brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

Asmussen Takes Preakness Bonus

Steve Asmussen claimed the top prize of $50,000 for the third time in five years in the Maryland Jockey Club's $100,000 trainer bonus offered to horsemen for their participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend, May 14-15, at Pimlico Race Course. The Hall of Famer edged defending champion Mike Maker.

Asmussen started 11 horses in 10 stakes over the two days, finishing with 54 points. On May 15, he ran first and second with Mighty Mischief (Into Mischief) and Jaxon Traveler (Munnings) in the GIII Chick Lang S. and also finished second with Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the GI Preakness S., Strike Power (Speightstown) in the GIII Maryland Sprint S. and Casual (Curlin) in the Runhappy Skipat S. Boldor (Munnings) finished fourth for Asmussen in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint. Willful Woman (Nyquist)'s runner-up effort in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. was Asmussen's best finish with five horses on the May 14 program.

To be eligible, trainers had to run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend. Points were accumulated for finishing first (10), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and fifth through last (one).

This marked the fifth straight year the MJC has offered the trainer bonus program. Asmussen also earned the top prize in each of the first two years, 2017 and 2018.

Maker ran seven horses in six stakes and finished with 43 points for a $25,000 bonus. He won the Black-Eyed Susan with Army Wife (Declaration of War) and ran first and seventh with Last Judgment (Congrats) and Treasure Trove (Tapizar) in the Pimlico Special. On Preakness day, Maker won the GII Dinner Party S. Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) and Maryland Sprint with Special Reserve (Midshipman).

Graham Motion, who saddled GIII Gallorette S. winner Mean Mary (Scat Daddy), was third with 27 points and earned $12,000.

Brad Cox, the 2019 top bonus winner, had 24 points to finish fourth and earn $7,000. Rounding out the top finishers were Chad Brown with 14 points ($4,000) and Mike Trombetta with 12 points ($2,000).

Bonus money totaling $50,000 was also offered for trainers having the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend, with points accumulated in similar fashion. Trombetta and Claudio Gonzalez, Maryland's winningest trainer the past four years, tied for first with 27 points and split the $35,000 top prize.

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At Age Seven, Arklow Picks Up Graded Win In Louisville

Grade 1 winner Arkow has aged well. The 7-year-old horse, who made his first start of the year, won Saturday's 84th running of the G3 Louisville Stakes at Churchill Downs by one length over Red Knight in 2:27.13 – a stakes record for the 1 ½-mile turf marathon.

Ridden by Florent Geroux, Arklow was rated in 10th during the early stages of the three-turn race as Admiralty Pier dictated the pace and led the field of 14 older horses through splits of :23.70, :48.64, 1:14.24 and 1:39.78. Nearing the final turn, Arklow made a bold four-wide move to draw into contention. He grabbed the lead at the head of the stretch and turned back the late threat from Ked Knight.

Brad Cox trained the winner for Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Lynn Coneway's Estate of Peter Coneway.

The win was worth $84,630 and improved Arklow's career earnings to $2,750,746 with a record of 9-7-2 in 32 starts. It was his sixth career graded stakes victory. He won the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar in his previous start on Nov. 27.

Arklow returned $4.60, $3.80 and $3 as the 4-5 betting choice. Red Knight, under James Graham, paid $7 and $5. Strong Tide, ridden by Marcelino Pedroza Jr., was another three-quarters of a length back in third and paid $8.60 to show. Ajourneytofreedom was another length back in fourth and was followed by Bakers Bay, Imperador (ARG), Fantasioso (ARG), Spooky Channel, Artemus Eagle, Jais's Solitude, Crafty Daddy, Admiralty Pier, Fighting Seabee and Monarchs Glen (GB).

Arklow is a son of Arch out of the Empire Maker mare Unbridled Empire, was bred in Kentucky by John R. Penn and Frank Penn.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Sunday with a nine-race card that begins at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern).

LOUISVILLE QUOTES, courtesy Churchill Downs press office

Florent Geroux, jockey of ARKLOW (winner): “He's such a warrior. He knows what he's doing and such a professional. When he comes into the paddock every race he's all business and shows a ton of versatility on the racetrack. I had him really relaxed and in a good spot early. With about five furlongs to go he started tugging hard and I had to go. I didn't necessarily plan moving that early but he was ready to go. Brad and his team did a great job with him to get him ready to go this distance in his first start off the layoff. I'm very thankful to the owners as well for letting me get on him. He's an incredible horse.”

Brad Cox, trainer of ARKLOW (winner): “He's such a professional. We had this race in mind for a while to get his campaign started and he ran a great effort to start his year.”

The post At Age Seven, Arklow Picks Up Graded Win In Louisville appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Timing Right for Horologist in Allaire Du Pont

Horologist (Gemologist) aims to collect her sixth career stakes victory in Friday's GIII Allaire du Pont S. at Pimlico. The du Pont returns to its traditional spot on Preakness weekend after being moved to late December because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Transferred to trainer Bill Mott last summer, the New Jersey bred kicked off her tenure with the Hall of Famer with a score in Monmouth's GIII Molly Pitcher S. in July before finishing third in Churchill's GI La Troienne S. in September. Victorious in the Oct. 4 GII Beldame Invitational S., the bay tired to ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7, but rebounded to take Aqueduct's Top Flight Invitational S. Apr. 10.

