Tag: dustin dugas

Bergen Delivers Strong Performance In Jimmy Winkfield S. At The Big A

With a pair entered from his shedrow, Brad Cox's barn celebrated as Bergen (Liam's Map) took home the Jimmy Winkfield S. and stablemate Air Cav (Mitole) finished third.

The winner broke his maiden at first asking by 3/4 length at Keeneland Oct. 7, but could not keep the streak going when he was late getting to the wire as the runner-up at Churchill Downs Nov. 25.

Facing only four others as the well-backed 4-5 choice here, the grey took up a spot to the outside in the second flight up the backstretch. The colt fanned three-wide around the far turn and began to drive home with the lead secured just before the eighth pole. Fully extended and flashing even more speed in the shadow of the wire, the 3-year-old got the money and his first black-type win. Iridescent (City of Light) was second by 5 1/4 lengths.

Brad Cox's assistant Dustin Dugas said about his barn's entries, “I told both jockeys that it's a small field and to play it how it comes. It looked like there would be more speed in there than we had to offer, and they both rode their horses really well. I'm happy with both performances, but Bergen is a really cool horse and he's a very forward horse in his training and his races. He likes what he does. Trevor [McCarthy] worked him two breezes back and he came back with some really good feedback, so we used that today.”

The winner's dam is responsible for GI Test S. heroine Chi Town Lady (Verrazano), a 2-year-old filly named Aledean (Game Winner), who sold to Greg Tramontin for $600,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale, and a yearling filly by Not This Time. She visited Justify for this season.

JIMMY WINKFIELD S., $97,000, Aqueduct, 1-27, 3yo, 6f, 1:12.63, my.
1–BERGEN, 118, c, 3, by Liam's Map
                1st Dam: Toni's Hollyday (SP, $119,047), by Harlan's Holiday
                2nd Dam: May Day Vow, by Broken Vow
                3rd Dam: May Day Bluff, by Pine Bluff
($205,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $375,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Martin Schwartz, Gandharvi LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Rick Kanter, James J. Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson; B-Castleton Lyons, Kilboy Estate & Gavin Tierney (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $136,975. *1/2 to Chi Town Lady (Verrazano), GISW, $462,913.
2–Iridescent, 118, c, 3, City of Light–Resolu, by Smart Strike. ($150,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/T-David Jacobson; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY). $20,000.
3–Air Cav, 118, c, 3, Mitole–In a Cloud, by Elusive Quality. ($125,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Calumet Farm; B-Highlight Thoroughbreds & Haugh Stables (KY); T-Brad Cox. $12,000.
Margins: 5 1/4, 6 3/4, 5. Odds: 0.90, 3.85, 5.50.
Also Ran: El Divino Nino, Stolen Magic.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Cox Barn Celebrates Big Apple Stakes Double

It was a good day at the office Saturday for the Brad Cox barn, as it swept the two added-money features on the card at Aqueduct.

Gold Square LLC's Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) stamped his authority on the $150,000 Jerome S., scoring by 3 3/4 lengths over a track that produced very slow times all afternoon. The $250,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 after stopping the clock in 1:41.91 and plans call for the chestnut, a latest third to Dornoch (Good Magic) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2, to remain in New York with his next start likely to come in the nine-furlong GIII Withers S. Feb. 3.

“He's lightly raced and the experience he gained yesterday was the main thing,” said Cox's Belmont-based assistant Dustin Dugas. “After Javier won on him [maiden victory over the Jerome course and distance Oct. 6], he was really excited about him and even after the Remsen, he said he would make the trip to ride him again. He really fits the horse well.”

Dugas said the longer the better for Drum Roll Please.

“The way he trains, it seems like he's the type who can go all day,” said Dugas. “He's a chunk and he's a fun horse. He's always been spunky in the mornings.”

Godolphin homebred Comparative (Street Sense) made it a clean sweep for the stable in the Ladies' S. later on the program. The full-sister to MGSW Shared Sense earned her first black-type victory by covering the mile-and-an-eighth distance in 1:55.83.

“I like her a lot and she's such a cool filly,” said Dugas. “She's happy to train and loves to do it. I'm not sure where she'll go next. Brad will talk with Godolphin and review it with them and go from there.”

