brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

Chop Chop Becomes City of Light’s First Stakes Winner at KYD

No wind, no rain, no summer storm was stopping Chop Chop from securing a first career stakes victory for herself and her freshman sire (by Quality Road) in the Aristocrat Gaming Juvenile Fillies S. She was also the second winner on the card for City of Light, following in the hoofsteps of impressive graduate Gaslight Dancer.

A stalk-and-pounce winner on debut at Ellis Park Aug. 14, Chop Chop rated kindly from third here and drafted into the turn behind a pair of dueling leaders through :24.11 and :49.99 splits. Shifting out and making a three-wide rally leaving the turn, she locked horns with Towhead as the fillies battled to the wire in the driving rain. Chop Chop was on the winning end of the bob as the pair nine lengths ahead of C C Cruise Control.

“We've always liked her a lot,” Cox said by phone. “We had a lot of confidence in her today. [Jockey] Reylu [Gutierrez] didn't have much experience there, but, hey, it worked out. He had a lot of confidence in the filly. He actually breezed her last week as well and thought that she was set up for a big effort and she gave us one.”

A half to one other to the races, Chop Chop is the first stakes horse for her young dam, a half-sister to GISW, and track-record setter Rail Trip (Jump Start). She has a yearling half-sister by Omaha Beach and a 2022 half-sister by Constitution. She went to Liam's Map for 2023. This is the female family of MGISW Palace Malice (Curlin) and GISP Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

ARISTOCRAT GAMING JUVENILE FILLIES S., $500,000, Kentucky Downs, 9-3, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:43.86, yl.
1–CHOP CHOP, 120, f, 2, by City of Light
1st Dam: Grand Sofia, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Sweet Trip, by Carson City
3rd Dam: Stellar Affair, by Skywalker
($230,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Selective, LLC; B-Cobra Farm & MRJ Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Reylu Gutierrez. $300,700. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $336,700.
2–Towhead, 118, f, 2, Malibu Moon–Smartly Agree, by Smart Strike. ($100,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Deuce Greathouse; B-DJ Stable, LLC (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $97,000.
3–C C Cruise Control, 120, f, 2, Cross Traffic–Alpaca Fina, by Big Brown. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-David Menard (KY); T-Kenneth McPeek. $48,500.
Margins: NO, 9, 3/4. Odds: 4.11, 5.61, 7.86.
Also Ran: Knockyoursocksoff, Mustang Lady, Chiquita Mosca, Janis Joplin, Callie's Grit. Scratched: Up to Something.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Sunday Insights: Full to Derby winner Among Into Mischief Juveniles in Action at Ellis Park Sunday

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

2nd-Ellis Park, $60k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:18 p.m. ET
WinStar Farm and CMNWLTH's PENSACOLA (Into Mischief) opens his career for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. The bay colt was acquired for $600,000 following a :10 1/5 work at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale earlier this year. He is a son of stakes winner Stormy Regatta (Midshipman) and a half to stakes winner Bay Storm (Kantharos). Also debuting is AMO Racing's Hurricane J (Nyquist), a $330,000 KEESEP yearling trained by Paulo Lobo. He is a half to Grade I placed Borracho (Uncle Mo).
TJCIS PPs

4th-Ellis Park, $60k, 2yo, 6f, 3:14 p.m. ET
Juddmonte homebred MULLION (Into Mischief), a full-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun, makes in his first trip to the post for trainer Brad Cox. Trainer Cherie DeVaux saddles Blue Heaven Farm homebred firster Pyrenees (Into Mischief), a half-brother to last year's GI Del Mar Debutante winner Grace Adler (Curlin) and to graded placed Virginia Key (Distorted Humor). TJCIS PPs

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Bisou Bro Justifies Favoritism in Spa Opener

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-27, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.26, ft, 1 3/4 lengths.
VERIFYING (c, 2, Justify–Diva Delite {GSW, $300,067}, by Repent), a half to none other than Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Ch. Older Dirt Female, MGISW, $3,971,500, ran to advanced billing to take a typically tough-looking Travers Day maiden as the 3-5 favorite. Debuting with blinkers on, the bay broke well and took a short lead to post splits of :22.90 and :46.04. He turned for home a bit wide, allowing Track Mate (Union Rags–Teammate) to challenge to his inside at the top of the lane. The pair seemed to make contact as Verifying shifted in when switching leads, but the chalk quickly righted the ship and leveled off well to pull clear late by 1 3/4 lengths while providing his hot-starting, Triple Crown-winning sire (by Scat Daddy) with an 11th winner. Track Mate, sixth in his turf route unveiling for D. Wayne Lukas, held second over Parx invader and fellow second timer Didinger (Bolt d'Oro). King's Glory (Speightstown), the $575,000 half-brother to GSW Dr. Dorr (Lookin At Lucky), was fourth. The winner is also half to precocious Stage Left (Congrats), SP, $345,808 and a foal colt by Uncle Mo. Diva Delite, who fetched $1.2 million from David Redvers while carrying Verifying at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale, was bred to Gun Runner for 2023. Sales Sales history: $775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor; B-Hunter Valley & Mountmellick Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Blue-Blooded Juveniles Debut on Travers Card

1st-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 11:35 a.m. EDT
The star-studded GI Runhappy Travers S. day card kicks off with a pair of juveniles events, starting with this main track sprint. VERIFYING (Justify), a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition by the Coolmore contingent, is one of the most intriguing firsters in this event. The Brad Cox pupil is out of GSW Diva Delite (Repent), who summoned $1.2 million with this colt in utero at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. That makes Verifying a half-sibling to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5-million at the 2020 FTKNOV sale. Steve Asmussen unveils Courtlandt Farms' King's Glory (Speightstown), a $575,000 KEESEP buy. Out of MSP Jax El (Unusual Heat), the chestnut is a half to GSW & GISP Dr. Dorr (Lookin At Lucky). Mike Rutherford's $400,000 KEESEP purchase Game Warden (Tapit) also debuts in this spot for Bill Mott. The bay is out of a daughter of SW Dance Quietly (A.P. Indy), who is a half to Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), GISW Funtastic (More Than Ready) and GSW Quiet Giant (Giant's Causeway), who is the dam of Horse of the Year and top young sire Gun Runner. TJCIS PPs

2nd-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:08 p.m. EDT
Turf-routing juveniles get their chance next with a trio of interesting first timers. Wertheimer and Frere homebred TRIPLE START (American Pharoah) looks to get off the mark for Todd Pletcher here. The chestnut is a half to GI Personal Ensign S. winner Persistently (Smoke Glacken) and a full to SP Award It. Her second dam is champion Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold), dam of MGISW Good Reward (Storm Cat) and GSW sire Pure Prize (Storm Cat). This is also the family of Grade I winners Instilled Regard (Arch), Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) and Dancing Forever (Rahy). Chad Brown unveils one from a family he's pretty familiar with in Take Me to Jimmy (Kitten's Joy). The $335,000 FTSAUG buy is a half to Brown-trained MGSWs Tammy The Torpedo (More Than Ready) and Seek And Destroy (Verrazano). His dam is a half to MGSW Criminologist (Maria's Mon). Highland Lord (Lord Nelson) makes his first trip to the post for Barclay Tagg. The Young homebred is a half to MSW & GISP Highland Sky (Sky Mesa) and SW & GSP Highland Glory (Sky Mesa), both trained by Tagg. He also hails from the family of GISW Bit of Whimsy (Distorted Humor). TJCIS PPs

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