brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

Knicks Go Sharp in Final Breeze Before Pegasus World Cup Defense

Knicks Go tuned up for a title defense in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., with a 'bullet' five-furlong workout Sunday morning at Fair Grounds Louisiana.

The Brad Cox trainee, who captured last year's Pegasus World Cup by 2 ¾ lengths, was timed in 1:00.40, the fastest of 57 workouts recorded at the distance at the New Orleans track. Exercise rider Edvin Vargas was aboard.

Sunday's breeze was the son of Paynter's second straight 'bullet' in a series of eight workouts (seven at Fair Grounds) since capturing the Breeders' Cup Classic by 2 ¾ lengths at Del Mar Nov. 6.

Knicks Go, widely expected to be named 2021 Horse of the Year next month, is scheduled to ship to Gulfstream Park by van Monday for his final career start in the Pegasus, in which he is slated to clash with Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good.

“He breezed good and we're really happy with him. We'll check him in the morning (Monday) and if everything is good to go, he'll be on the van and head out at 8:30 a.m.,” Cox said. “We'd like to get him there as quickly as possible; I'm thinking it will take around 13 hours. I'm flying in Monday afternoon, so I'll meet him there and we'll be ready to go.”

Pegasus Post Position Draw Tuesday, 1:30 P.M.
Post positions for Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G3) will be drawn Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The post position draw will be held in Sport of Kings at Gulfstream Park and can also be viewed on the Pegasus Facebook page and Pegasus website:

https://www.facebook.com/PegasusWorldCup

https://www.pegasusworldcup.com/live-stream/

Saturday's Pegasus World Cup 12-race program, which will also feature the $200,000 Inside Information (G2), the $200,000 William L. McKnight (G3), the $150,000 La Prevoyante (G3) and the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3), will get under way with an 11:30 a.m. ET post time.

Saturday's Late Pick 5 (Races 8-12) and Late Pick 4 (Races 9-12) will both offer guaranteed gross pools of $750,000.

Advance wagering on the entire Pegasus World Cup program will be available on Friday.

The Pegasus World Cup will be nationally televised on NBC from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

The post Knicks Go Sharp in Final Breeze Before Pegasus World Cup Defense appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mandaloun Denies Midnight Bourbon In Louisiana Stakes

It was billed as a two-horse match race between millionaires Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon, and that's exactly what the Grade 3, $150,000 Louisiana Stakes became on Saturday at the Fair Grounds. Turning for home in their sixth meeting on the track, Mandaloun (4-5) and Midnight Bourbon (6-5) drew even near the center of the course and remained locked in battle until the sixteenth pole. Jockeys Florent Geroux and Joel Rosario each gave their mounts their all, but it was Mandaloun and Geroux who prevailed by three-quarters of a length at the wire.

The Juddmonte homebred by Into Mischief, trained by Brad Cox and racing off a seven-month layoff, covered 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:42.52. It was Geroux's fourth win on the card.

Each millionaire received Lasix for the first time in Saturday's contest, and trainer Steve Asmussen added blinkers to the equipment of Midnight Bourbon.

Midnight Bourbon broke in a bit at the start, bumping Mandaloun slightly, then went straight to the lead under Rosario. Midnight Bourbon had a one-length advantage over Sprawl entering the backstretch, setting fractions of 24.39 and 48.25 seconds, then pulling away to a two-length lead nearing the half-mile pole.

Geroux sent Mandaloun up the rail into second approaching the far turn, then angled to the outside of Midnight Bourbon to mount his stretch challenge. Midnight Bourbon went wide into the lane, pushing Mandaloun out to the center of the track, and the two were head-and-head for the next eighth of a mile.

Battling fiercely, the two millionaires dug in gamely down the stretch. Mandaloun got his head in front at the sixteenth pole, and continued to inch away toward the wire. At the finish, it was Mandaloun by three-quarters of a length over Midnight Bourbon, denying Rosario and Asmussen a fourth win on Saturday's card in New Orleans. It was several lengths back to Warrant in third, also trained by Cox, and Spa City checked in fourth over Sprawl.

Bred in Kentucky by his owner, Mandaloun is out of the Group 2-winning Empire Maker mare Brooch. He impressed on debut at Keeneland in 2020, then won a first-level allowance before finishing third in the 2021 Lecomte (G3). Mandaloun returned to win the G2 Risen Star, but never showed up next out in the G2 Louisiana Derby. Still, he'd earned enough points to Run for the Roses, and Mandaloun ran a giant race to finish second behind Medina Spirit in the shadow of the Twin Spires.

