Essential Quality | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bloodlines: Breeders’ Cup Future Stars Friday Was Draped In Godolphin Blue

Future Stars Friday at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland produced a banner day for Sheikh Mohammed's Darley America at Jonabell Farm.

The stallion division took the bows with freshman sire Nyquist (by Uncle Mo) as the sire of Vequist, who was the winner in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and the broodmare side of the operation scored with the victory of the homebred Essential Quality (Tapit) in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Both 2-year-olds are likely selections at the Eclipse Awards as leaders of their divisions on the racetrack.

Vequist propelled her sire, champion juvenile colt and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, to the top of the freshman sire list, where he is virtually certain to stay with almost double the earnings of second-place Not This Time (Giant's Causeway). The third-place freshman sire is Laoban (Uncle Mo), who was recently purchased and moved from New York to WinStar Farm in Kentucky, where he will stand alongside the fourth-place freshman Outwork (Uncle Mo).

So, three of the top four freshmen are sons of Uncle Mo, and of the six freshmen sires who have sired a graded stakes winner, two are by Uncle Mo (Nyquist and Laoban), and two are by Giant's Causeway (Not This Time and Brody's Cause). The other two freshmen sires of graded winners are Hit It a Bomb (War Front) and Texas Red (Afleet Alex).

The most common denominator among the elite half-dozen? All but Laoban were top-class performers at two, four winning a Grade 1 and Not This Time finishing a close second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile to divisional champion Classic Empire.

Prior to the winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Vequist had won the G1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga and finished second in the G1 Frizette Stakes to Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), who was second at Keeneland on Friday. Vequist's record show two victories from four starts, more than $1.2 million in earnings.

Later on Friday at Keeneland, the homebred Essential Quality remained unbeaten in three starts with a smooth effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile over Hot Rod Charlie.

Unlike Vequist, who was the fourth choice at 6.6-to-1, Essential Quality was second choice only to the previously unbeaten Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), who was the odds-on favorite at .9-to-1 and finished fourth.

The Juvenile was the second Grade 1 victory for Essential Quality, who had previously won the Breeders' Futurity, and a 4 1/4 length margin over Jackie's Warrior probably will push the son of Tapit over the top for the Eclipse. If so, Essential Quality would be the second champion juvenile colt for his sire, who has been three times the leading sire in North America.

The first champion 2-year-old colt by Tapit was Hansen, a handsome and well-balanced gray who went to stud at Ashford, then was sold off to Korea before his first foals had arrived. In 2019, Hansen was the leading sire of juveniles in Korea and second on the overall list to perennial leader Menifee. In 2020, Hansen is currently the leading sire overall in Korea.

Additionally, if Essential Quality gets the Eclipse as champion colt, he would be the first Eclipse Award winner as top 2-year-old colt bred by Darley. Midshipman, a son of Unbridled's Song and already a G1 winner, was acquired by Darley as part of a massive package deal with the Stonerside operation of Robert and Janice McNair. The colt subsequently won the 2008 Juvenile, the Eclipse Award, and stands at Darley today.

Darley also stands Frosted, a freshman sire son of Tapit, and stood the now-deceased Elusive Quality (Gone West), who is the broodmare sire of Essential Quality through his stakes-placed daughter Delightful Quality.

Seven times second or third in stakes, Delightful Quality earned $253,900, and Essential Quality is the mare's fourth foal. Her second foal, the unraced Indelible (Tiznow), had sold for $130,000 as a broodmare at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. On Nov. 8, two days after her half-brother won the Juvenile at Keeneland, Indelible resold for $1.6 million, in foal to Nyquist, at the Fasig-Tipton November sale. The young mare brought the 11th highest price of the auction, and the buyer was Nobutaka Tada.

Delightful Quality has a yearling filly by Uncle Mo and was barren this year. She was bred back to Nyquist in 2020 but lost the pregnancy.

