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Brad Cox Trying For Fourth Consecutive Trainer’s Title At Fair Grounds

Fresh off a record-tying four wins at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland earlier this month, trainer Brad Cox will look to parlay that success to his fourth straight Fair Grounds trainer's title when the 149th meet kicks off Thanksgiving Day. Cox, who won 40 races last year and also led with 12 stakes wins, will have the maximum number of 44 allotted stalls, two of which will eventually be occupied by soon-to-be champions Essential Quality and Monomoy Girl, who, along with Knicks Go and Aunt Pearl, helped him tie Hall of Famer Richard Mandella for the most wins at one Breeders' Cup. And while he's the clear favorite to extend his local streak, it won't be at the top of his to-do list to start the meet.

“Honestly, I never go into a meet thinking about winning the trainer's title,” Cox said. “The goal is always to be competitive, and especially now to develop our younger horses, that's a huge part of it. If we get halfway through the meet and we're in contention, then that's great.”

At the top of the list of younger horses is Godolphin's homebred, Essential Quality, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile to cap a 3-for-3 campaign that will almost assuredly earn him an Eclipse Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male. The son of Tapit is on the short list of Kentucky Derby contenders and could be a candidate for the March 20, $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), a race Cox won last year with Wells Bayou. Essential Quality has been given some time off after his Juvenile win and could resurface in mid-February, which means the local February 13 Risen Star (G2) could be in play.

“Right now, he's at Churchill jogging and will be there through November,” Cox said. “We'll eventually get him down to Fair Grounds and start mapping out a path to the Derby, with likely two preps. I don't have a spot picked out yet but Fair Grounds and their series is definitely in play.”

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables' Monomoy Girl won her second Breeders' Cup Distaff prior to being sold for $9.5 million to Spendthrift Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Selected Mixed Sale but, in a somewhat surprise decision, will race in 2021. The 5-year-old daughter of Tapizar is 13-for-15 lifetime in a surefire Hall of Fame career, won the Eclipse Award as Champion 3-Year-old Filly in 2018 and is odds-on to win Champion Older Mare this year. Monomoy Girl, who won the local Rachel Alexandra (G2) in 2018, is another who will join Cox's stable during the meet, though a potential schedule has yet to be determined.

“It's great to have her back (for another season),” Cox said. “Obviously, the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar is the main goal, but right now we really haven't talked 2021 with her. We'll get together with Spendthrift to work out a schedule, let her tell us when she's ready, and we'll go from there.”

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go will be the third of the Cox-trainer Breeders' Cup winners to be stabled at Fair Grounds this meet, though he could be pointed to the Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park. Cox, with an ever-growing stable, will also have horses at Palm Meadows in South Florida this year, as part of his Gulfstream contingent, though he will spend the majority of his time in New Orleans. Cox will kick off his title defense with runners in the last five races on the Opening Day card, including ERJ Racing, Madaket Stables, and Dave Kenney's Landeskog, who is 4-1 on the morning line for the featured $125,000 Thanksgiving Classic.

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Godolphin Wins Third Straight John Deere Award As Outstanding Breeder of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series

Strengthened by victories from She’s a Julie (Elusive Quality), Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Essential Quality (Tapit), Godolphin has won its third consecutive John Deere Award, honoring the outstanding breeder of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

The John Deere Award, presented by Breeders’ Cup Limited and NTRA Advantage, emphasizes the contributions of breeders to the Breeders’ Cup program. The industry’s breeders provide funding for the purses for the World Championships through the annual nominations of foals and stallions. NTRA Advantage and John Deere will award a John Deere TS Gator Utility Vehicle to Godolphin.

The John Deere award winner is determined by the breeder who received the highest number of first-place finishes in Graded/Group stakes in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series of 81 stakes races in nine countries, and in the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races. Each Grade/Group 1 win was worth 10 points; Grade/Group 2 wins were worth six points; Grade/Group 3 wins were worth four points; and listed stakes wins were worth two points.

