Map was second at odds-on sprinting at Ellis July 25 before breaking through at the Pea Patch by 5 3/4 lengths when stretched to a mile Sept. 3.

This was trainer Brad Cox's second Alcibiades win in three years–he took it in 2019 with eventual champion 2-year-old filly British Idiom (Flashback).

“She sat close to a hot pace and was still able to finish, and I thought, 'That's what good horses do.' She broke running, Florent put her in a good position and she finished up well,” Cox said. “I'm very proud of her performance. We'll obviously talk it over with the Albaugh team, and as long as she comes out of it in good order I think we'll march on toward California [and the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies]. It was a good trip last time and hopefully she can show up and run her race and be very effective.”

Saturday, Keeneland
DARLEY ALCIBIADES S.-GI, $400,000, Keeneland, 10-8, 2yo, f,
1 1/16m, 1:43.52, ft.
1–JUJU'S MAP, 122, f, 2, by Liam's Map
                1st Dam: Nagambie, by Flatter
                2nd Dam: Charming N Lovable, by Horse Chestnut (Saf)
                3rd Dam: St Lucinda, by St. Jovite
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. ($190,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich (KY); T-Brad
Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0,
$280,800. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Distinctlypossible, 122, f, 2, by Curlin
1st Dam: Funny Proposition (GSW, $230,295), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Humorous Miss, by Distorted Humor
3rd Dam: Starry Miss, by Star de Naskra
($200,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $670,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR).
O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Finder, Gary, Belmar Racing and
Breeding, LLC, Cambron, Tim, Cambron, Anna and Team
Hanley; B-John C. Oxley (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $80,000.
3–Sequist, 122, f, 2, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Secret Garden (Per) (G1SW-Per), by Flanders Fields
2nd Dam: Naima, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Nogalus, by Trempolino
($100,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-West Point Thoroughbreds,
Gervais, Lori, Pigg, Charles R., Andres, Tom, Stewart, Dallas
and Kraft, Karen; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Dallas Stewart.
$40,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.40, 7.80, 24.30.
Also Ran: Mama Rina, Dream Lith-(DH), Matareya-(DH), Penny Saver, Miss Interpret, Runup, Myfavoritedaughter, Pipeline Girl. Scratched: Diamond Wow. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Liam's Map, bred by Dennis Albaugh, is now responsible for four Grade I winners and seven graded winners overall. Three of those four reached the highest level at two despite the fact that Liam's Map didn't blossom until four, when he took the GI Woodward S. and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile locally.

Juju's Map is the 17th stakes winner (three graded including a Group 1 winner in Brazil) for Flatter as a broodmare sire. Her unplaced dam is half to GISW Fault (Blame). This is the extended female family of local Grade II winner Fioretti (Bernardini) and MGISW juvenile Bast (Uncle Mo).

Nagambie was acquired for just $14,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale. Her most recent produce was an Audible filly born Apr. 5 and she was bred back to another former Albaugh colorbearer in Not This Time for 2022.

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