Dugas was highly complimentary of the ride Manny Franco put on Comparative.

“Manny fits her so well, and he's such a strong rider,” said Dugas. “She needs that. She's a very nice filly, but she needs a strong, special rider. You always heard everyone talk on the backstretch about how strong Manny is, but I think everyone is noticing now. He's shining.”

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Slip Mahoney Works for Gotham

Gold Square LLC's Slip Mahoney (Arrogate) tuned up for the Mar. 4 GIII Gotham S. with a four-furlong work in :48.87 (6/54) over the Belmont training track Saturday. The gray colt worked in company with unraced stablemate Global Image (Liam's Map).

“It wasn't as quick to watch it, but they moved pretty well,” said Dustin Dugas, trainer Brad Cox's Belmont-based assistant. “It was really good and he came out of it in great shape and we're all systems go. Trevor [McCarthy] was happy with him and he's going to ride him Saturday.”

Slip Mahoney will be making his fourth lifetime start and his stakes debut in the Gotham. He broke his maiden by a determined head at Aqueduct over the Gotham's one-mile distance last time out Jan. 21.

“He showed personal growth and mentally and physically, he's one that's still figuring things out,” Dugas said of his progression between starts. “He plays around a lot and still needs to mature, but right now, he's just doing it off of raw talent. He's getting there, and with each breeze, you can see him mature. He's not regressing and doing things proper.”

Cox is also expected to be represented in the Gotham by Ten Strike Racing's Eyeing Clover (Lookin At Lucky), who is unbeaten in two starts and is coming off a 9 3/4-length optional-claiming victory at Fair Grounds Jan. 28. The chestnut colt worked five furlongs at Fair Grounds in :59.80 (2/35) Saturday and is expected to ship into Belmont Park Tuesday.

The Gotham awards the top-five finishers 50-20-15-10-5 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Derby.

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Lady Rocket Runs Away With Go For Wand, Wins First Graded Stakes

Last-out winner of a division of the Pumpkin Pie Stakes at Belmont, Lady Rocket built on that performance with an overwhelming victory in the Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Challenged early by Miss Marissa, the favorite put that competitor away and never looked back, finishing nine lengths ahead of Bella Vita at the wire.

In a field of six older fillies and mares, Lady Rocket entered the gate as the favorite and showed why with her run in the G3 stakes. Fastest at the break, Lady Rocket held a half-length lead early, as Miss Marissa pressed the pace on the backstretch. The favorite was able to maintain her lead into the far turn, Bella Vita making a run at the favorite entering the stretch.

Down the Aqueduct straight, Lady Rocket accelerated, pulling away from Bella Vita easily and striding out to a widening lead as the field approached the wire. Bella Vita was second, with Truth Hurts and last year's G3 Go For Wand winner Sharp Starr fourth.

The final time for the one-mile stakes was 1:36.52. Find this race's chart here.

Lady Rocket paid $4.40, $2.80, and $2.50. Bella Vita paid $3.90 and $3.30. Truth Hurts paid $4.30.

“She was very comfortable down the backstretch and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] said he was full of horse the entire way around. We were kind of worried about the break and wanted to focus on her standing there. Her very first start at Saratoga, she stumbled. She has this tendency to want to break too fast. We make sure she stands right and gets a good start. They did a great job getting her out of the gate today. We were expecting a big performance but she exceeded our expectations with that one,” Dustin Dugas, assistant trainer for Brad Cox, said after the race.

“She was nice today. She's always tries hard. The mile was a question mark, but she handled it really well. I was waiting, biding my time. I just took it easy and tried to get her to relax up front and she relaxed. She waited for my call and that was the key. This was one of her best performances in her whole career,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the Go For Wand.

Bred in Kentucky by La Ciega LLC and Tale of the Cat Syndicate, Lady Rocket is out of the Eskendereya mare Allons Danser. She is owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing and trained by Brad Cox. She was consigned by De Meric Sales and purchased by B S W Bloodstock for $420,000 at the April 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds In Training. With her win in the G3 Go For Wand, the 4-year-old filly has four wins in eight starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 11-6-3-1 and career earnings of $530,508.

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