Mandaloun won the listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth five weeks later, and was awarded the victory in the G1 Haskell when Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified in July. Unraced since that start on July 17, Mandaloun returned plenty fit to capture the Louisiana Stakes in what could be a prep for the world's richest horse race, the G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 26. Overall, Mandaloun's record stands at six wins from nine starts for earnings of over $1.75 million.

The post Mandaloun Denies Midnight Bourbon In Louisiana Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mandaloun Outslugs Midnight Bourbon in Louisiana

They engaged in as good a battle on the infield tote as they did on the track, but at the end of the 8 1/2 furlongs of Satuday's GIII Louisiana S. at the Fair Grounds, and in what looked to be a two-horse race proved exactly that, as 9-10 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun outbattled an alibi-free 6-5 second choice Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to make a victorious return to the races.

Midnight Bourbon, last seen finishing third as the favorite to Maxfield (Street Sense) in the GI Clark S. at Churchill in November, hit the ground running and had the superior early foot, as Mandaloun–whose last trip to the races resulted in a promoted victory in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. last July–was content to take a trail and skim the rail from third after the scratch of the GI Pegasus World Cup-bound Chess Chief (Into Mischief) left him with the inside stall.

The pace was moderate for horses of this quality–the quarter was in :24.39 and the half in :48.25–and Mandaloun edged into second as they raced into the final 3 1/2 furlongs. Poised to strike at the five-sixteenths, Mandaloun was floated a bit wide by Joel Rosario and Midnight Bourbon, but the Juddmonte homebred was in for the fight. He engaged the pacesetter in earnest at the eighth pole and methodically wore that one down to take it by a measured 3/4 of a length. It was a distance back to Warrant (Constitution) in third.

It was on this program a year ago that Midnight Bourbon defeated Mandaloun into third in the GIII Lecomte S. before reversing form with a 1 1/4-length conquest in the GII Risen Star S. An inexplicable sixth–with Midnight Bourbon second to Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in the GII Louisiana Derby, Mandaloun ran an enormous race to miss by a half-length in the GI Kentucky Derby. Connections elected to give the rest of the Triple Crown a miss and Mandaloun narrowly won the June 13 Pegasus S. before being put up to the win in the Haskell in the incident which saw Midnight Bourbon nearly go down when interfered with by Hot Rod Charlie.

Winning trainer Brad Cox confirmed that a start in next month's G1 Saudi Cup over a one-turn mile and an eighth would be under serious consideration for Mandaloun.

Pedigree Notes:

Mandaloun is one of 46 graded winners for his leading stallion and is bred on the cross over Unbridled or Unbridled-line mares responsible for the likes of dual Eclipse Award and multiple Grade I winner Covfefe, other graded winners Private Mission, Largent, fellow 'Rising Star' Maximus Mischief and recent GIII Sugar Swirl S. winner Center Aisle and the ill-fated 'Rising Star' Taraz.

Mandaloun is one of two winners from as many to race from his dam, a winner at Group 2 and Group 3 level in Ireland for Dermot Weld and a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Caponata (Selkirk) and MGSP Raymonda (Lonhro {Aus}).

Mandaloun is one of 29 'Rising Stars' for the outstanding Into Mischief, a number that also includes New York stallion Honest Mischief, who–interestingly–is out of Empire Maker's GISW half-sister Honest Lady (Seattle Slew).

Brooch is the dam of Mandaloun's 2-year-old full-brother Mullion, a yearling colt by War Front and was most recently covered once again by Into Mischief.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
LOUISIANA S.-GIII, $145,500, Fair Grounds, 1-22, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:42.52, ft.
1–MANDALOUN, 118, c, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Brooch (MGSW-Ire, $217,059), by Empire Maker
2nd Dam: Daring Diva (GB), by Dansili (GB)
3rd Dam: Aspiring Diva, by Distant View
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Florent Geroux. $90,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 9-6-1-1,
$1,741,252. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 118, c, 4, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $30,000.
3–Warrant, 124, c, 4, Constitution–Whisper Number, by
First Samurai. O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC;
B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $15,000.
Margins: 3/4, 8 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 0.90, 1.20, 7.00.
Also Ran: Spa City, Sprawl, Pirate's Punch. Scratched: Chess Chief. 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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Sunday’s Racing Insights: Flashy Fillies Seek Diplomas at Oaklawn

