brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

Maker Barn Sprints to Early Spa Lead

Mike Maker, with 42 training titles at Kentucky's five racetracks, is very much a contender this summer for the coveted prize at Saratoga Race Course.

A remarkable stretch of nine wins from 25 starters last week pushed Maker to the top of the table with 14 wins in the first 14 days of the 40-day season. He had at least one winner in each of the five racing days of the week and his stable hit the board at a 72% rate. That run of success enabled Maker to finish the week on Sunday with a six-victory lead over Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmussen and he was seven ahead of Chad Brown and Brad Cox. His win streak ended during Wednesday's program he had a third and a fourth with his starters.

Maker, 52, acknowledged that he was optimistic about how his stable might fare in the opening weeks of the Saratoga season.

“The condition book fit us well,” he said. “We had a lot of horses doing well, a lot of babies getting ready to run. It's hard to predict 14 wins, but we have had a good start.”

Maker's stable is typically strong on the turf–he started Wednesday's card with a meet-leading seven wins on the grass– had to deal with what has been an unusually rainy summer in upstate New York. A total of 21 races–10 last week alone–have been moved from the turf to the main track this season.

“It kind of hurt us the first week, but that's racing,” Maker said. “You keep plugging along.”

Maker earned his 11th Saratoga stakes victory, and seventh in the past two seasons, according to Equibase, on Saturday when Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border (English Channel) picked up a repeat victory in the GII Bowling Green S.

With 44 horses at Saratoga and another 50 at Belmont Park, Maker has a well-stocked stable to compete at Saratoga.

“We've been rotating them in and out and we've got Kentucky to draw from, too,” he said. “We're still going to try to place the horses properly and see what happens.”

Maker had his best showing at Saratoga in 2020, finishing in a tie for third place with Christophe Clement at 20 victories. Todd Pletcher led the way 32 wins, four ahead of Chad Brown.

With a smile and nod, Maker said he thinks about winning the Saratoga title.

“It's a nice thought,” he said. “Chad, Todd, Christophe are tough and we know racing can turn around in a hurry. You've got to have a lot of racing luck.”

Maker said finishing on top at Saratoga is always a goal, but one that has not yet been achieved.

“It'd be great, obviously,” he said. “Very prestigious meet. We're fortunate to be in the position we are.”

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Fantastic Five For Whitney

A compact, but talented field of five will face the starter for Saturday's GI Whitney S., a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6.

Korean Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter) has been pegged as the 6-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Joel Rosario. The 5-year-old is perfect in his last five starts around two turns, including a latest blow-out, big-figure success in the GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows July 2. Cox attributes his losses in the Saudi Cup in February and in the GI Met Mile to a one-turn route configuration

“There was no hangover with him [out of the Saudi Cup] with how he was training, but back of my mind that one turn isn't his thing,” Cox told NYRA's Andy Serling after Knicks Go drew gate four, before telegraphing an unsurprising race strategy.

“Once the gate opens, it's up to Joel. Speed is his weapon and we'll try to utilize it,” Cox said.

Cox won last weekend's GII Jim Dandy S. for Godolphin with champion Essential Quality (Tapit), and Maxfield (Street Sense) will look to keep the ball rolling for the 'boys in blue.' Defeated into third in the GI Santa Anita H. in March, the homebred has since rolled to easy victories in the GII Alysheba S. and GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs. The 8-5 morning-line second choice departs the five hole with regular rider Jose Ortiz.

“He like the rest of us has enjoyed the weather. He's had a great preparation and he's ready to go,” Godolphin USA President Jimmy Bell said post-draw.

Silver State (Hard Spun) carries an imposing six-race winning streak into the Whitney, capped by a one-length defeat of the re-opposing By My Standards (Goldencents) in the Met June 5. Ricardo Santana, Jr. rides the 4-1 chance from the two hole, while By My Standards, runner-up to Improbable (City Zip) last year, has regular partner Gabriel Saez in gate one.

Swiss Skydiver (Dardevil) has already beaten the boys once in her career, taking down the colors of eventual Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief) in last year's GI Preakness S. She will look to join the likes of Personal Ensign and Lady's Secret as female winners of the Whitney.