Darley bred Delightful Quality and has bred all her foals to date. This mare is a half-sister to champion juvenile filly Folklore (Tiznow), and both are out of the Storm Cat mare Contrive. A blocky and substantial mare greatly in need of scope, Contrive produced a near-carbon copy of herself who became the leading 2-year-old filly of 2005 with a pair of Grade 1 victories, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Shortly thereafter, Darley acquired Contrive for $3 million at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November sale in foal to BC Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect (Pleasant Colony). Contrive produced nine foals for Darley, and six were fillies, including Divided Attention (A.P. Indy), who won the listed Ladies Handicap and was second in the G3 Tempted Stakes at two.

With the success of Essential Quality, Darley has another top horse from this famous family that extends back to the great broodmare La Troienne. The French-bred La Troienne crowned the family's roll of juvenile honor with her best son Bimelech, the champion 2-year-old of 1939 and a champion and multiple classic winner the following year.

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Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Double Has Cox ‘Looking Forward To Coming Up With A Game Plan For Next Year’

As he was preparing for another busy Breeders' Cup day, trainer Brad Cox was also enjoying his two victories Friday with Essential Quality in the TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and with Aunt Pearl (IRE) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Cox reported both juveniles came out of their races well and he's excited about next year with them, although no firm plans have been made yet.

“It was a fantastic day,” Cox said. “Both came out of their races really well. So far so good. Both are a little tired, but they have a right to be. They both appear to have bounced out of the races very well. We'll see how things go moving forward. We don't have anything picked out as far as races, but we're looking very forward to coming up with a game plan for next year. These are both horses that have shown us a lot since we picked them up in the spring. It's a long process getting to a point like this and it's just a testament to the help, the assistants, the foremen, the exercise riders, the hotwalkers, the grooms, everyone we have in place. I'm just really proud of our staff and really appreciative of the opportunities owners have given us with really nice horses. Aunt Pearl was an expensive purchase out of Tattersalls last year and fortunate to have been given her. Obviously, Godolphin has a very well-bred homebred. Sometimes that's what it takes to get to a stage like this. It's very rewarding and we're very fortunate.”

Aunt Pearl already had shown she was speedy in her two victories leading into the Juvenile Filles Turf and Cox said the plan all along with to use that weapon. As the 2-1 favorite she shot out of the gate and never looked back, winning by 2 ½ lengths.

“The closer we got to the race and once we had our post position, I just thought with where we were and where the other speed was, it didn't make sense to take back or try to make her rate. Our plan was to take it to them. (Jockey) Florent (Geroux) and I talked and we both agreed we needed to get her out of the gate and into position. She was fortunate enough to do that and clear off going into the turn, which was huge. She really relaxed and showed her class. She shut off for him that second quarter and I think that's probably where the race was won. She was able to settle that second quarter. Going into the second turn she was traveling beautifully. They were coming, but she obviously had gas left in the tank.”

Essential Quality, who now becomes one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby next year with his Juvenile win, has now shown how versatile he is with his third straight win and third different running style.

“Obviously, it was different style with Essential Quality, but not a different tactic,” Cox said. “We expected to break and be close, maybe third or fourth. We knew there was some speed in there. They kind of got away from him early. He took some dirt. (Jockey) Luis (Saez) did a good job getting him to the outside down the backside. He settled for him down the backside, but I was very concerned where we were. I think he may have been eighth. But, then I saw the 45 (for the half mile) and thought to myself these horses back up. Luis started knuckling down on him and I saw he was making a move. At the quarter pole was when I thought we had a shot. I was hoping that move he started making wasn't going to flatten out. He's a 2-year-old, still learning. It's only the third race of his life. Once they straightened up, I started to feel more confident. Luis gave him a strong ride down the lane and he was able to get there. This horse has had three races and he's been a different position every time. I think he showed his versatility and that he can overcome things. He's good colt. He's shown us from get go that he's special. Very happy to be associated with him.”

Cox will have five more chances to add to his Breeders' Cup tallies Saturday, including Monomoy Girl, the morning line favorite for the Longines Distaff.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents The News Minute: Future Stars Friday Seals Juvenile Championships

Vequist and Essential Quality locked up Eclipse Awards in their respective divisions with victories in the Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile on the Breeders' Cup Future Stars Friday program at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick says in the latest Breeders' Cup News Minute.