Godolphin-bred runners earned 40 points by winning four Group/Grade 1 races in England and the United States. Godolphin finished 10 points in front of both Coolmore Stud and Northern Farm/Northern Racing, which tied for second place with 30 points each.

“The Breeders’ Cup and John Deere’s commitment to International Racing reflects the goals and ambitions of the global Godolphin breeding program to strive to compete at the highest level,” said Jimmy Bell, President, Godolphin USA. “Godolphin is honored to be recognized with this award.”

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Essential Quality 10-1 Favorite In First 2021 Derby Future Wager Pool

Godolphin's undefeated $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Essential Quality is the 10-1 individual favorite among 24 betting interests in Pool 1 of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which kicks off a four-day run at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day.

The pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings” is expected to be the overall first-pool favorite for the 23^rd consecutive year and veteran odds maker Mike Battaglia has installed it as the 6-5 favorite.

In addition to Essential Quality, other promising juveniles that are expected to take interest are CHC INC and WinStar Farm's recent 9 ½-length maiden winner Life Is Good, who cruised 6 ½ furlongs on debut in 1:15.40 Sunday for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, and Klaravich Stable's $125,000 Nyquist Stakes winner Highly Motivated, who is conditioned by top trainer Chad Brown. Both colts were made 15-1 on Battaglia's morning line odds.

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 field (with trainer and morning line odds): #1 Caddo River (Brad Cox, 30-1); #2 Dr. Schivel (Mark Glatt, 30-1); #3 Essential Quality (Cox, 10-1); #4 Fire At Will (Mike Maker, 30-1); #5 Get Her Number (Peter Miller, 20-1); #6 Highly Motivated (Brown, 15-1); #7 Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O'Neill, 20-1); #8 Jackie's Warrior (Steve Asmussen, 20-1); #9 Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro, 20-1); #10 King Fury (Kenny McPeek, 50-1); #11 Life Is Good (Baffert, 15-1); #12 Midnight Bourbon (Asmussen, 30-1); #13 Pickin Time (Kelly Breen, 20-1); #14 Red Flag (John Shirreffs, 30-1); #15 Reinvestment Risk (Brown, 30-1); #16 Rombauer (Michael McCarthy, 30-1); #17 Savile Row (Baffert, 20-1); #18 Scarred (Asmussen, 30-1); #19 Sittin On Go (Dale Romans, 30-1); #20 Speaker's Corner (Bill Mott, 50-1) #21 Super Stock (Asmussen, 30-1); #22 Ten for Ten (Shug McGaughey III, 50-1); #23 All 3-Year-Old Fillies (50-1); and #24 All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings (6-5).

The pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, opens Thursday at noon and will close Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be offered concurrently with the sixth annual Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which provides bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year's Kentucky Derby.

Offspring sired by Into Mischief and Tapit were made the co-individual favorites at 6-1 on the morning line by Battaglia. The overall favorite is the “All Other Sires” betting interest, which was made 9-2.

Here's the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager field (with morning line odds): #1 American Pharoah (20-1); #2 Bernardini (30-1); #3 Bodemeister (30-1); #4 Candy Ride (ARG) (30-1); #5 Constitution (20-1); #6 Curlin (15-1); #7 Flatter (30-1); #8 Frosted (30-1); #9 Ghostzapper (30-1); #10 Hard Spun (20-1); #11 Honor Code (20-1); #12 Into Mischief (6-1); #13 Liam's Map (30-1); #14 Medaglia D'Oro (20-1); #15 Munnings (30-1); #16 Not This Time (20-1); #17 Pioneerof the Nile (30-1); #18 Quality Road (30-1); #19 Street Sense (15-1); #20 Tapit (6-1); #21 Tiznow (15-1); #22 Uncle Mo (15-1); #23 Union Rags (50-1); and #24 “All Other Sires” (4-1).

