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Ahead Of Final Prep, Knicks Go Retakes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go hopped over stablemate Essential Quality and back into first place in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go has retaken the No. 1 position which Essential Quality had held for the past three weeks. The Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and Whitney (G1) winner received 322 votes, 18 of which were first-place votes. Knicks Go is scheduled to make his final start before the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic in this Saturday's Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox, won the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1). He is now in second place with 316 votes.

Hot Rod Charlie, another top 3-year-old, moves into third place this week following his impressive victory in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 252 votes.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, dropped one position to fourth place with 238 votes. Maxfield has won three races this year, including the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June, in which he secured an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player, a winner of two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the Longines Classic Division in 2021, remains in fifth place with 180 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Max Player won both the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July and The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga earlier this month.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli, who captured the “Win and You're In” TVG Pacific Classic (G1) for his automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, stayed in sixth place with 116 votes. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is slated to start in this Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, which is the final automatic qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic this year.

Zedan Racing Stable's 3-year-old Medina Spirit, who won the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar last month, rose from ninth place to seventh with 76 votes. Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) remained in eighth place with 75 votes.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, a three-time Grade 1 winner this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, improved from 10^th place to ninth with 56 votes.

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good, winner of Saturday's Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park, moved from 12^th place to 10^th. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good has 45 votes.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old Midnight Bourbon received 74 votes, but his connections announced on Monday that he would not be pointed to this year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 28, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Knicks Go	322	18	2
2	Essential Quality	316	9	1
3	Hot Rod Charlie	252	1	4
4	Maxfield	238	4	3
5	Max Player	180	0	5
6	Tripoli	116	0	6
7	Medina Spirit	76	0	9
8	Mishriff (IRE)	75	2	8
9	Letruska	56	0	10
10	Life Is Good	45	0	12

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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Monomoy Girl Arrives at Spendthrift Farm, To Visit Into Mischief Next Year

Two-time Breeders' Cup Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar–Drumette, by Henny Hughes) arrived at Spendthrift Farm on Monday, shortly after noon, from Churchill Downs, and the farm announced “unofficially” that she will be bred to perennial leading sire Into Mischief in 2022.

The six-year-old mare was retired from racing last week after she was discovered to have sustained an injury during training.

Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey was on site for the arrival and spoke on their decision to send her to Into Mischief.

“It's not a tremendous amount of pedigree research there, it's just one of those breed the best to the best-type things,” he said. “She's certainly among the very best and we feel that Into Mischief is too.”

Monomoy Girl took in her surroundings with ease after stepping off the van in Lexington and then strode into the quarantine barn, where she will reside for the next 30 days.

“Having been retired because of a fairly minor injury, we'll go very slowly with the acclimation process here to her becoming a broodmare,” Toffey said. “[She is in] our regular quarantine barn where Beholder was when she first came to Spendthrift. We'll set up a pen that will let her get outside, eat some grass, get some sun on her back and get used to her surroundings. We'll do some hand walking and continue to take things slow with her. After she's acclimated, probably about 30 days, we'll find her a buddy who will likely be another filly just off the track. They'll eventually work their way into our group of barren and maiden mares here.”

Purchased by Liz Crow for $100,000 at the Keeneland September Sale and originally campaigned by the ownership group of Michael Dubb, Sol Kumin's Monomoy Stables, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables, the Brad Cox trainee was sent through the ring at last year's Fasig-Tipton Night of Stars Sale after taking two editions of the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2018 and 2020. She sold for $9.5 million to Spendthrift Farm there, and MyRacehorse Stable and Madaket Stables soon joined in the partnership. This year, she captured the GIII Bayakoa S. and finished second to MGISW Letruska (Super Saver) in the GI Apple Blossom H.

Toffey said the crew at Spendthrift is thrilled to have Monomoy Girl join the likes of another champion in Beholder at Spendthrift.

“It's really exciting to have these kinds of horses here, to have her join Beholder, and eventually Got Stormy (Get Stormy) will be chiming in here pretty soon herself. It's the kind of broodmare band we'd like to have as a really, really top-notch group of mares and hopefully we'll be able to keep daughters out of these two great mares for years to come.”