Star of the day was trainer Brad Cox, who won his first Breeders' Cup race in 2018 and now has five championship victories after sending out Aunt Pearl to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Essential Quality to his Juvenile triumph.

The main track was very fast on Friday, but horses did win from off the lead if the pace scenario set things up for them. Horses won both on the lead and from off the pace on a turf course rated “good.”

Saturday's big day of nine championship races gets under way at 10:15 a.m. Eastern, with the first Breeders' Cup race scheduled for 12:02 p.m. Of note is the $260,779 Pick 6 carryover that spices up a wagering extravaganza for horseplayers.

Watch the Breeders' Cup News Minute below.

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Big Day For Brad Cox: Essential Quality Shows Up With Professional Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Victory

Though he entered Friday's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile undefeated in two career starts, Godolphin homebred Essential Quality was sent to post at 7-2 odds in the wake of divisional heavyweight Jackie's Warrior (4-5 favorite). The tote board didn't tell the tale in this year's $2 million championship race, however, and the royal blue colors of the Godolphin operation hit the wire on top.

Trainer Brad Cox was jumping up and down after the 2-year-old son of Tapit hit the wire three-quarters of a length in front of 94-1 longshot Hot Rod Charlie. He'd just saddled the winner of the previous race, Aunt Pearl in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but had been less confident in the talented but inexperienced gray colt in the day's final event.

Luis Saez crafted a late-running triumph from eighth in the early going that showed a new dimension for Essential Quality; last out, the colt won the G1 Breeders' Futurity with a forwardly-placed trip. Making up ground with giant strides in the short stretch for 1 1/16 miles over the dirt at Keeneland, Essential Quality stopped the clock in 1:42.09.

Cox won his first Grade 1 race in April of 2018 with Monomoy Girl; two and a half years later, the trainer now has five Breeders' Cup wins to his name.

It was the first career Breeders' Cup win for Saez, whose agent is former Godolphin trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Though Jackie's Warrior broke near the top of the field, Dreamer's Disease rushed up from the outside to grab command headed into the clubhouse turn. When David Cohen pushed over to the rail with the frontrunner, Joel Rosario had to grab hold of an unhappy Jackie's Warrior and try to wrangle him back to rate in fourth position.

Likeable and Classier boxed Jackie's Warrior at the rail around the clubhouse turn, but Rosario was able to get the favorite outside into third mid-way down the backstretch.

Essential Quality was in eighth early on, concerning Cox until the early fractions flashed on the television screen: Dreamer's Disease was flying early in splits of :22.58, :45.31, and 1:10.48. The trainer was able to relax a bit when he saw Saez start moving up through the pack approaching the far turn.

Jackie's Warrior moved into second behind Dreamer's Disease around the far turn, but 94-1 longshot Hot Rod Charlie was hot on his heels and challenged the favorite at the head of the lane.

Meanwhile, Saez and Essential Quality had tracked Hot Rod Charlie into the stretch and swung out to the center of the course to make his challenge. Hard-ridden to the wire, Essential Quality put away the longshot by three-quarters of a length. Hot Rod Charlie, the half-brother to 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and champion Mitole, finished second. Keepmeinmind came flying late to nab the show Jackie's Warrior, and Rombauer checked in fifth.

The remaining order of finish is as follows: Dreamer's Disease, King Fury, Classier, Sittin On Go, Reinvestment Risk, Calibrate, Camp Hope, Likeable, and Next.

Essential Quality was bred in Kentucky by the Godolphin operation, and is the fourth foal out of the graded stakes-placed Elusive Quality mare Delightful Quality. The colt won on debut over six furlongs at Churchill Downs, then won the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity by 3 1/4 lengths in his final prep for the Juvenile. His undefeated record and total earnings of $1,335,14 will likely make him the early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.

Godolphin his never won the Run for the Roses, though they've won the Juvenile once before (in 2009 with Vale of York).

“I do feel the sky's the limit with this horse,” Cox said.

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