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-OP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:51 p.m. ET
The first of two strong-looking groups of sophomore fillies line up here in Hot Springs. Brad Cox-trained second timer Firewolves (Practical Joke) gets the tepid morning-line nod coming off a runner-up outing over track and trip Dec. 3 that earned her a 75 Beyer Speed Figure. The $140,000 Keeneland September yearling is half to MGSP Tap for Luck (Tapit) and to the dam of GSW/GISP Jeltrin (Tapizar).

Peace Peddler (Gun Runner) set a solid pace in her unveiling Dec. 18 before finishing third behind a pair of pricey foes. A $200,000 KEESEP pick-up, she is out of Canadian champion older mare and MGSW Embur's Song (Unbrided's Song) from the family of Classic winner Exaggerator (Curlin).

Xtreme Gem (Tapit), a daughter of GISW juvenile Gomo (Uncle Mo), also makes her second start. The $475,000 FTFMAR RNA and $625,000 Fasig Midlantic seller (:10 1/5) was fourth after taking some money in an off-the-turfer at Keeneland in October (re-opposing Madelyn's Magic {Hard Spun} was second that day). She now gets the addition of Lasix and blinkers for the Mac Robertson barn.

Among the noteworthy newcomers signed on is Courtlandt Farm's $500,0000 FTKSEL purchase Campaigning (Nyquist). The Steve Asmussen pupil is half to GSP Aurelia Garland (Constitution) out of a daughter of 2002 GII Alcibiades S. winner Westerly Breeze (Gone West).

Alex Venneri homebred Decade of Dreams (American Pharoah) is half to versatile GISW and young sire Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile). Muse (Into Mischief) is out of a half-sister to last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup hero Max Player (Honor Code). TJCIS PPs

9th-OP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 5:13 p.m. ET
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's $475,000 KEESEP acquisition Hot and Sultry (Speightster) leads the split division of the aforementioned sixth race. The Steve Asmussen representative finished up well to be a strong second in the mud here Dec. 18. A half to SW and GSP turfer Tracksmith (Street Sense), her third dam is brilliantly fast GISW and champion Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat). Chesterette (Practical Joke), who cost $300,000 at OBS April off a :9 4/5 bullet, was fourth in that same race. The $165,000 KEESEP yearling's dam Jenny's So Great (Greatness) was a graded winner on the turf.

Charles Matses homebred Beguine (Gun Runner) was third first out against three-and-ups Jan. 7. Out of a stakes-winning juvenile, she's half to GSW/MGISP Favorable Outcome (Flatter), last year's G3 UAE 2000 Guineas winner Mouheeb (Flatter) and SW/MGSP Bellamentary (Bellamy Road).

Comedy Act (Practical Joke) was fourth behind the subsequent Gowell S. runner-up after setting solid splits at Churchill Nov. 28. She was a $77,000 September RNA and $165,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile (:10 1/5). Little Mombo (Into Mischief) was also fourth on debut after showing early zip–this one locally Dec. 3. Rigney Racing's $500,000 KEESEP buy is out of a stakes-placed turf router from the family of GSWs Nany's Sweep, Economic Model and Well Monied.

Bicameral (Constitution), bought for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Showcase, cuts back after finishing far back on the stretch out Dec. 17. She was previously third in the GI Del Mar Debutante.

Joe Sharp-trained $200,000 FTKOCT buy Heartyconstitution (Constitution) is half to GSW sprinter Chateau (Flat Out). China Horse Club homebred Scripps (Curlin), bought back for $75,000 at September, is out of two-time Grade II winner Spelling Again (Curlin). TJCIS PPs

8th-SA, $69K, Alw/OC ($50K), 4yo/up, f/m, 1m, 7:13 p.m. ET
Pegram, Watson and Weitman's late on the scene $385,000 Keeneland September purchase Distractedprincess (Distorted Humor) looks to go two-for-two here for Bob Baffert. The daughter of Brazilian Horse of the Year Celtic Princess (Brz) (Public Purse) crushed three foes by 13 lengths here going seven furlongs Dec. 31. She's just 1-5 on the morning line while spotting her competition significant experience. TJCIS PPs

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