Horologist can give Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his second du Pont victory, following Ajinia–1997's champion 3-year-old filly– in 1998.

Brad Cox enters Friday's nine-furlong contest with the pair of Dreamalildreamofu (Commissioner) and Getridofwhatailesu (Ghostzapper). The Elkstone Group's Getridofwhatailesu won the Jan. 23 Pippin S. at Oaklawn before finishing third in the GII Azeri S. won by 2020 GI Kentucky Oaks-winning stablemate Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). In her latest start, she finished fourth behind the front-running Letruska (Super Saver) with Cox-trained two-time champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) second in the Apr. 17 GI Apple Blossom S.

“She's a stakes-winner and hopefully we can make her a graded-stakes winner,” Cox said. “She's doing great, and probably is going to get a little class relief. No Letruskas or Monomoy Girls in this group.”

Full of Run Racing's Dreamalildreamofu exits a narrow triumph in the eight-furlong Latonia S. over Turfway Park's all-weather surface in March. A winner on all three surfaces, she is making her graded-stakes debut Fridy.

“Dreamalildreamofu is coming off a synthetic race,” Cox said. “She's performed well on three different surfaces–turf, dirt and synthetic. So, we have options with her.”

Robert and Lawana Low's Spice Is Nice (Curlin) is seeking her first career stakes win in the du Pont, a race her trainer Todd Pletcher won with Pool Land (2006), Super Espresso (2011) and Stopchargingmaria (2015).

Second in Gulfstream's GII Davona Dale S. following a 12-length debut triumph early in 2020, the chetsnut won an optional claiming allowance at Belmont later in July before running sixth the following month in the 10-furlong GI Alabama S., in what turned out to be her seasonal finale. She returned to win a 8 1/2-furlong optional claiming allowance at Keeneland Apr. 9, her first start in nearly eight months.

“She had a nice allowance win at Keeneland. The timing is good for this,” Pletcher said. “She's a nice filly that had a good break and came back well from it. So, we're making the step back into the graded stakes ranks and feel good about the way she is doing.”

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Black-Eyed Susan Adventure

Godolphin's Adventuring (Pioneerof the Nile) rides a two-race win skein as she tries to add her first graded victory in Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. Second choice on the morning line at 4-1, the homebred hit the board in her first two starts–both off-turf tests–at the Fair Grounds late last season. Well supported in her Feb. 16 reappearance at the New Orleans oval, the daughter of dual Grade I winning Questing (Hard Spun) came from just off the pace to romp by 6 1/2 lengths before adding another to the win column in Turfway's Bourbonette S. going a mile over the synthetic Mar. 27.

“Obviously, she's very well bred,” said trainer Brad Cox. “We're hopeful that she'll be able to handle the mile and an eighth. She certainly appears that she can.

“She broke her maiden in an off-the-turf race on the dirt and performed extremely well. She was able to get the job done on the synthetic and she works well enough on the dirt to give us the confidence to try a graded stake on the dirt. We're looking forward getting her up there.”

Explaining the decision to bypass the Apr. 30 GI Kentucky Oaks, Cox added, “She had enough points to go in the Kentucky Oaks, but we thought the Black-Eyed Susan made more sense. Plus, she wasn't nominated to we'd have had an extra large fee to run.”

“I really like her…She's already a stakes winner, but we need to, hopefully, get some graded wins.”

Boama Corporation's Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) broke her maiden second out stretching to a mile at Santa Anita last October. In a pair of starts facing short fields at that venue this term, the half to GSW and GISP Chitu (Henny Hughes) posted a head victory in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7 before succumbing by a half-length to Soothsay (Distorted Humor) in the GII Santa Anita Oaks Apr. 3. Both races were contested at 1 1/16 miles.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will re-join the 9-5 program favorite who breaks from the 10 hole.

“She's run well,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I was going to run her in the Kentucky Oaks, but it came up way too tough. That's one of the toughest Kentucky Oaks I've seen. I didn't want to put her through that. I said, 'We'll wait for the Black-Eyed Susan. You try to spot your horses, give them a chance where they have a chance to win.”

Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife (Declaration of War) went winless in her first three starts last year–all on turf–before graduating in her first try on dirt at Churchill in October. Runner up going a mile in a Churchill optional claimer Nov. 28, she was a nose winner in a Gulfstream optional claimer Mar. 13 before running third behind winner Search Results (Flatter)–who subsequently finished a close-up second in the Kentucky Oaks–in a nine-furlong GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct Apr. 3.

“She's a filly we've always been high on. She makes a fabulous impression,” said trainer Mike Maker. “She had a couple of months off and got a little behind, but she's doing well and we're looking forward to it.”

Joel Rosario gets the call on Army Wife, who breaks from Post 1.

Alex and JoAnn Leiblong's Willful Woman (Nyquist) come into this off an optional claiming victory in the slop at Oaklawn Apr. 9. Prior to that, she finished seventh in the Mar. 6 GIII Honeybee S.

“She lost it at the break,” Alex Lieblong said of the Honeybee. “She was looking at something in the infield when they popped the gate and then got flustered when she missed it. It was just one of those deals where we were like, 'Ok. Let's start over.' That's what we did with the allowance. I hated that we missed the series there, but it might wind up being one of those deals where it worked out for the best, if you just give them time.”

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