This marks the eighth consecutive year that Churchill Downs has hosted Future Wager pools in November on closing weekend of its Fall Meet. In last year's wager, eventual Kentucky Derby winner Authentic closed at 50-1 odds and returned $103.60 for a $2 wager. His sire, Into Mischief, closed at 17-1 and returned $36.20.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wagers provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 147^th running of Kentucky Derby, America's greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 1, 2021 at Churchill Downs.

Bets can be placed at Churchill Downs Racetrack, TwinSpires.com and other online wagering outlets and satellite wagering centers across North America.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week's four-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Thursday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

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Brad Cox Talks Breeders’ Cup Grand Slam, Monomoy Girl 6YO Campaign On Writers’ Room

Already considered one of the hottest barns in America heading into Breeders’ Cup weekend, Brad Cox’s stable provided an exclamation point to a monster 2020 season with a whopping four World Championship victories at Keeneland. Now leading all conditioners with 28 graded stakes wins this year and a legitimate threat to unseat four-time defending champion trainer Chad Brown at the Eclipse Awards, Cox joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Cox explained his barn’s breakout success the past few years, talked about what’s next for his Breeders’ Cup winners and hinted at some potential new tests for soon-to-be dual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar)’s expected return as a 6-year-old.

“It’s the quality of horse. We always left like we’ve been able to win races,” Cox said of his outfit’s rapid rise to the top. “The bulk of the stable was made up of claiming horses for several years. We had a run with Midwest Thoroughbreds that was, for me and my crew, very educational. We had the opportunity to see a lot of different types of horses. But over the last five years, the biggest change is the clientele and the horses for sure.”

Already with an enormously satsifying weekend under its belt, Cox’s operation got even more good news Sunday night, when Spendthrift Farm announced that Monomoy Girl would return to the races in 2021 after buying the mare for $9.5 million at Fasig-Tipton November.

“They asked me if I’d be interested in taking her back to campaign her in 2021, which was a no-brainer, but that was basically the extent of our conversation,” Cox said when asked about a potential schedule for the wildly popular chestnut. “She’s back here with us at Churchill, she came out of the race in fantastic shape. I think we’ll find out more, they’re still buying horses and they seem to be busy, but I think that facing the boys or racing internationally could be something that’s on their mind. And it’s something that we would be up for, to say the least.”

After Monomoy Girl, the headliner of the weekend for Cox was Essential Quality (Tapit), who dominated the GI TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to run his record to three-for-three and likely salt away a divisional championship. The gray is the latest best hope for Godolphin to win its elusive first GI Kentucky Derby, and Cox talked about his impressions and immediate plans for the colt.

“He came out of the race really, really well,” he said. “We took him back to the track this morning, just jogged him. He’s full of himself at times. He’s a Tapit, so he has a lot of energy. But he seems to know when to turn it on or shut it off, which I think is a great trait of quality in a classy horse. I think the sky’s the limit and I don’t think there’s any kind of distance limitations with him. There really doesn’t seem to be a bottom with him so I’m very optimistic he could be a horse that gets a mile and a quarter. We’ll start training him again at some point in early December at Fair Grounds. It’d be nice to get a couple of races into him in February, March, April and hopefully he does enough to earn himself a spot in the Derby.”

Cox also indicated that he would consider a maiden European journey for his barn with GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf heroine Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), saying, “It would be nice to get a start into her this spring and then maybe look at Royal Ascot with her. Maybe a similar campaign that Sharing (Speightstown, second in Ascot’s G1 Coronation S.) had. I thought about that after she won the Jessamine because of one, her pedigree, and two, [winning with] no Lasix. I think that’s a benefit that’s going to help our horses internationally.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers broke down all the action from Breeders’ Cup weekend and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, laid out their biggest takeaways from Fasig-Tipton’s ‘Night of the Stars’ and the early days of Keeneland November. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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