“The way the ball bounced, we really wanted to get her back into the game,” said trainer Ken McPeek, whose barn has only recently emerged from quarantine. “She's doing super. We're excited, she's won here before and it's going to be a fun weekend. We try to get her in a nice rhythm out there and let her make a run.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call on the 6-1 gamble from post position three.

Saturday, Saratoga

WHITNEY S.-GI, $1,000,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m

1 By My Standards (Goldencents), Calhoun, G Saez, 10-1

2 Silver State (Hard Spun), Asmussen, Santana Jr, 4-1

3 Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), McPeek, Ortiz Jr, 6-1

4 Knicks Go (Paynter), Cox, Rosario, 6-5

5 Maxfield (Street Sense), Walsh, Ortiz, 8-5

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Essential Quality Rises To Third In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska retained her No. 1 position in the latest NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, while Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes winner Essential Quality rose to third place.

Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, has been atop the NTRA poll for the five consecutive weeks. Winner of the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park, Letruska has 15 first-place votes and 292 points. Letruska has won four of five starts this year, with the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on June 26 being her most recent score.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfied, trained by Brendan Walsh, remained in second place with five first-place votes and 257 points. Maxfield, a three-time winner this year, including the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs, is expected to start in this Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won Saturday's Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, improved from fifth to third place in the poll. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, has four first-place votes and 236 points.

Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending is in fourth place with five first-place votes and 218 points. Trained by Chad Brown, Domestic Spending, the only turf horse in the top 10, finished in a dead heat for first with Colonel Liam in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, and won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State is in fifth place with three first-place votes and 215 points. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State, also under consideration for the Whitney, has won all four of his starts this year, including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont.

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, also trained by Cox, remained in sixth place with 128 points. Also being pointed to the Whitney, Knicks Go won the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on July 2 and Gulfstream Park's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, is in seventh place with 83 points. Gamine is unbeaten in three starts this year, including a victory in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall Jackson Winery at Churchill Downs.

Juddmonte's 3-year-old Mandaloun, who was moved up from second to first place in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 18 following the disqualification of Hot Rod Charlie, is in eighth place. Mandaloun, who finished second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, has 54 points.

Hot Rod Charlie, owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, moved from 10th to ninth place.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide was taken out of training two weeks ago due to a knee injury. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide, the Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner, dropped from seventh place to 10th place with one first-place vote and 45 points.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-2-2021/

The post Essential Quality Rises To Third In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Breeders’ Cup Distaff Title Defense Unlikely For Champion Monomoy Girl

The two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Distaff appears unlikely to defend her title in 2021, reports bloodhorse.com. While Monomoy Girl is back under tack at WinStar Farm, the champion racemare is not expected to return to trainer Brad Cox's barn for another three weeks, making the first weekend of November a tight target.

“We'll talk it over with (Spendthrift's) Ned Toffey (general manger) and Eric Gustavson (owner) and everyone else to come up with a game plan,” Cox told bloodhorse.com. “The Breeders' Cup would be really tight and I don't know if it's a possibility, but there are some other races out there for her. There's no pressure. She's such an accomplished mare and has done so much, she will only run if she's 100 percent right.”

Winner of the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2018, Monomoy Girl missed all of the 2019 season before returning in 2020 to be crowned divisional champion when undefeated across four starts, including the Breeders' Cup Distaff held at Keeneland.

Monomoy Girl was sold to Spendthrift Farm for $9.5 million at the conclusion of her 2020 racing season, and MyRacehorse leased her 2021 racing rights. MyRacehorse then sold shares in that experience to 10,200 individuals earlier this year. The 6-year-old daughter of Tapizar won the G3 Bayakoa and was second to Letruska in the G1 Apple Blossom thus far this season.

On May 10, MyRacehorse announced that Monomoy Girl was experiencing minor muscle strain and soreness, and would be given 30 days off at WinStar Farm.

Cox named targets like the G1 Cigar Mile, the G1 Clark Handicap, and the G1 Pegasus World Cup as potential future targets for Monomoy Girl.