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Warrant’s Rail-Skimming Trip A Winning One In Oklahoma Derby At Remington Park

With two wins and four in-the-money finishes in his first six starts, Warrant came into the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby looking to improve on his last-out second-place finish in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. Under a rail-skimming ride from Joel Rosario, the son of Consitution got his first graded stakes victory in the G3 stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.

In a field that included Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner Silver State and dual-G3 winner Mr. Wireless, Warrant took up position on the rail in fourth behind Flash of Mischief and Parrot Head around the first turn and down the backstretch. As the field approached the far turn, Rosario used the open lane on the rail to pull even with Flash of Mischief, briefly taking the lead on the turn. Flash of Mischief battled back to retake front-runner status as they hit the top of the stretch.

Into the Remington Park straightaway, Warrant rallied past Flash of Mischief as Silver State made his bid on the outside. The son of Constitution had too much momentum for his challengers, pulling away to a 1 1/2 length victory over Flash of Mischief and Silver State, with Team Merchants fourth. Mr. Wireless, Defeater, Dial in for Lute, and Parrot Head rounded out the order of finish. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.76.

Warrant paid $8.40, $4.00, and $2.60. Flash of Mischief paid $13.00 and $5.60. Silver State paid $2.80 to show. Find this race's chart here.

Bred in Kentucky by owner Twin Creeks Farm, Warrant is a 3-year-old colt out of the First Samurai mare Whisper Number. Trained by Brad Cox, Warrant has three wins in seven starts in 2021, for career earnings of $634,700.

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Constitution’s Warrant Rides Rail to OK Derby Score

Warrant earned the first graded victory of his career with a gritty performance in the GIII Oklahoma Derby Sunday night at Remington Park. Settling in fifth behind a contested :23.68 quarter, the chestnut crept closer down the backstretch and Joel Rosario decided to step on the gas as frontrunner Flash of Mischief drifted off the rail nearing the far turn. Taking over from that rival into the lane, Warrant faced a resurgent foe before asserting himself once and for all outside the sixteenth pole and edging clear.

“It was a perfect trip,” said Rosario. “The more I rode him, the more he gave me.”

A second-out graduate going six furlongs Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds, he came up a nose short when second in a Keeneland allowance/optional claimer Apr. 3 and filled the same slot in the Oaklawn S. May 1. Overcoming a wide trip to annex the Texas Derby May 31 at Lone Star, he was runner-up in the GIII West Virginia Derby last out Aug. 7 at Mountaineer.

“We were a little worried he might be a distracted with this being his first time running under the lights, but I think being on the inside kind of helped him,” said winning owner/breeder Steve Davison. “We had a great jockey and a great experience.”

Pedigree Notes:

Warrant, the 15th graded winner for his sire Constitution, is the second graded winner out of Whisper Number, who is also the dam of GII Barbara Fritchie S. winner Ms Locust Point (Dialed In). The 13-year-old mare is a half-sister to graded placed Speightful Affair (Speightstown), who is the dam of multiple stakes winner Mr. Buff (Friend or Foe).

Trainer Brad Cox will have a half-brother to Warrant in the barn next year after the BSW/Crow Colts Group purchased a Good Magic yearling out of Whisper Number for $325,000 at last week's Keeneland September sale.

Sunday, Remington Park

OKLAHOMA DERBY-GIII, $400,000, Remington, 9-26, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.76, ft.
1–WARRANT, 124, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Whisper Number, by First Samurai
                2nd Dam: Santerra, by Tejabo
                3rd Dam: Sioux City, by Carson City
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC;
B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Joel Rosario.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-3-1, $634,700. *1/2 to Ms
Locust Point (Dialed In), GSW, $675,975. Werk Nick Rating:
   A++. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Flash of Mischief, 124, c, 3, Into Mischief–Flashy Campaign,
by Political Force. O/B-Jerry Namy (KY); T-Karl Broberg.
$80,000.
3–Super Stock, 124, c, 3, Dialed In–Super Girlie, by Closing
Argument. ($70,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Erv Woolsey & Keith
Asmussen; B-Pedro & P.J. Gonzalez (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. $44,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 6 1/4. Odds: 3.20, 20.90, 2.00.
Also Ran: Team Merchants, Mr. Wireless, Defeater, Dial in for Lute, Parrot Head. 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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