Essential Quality | Horse Racing Free Tips

Champions Essential Quality, Monomoy Girl Arrive At Oaklawn Park

It was championship Thursday at Oaklawn as Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox sent his two Eclipse Award winners, Monomoy Girl and Essential Quality, to the track to train in preparation for weekend stakes engagements.

Cox said Monomoy Girl and unbeaten Essential Quality arrived at Oaklawn around 8 p.m. (Central) Wednesday following a van ride of approximately eight hours from Fair Grounds, where both horses have been based this winter.

Both horses galloped over a fast track Thursday morning under exercise rider Fernando Espinoza. Essential Quality will make his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3). Monomoy Girl is ticketed for Sunday's $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares.

Essential Quality (3 for 3) will be making his first start since clinching an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 2-year-old male in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland. The gray son of super sire Tapit is the 3-2 program favorite for the Southwest, Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races. Essential Quality will break from the rail in the 1 1/16-mile race.

“Just see how it shakes out,” Cox said moments after watching Monomoy Girl gallop. “I'm sure there's going to be some speed in there. We'll see.”

The Southwest and Bayakoa were originally scheduled to be run Feb. 15 before being postponed twice because of severe winter weather. Cox said the delay didn't affect Essential Quality's preparation for the Southwest because he was able to breeze the colt 5 furlongs twice (Feb. 14 and Feb. 20) at Fair Grounds.

“Monomoy Girl, kind of the same thing, really, as far as preparation,” Cox said. “Just two extra works.”

Monomoy Girl will be making her first start since winning the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland. A winner of 13 of 15 career starts, Monomoy Girl was an Eclipse Award winner in 2018 (3-year-old filly) and 2020 (older dirt female). She drew the extreme outside, post 6, for the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa, a major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17.

“Monomoy Girl draws outside all the time, it seems,” Cox said. “Fourteen of fourteen in the (Kentucky) Oaks, 11 of 11 in the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs.”

Cox said the Apple Blossom is the major spring objective for Monomoy Girl, who has never raced at Oaklawn.

Essential Quality schooled in the paddock Thursday afternoon. Abrego said Monomoy Girl is scheduled to school in the paddock Friday.

Cox won his first Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding trainer in 2020. He was Oaklawn's third-leading trainer last year.

First post Saturday is 12:15 p.m. and the Southwest is scheduled as Race 10 at 4:58 p.m. First post Sunday is 1 p.m. and the Bayakoa is scheduled as Race 9 at 5:11 p.m.

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Jackie’s Warrior, Former King of the Hill, Looks to Reclaim His Perch

In the world's current state of affairs, a lot can change in a few months' time. Racing is no different. One only has to go back to November to remember when Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) was the undisputed leader of his age group. But an odds-on loss on the sport's biggest stage took the bloom off of his rose for some, and these days, despite being a multiple Grade I winner, one could argue he is a forgotten colt as the GI Kentucky Derby trail kicks into high gear.

But opportunity knocks this Saturday, in the twice-delayed GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn, where the brilliant $95,000 Keeneland September grad will make his 3-year-old debut and get his long-awaited rematch with the rival who snatched away his Eclipse statuette with a conquest of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Essential Quality (Tapit).

“Steve [Asmussen]'s extremely happy with the horse, I personally love the draw, number four in a seven-horse field and you get the favorite down on the rail, so I think we're good to go,” Robison said Wednesday of the Southwest, which was originally supposed to run Feb. 15 but got pushed back two times due to inclement weather in Hot Springs. “Steve never considered another race. From 6-8 weeks ago, he was always on track for this race and I think when they announced Essential Quality was probably going there too, it scared a few people off, but that's where we wanted to go from day one. No excuses.”

After dominating a trio of historic 2-year-old stakes last summer and fall–the GII Saratoga Special S., GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S.–Jackie's Warrior was regarded highly enough to be hammered down to 9-10 favoritism in the Juvenile, one of the shortest prices of the entire Breeders' Cup weekend. But the speedball was caught too close to a scorching pace of :22.58 and :45.31, and just faded late after making the lead in mid-stretch under Joel Rosario, ending up fourth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths by tripped-out closer Essential Quality.

The nature of that first defeat raised doubts about Jackie's Warrior's ability to see out two-turn races, considering his running style and sprint-leaning pedigree.

“I think there's always been some question about whether he could get a mile and a sixteenth against top-flight horses,” Robison said. “He was not able to do it that day, but I'm very confident he can get it done Saturday. It's a different circumstance, smaller field, and I think Rosario and Steve probably learned a lot from what happened in the Juvenile, so let's see what happens.”

As for potentially trying to throttle the horse's speed down to increase his staying chances, Robison said, “He really is freaky fast, and I remember Steve telling me a long time ago about horses, 'Never take away what they do well.' So if you have a horse who outbreaks the field, don't take that advantage away from the horse, let him go on. He's just a natural speed horse and I think that's what his style will be. The question is going to always be, how far can he take that kind of speed? We'll find out.”

And, if Jackie's Warrior doesn't continue on the Derby trail after Saturday, that will be just fine with Robison, a veteran of the game who deeply appreciates the prestige of big races beyond the Run for the Roses.

“If he turns into a multiple Grade I winner around one turn, that's not the end of the world,” he said with a laugh. “I don't get up in the morning dreaming about a Derby horse. People at cocktail parties only want to hear about the Derby, but most of us in the industry know with these Grade I sprints and one-turn mile races, how important they are. I'm not going to presume what Steve's going to do after this race, but having said that, I think he'll run extremely well.”

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Southwest Stakes: Spielberg In, Keepmeinmind To Wait For Rebel

Southern California-based Spielberg will join the lineup for this Saturday's delayed edition of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, reports the Daily Racing Form, while locally-based Keepmeinmind will wait two weeks for the G2 Rebel Stakes.

The Southwest, originally scheduled for Feb. 15, was delayed two weeks by a series of winter storms that hit that Hot Springs, Ark. track, but will still offer the winner 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Spielberg, a 3-year-old son of Union Rags trained by Bob Baffert, won the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in 2020, but failed to fire when fourth last out in the G3 Bob Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

The colt worked six furlongs in 1:13.00 at Santa Anita on Sunday. He'll be piloted in the Southwest by Martin Garcia

“We're going,” Baffert told drf.com. “We'll see what he does over there. He's been training well.”

The Southwest is also expected to draw champion Essential Quality and Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior. Entries will be taken Tuesday afternoon.

Keepmeinmind, the Grade 2-winning son of Laoban trained by Robertino Diodoro, missed 11 days of training due to the condition in Arkansas, hence the decision to delay his 2021 debut until the Rebel Stakes on March 13.

Essential Quality, Mandaloun Top Nominees To April 3 Blue Grass Stakes

Ten of the top 11 horses on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) leaderboard, which is led by recent Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford winner Mandaloun and undefeated champion Essential Quality, are among 148 3-year-olds nominated to the 97th running of the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2), the richest of the six graded stakes worth $2.1 million to be run April 3 on opening Saturday of Keeneland's 2021 Spring Meet.

Brad Cox, who received the 2020 Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer, conditions both Essential Quality and Mandaloun. He trains a total of 13 horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass.

Click here for the list of the Toyota Blue Grass nominees; click here for their past performances.

“We thank the best racing operations in the U.S. for their support of Keeneland by nominating such an accomplished roster of horses to the Toyota Blue Grass,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “The race is an important part of Triple Crown season and the cornerstone of the Spring Meet.”

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass is one of the nation's most prominent steppingstones to the Triple Crown's first leg, the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1 at Churchill Downs. The winner earns 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers receive 40 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively.

Joining the Toyota Blue Grass on Keeneland's 11-race card on April 3 are the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies bidding to compete in the Kentucky Oaks (G1); $300,000 Madison (G1) for older fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf; $200,000 Shakertown (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

That day, Keeneland will offer a $500,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four and a $500,000-guaranteed All Stakes Pick Five.

The Toyota Blue Grass will be the final race of Keeneland's April 3 card with a 6:38 p.m. ET post. NBC Sports Network will televise the race along with the Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino from Aqueduct and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Post positions for the Toyota Blue Grass, Central Bank Ashland and the other April 3 races will be drawn Tuesday, March 30.

Mandaloun, a homebred racing for Juddmonte Farms, posted his initial stakes victory Feb. 13 in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds to move into the top spot on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Owned and bred by Godolphin, Essential Quality is undefeated in three starts with two Grade 1 victories at Keeneland: Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. He is second on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Among the top-ranked horses on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard who are nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass are the first five finishers from last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Third on the leaderboard is Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, winner of the Lecomte (G3), followed by Godolphin's Proxy, runner-up in the Lecomte and Risen Star; Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) who was second in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer, recent winner of the El Camino Real Derby (L) who was fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit, winner of the Robert B. Lewis (G3); SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm et al's Spielberg, winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2); J. Kirk and Judy Robison's two-time Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and William Strauss' Hot Rod Charlie, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Other notable horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass include the next six horses on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard: Gary Barber's Get Her Number, winner of the American Pharoah (G1); Albaugh Family Stables' Sittin On Go, winner of the Iroquois (G3) Presented by Ford; Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking, winner of the Withers (G3); Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket, winner of the Sam F. Davis (G3); Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour, winner of the Holy Bull (G3), and Shortleaf Stable's Caddo River, winner of the Smarty Jones (L).

Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher lead trainers by number of horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass, with 15 each.

Asmussen's nominees include the aforementioned Jackie's Warrior and Midnight Bourbon along with two fillies bred and raced by Stonestreet Stables: Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Clairiere and Pauline's Pearl. Clairiere is the leading point earner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Joining Asmussen and Pletcher along with Cox as trainers with the most nominees to the Toyota Blue Grass are Chad Brown (nine), Bob Baffert (eight), Mark Casse (seven), Saffie Joseph Jr. (five), Kenny McPeek (five) and Dale Romans (five).

The late nomination period for the Toyota Blue Grass closes Wednesday, March 17.

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