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Half-Sister To Essential Quality, Famed Headlines Saturday’s Golden Rod Stakes

Godolphin's 2-year-old filly Famed, the half-sister to champion colt Essential Quality, will face off against Susan Moulton's dominant 10 ¾-length winner of the $200,000 Rags to Riches Sandstone in Saturday's $400,000 Golden Rod (Grade 2), a race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod will award the Top 4 fillies points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Golden Rod, which goes as Race 10 at 5:27 p.m., is one of four stakes events on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program from Churchill Downs. The others are the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), $200,000 Lively Shively and $200,000 Fern Creek. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Brad Cox, Famed has been well-backed in both of her two-career starts. She broke her maiden last out at Keeneland by 7 ¾ lengths at odds of 2-5. In her debut, the Uncle Mo filly finished second as the 4-5 favorite against 45-1 longshot Sweet Dani Girl. Famed will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post the rail.

The Kenny McPeek-trained Sandstone has won her last two races by a combined 19 ¾ lengths under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. The filly by Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense debuted at 5 ½ furlongs in late May and finished fifth, beaten 7 ¾ lengths to stablemate and eventual $150,000 Debutante Stakes winner Behave Virginia. In her second start, at one-mile, Sandstone dusted her rivals at odds of 5-1. Her first start around two-turns was the Rags to Riches, the local prep to the Golden Rod, where she was the slight 5-2 upset winner over Yuugiri. Hernandez will once again have the call from post No. 4.

The full field for the Golden Rod from the inside out (with jockey and trainer):

Famed (Geroux, Cox)
Cancel This (Joel Rosario, Dale Romans)
Secret Oath (David Cohen, D. Wayne Lukas)
Sandstone (Hernandez, McPeek)
Hal's Dream (Corey Lanerie, McPeek)
Yuugiri (Tyler Gaffalione, Rodolphe Brisset)
Dream Lith (Ramon Vazquez, Robertino Diodoro)
Code for Success (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver)

Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

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Brad Cox Named Winner Of Big Sport Of Turfdom Award

The Turf Publicists of America (TPA) announced Wednesday that the 2021 Big Sport of Turfdom award, which recognizes a person or group of people who enhances coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists, will be presented to trainer Brad Cox.

A Louisville, Native, Cox, grew up a few blocks from Churchill Downs and his father began taking him to the track when he was four or five. He got his first job as a hot walker at 13, then worked as a groom for trainers Burt Kessinger and Jimmy Baker. He was an assistant trainer to Dallas Stewart for five years before starting his own stable at age 24.

Cox's star has risen in recent years and the 41-year-old trainer was voted Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Trainer for 2020, and as an encore won the 2021 Belmont Stakes (G1) with Essential Quality and the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with Knicks Go, and as of this writing he leads all North American trainers in earnings with nearly $30 million in purses.

“What a year it's been for Brad Cox. Whenever there was a big race to cover, it was odds-on that a horse from his barn would be one to talk about,” TPA President Wendy Davis said. “Brad's generosity with his time, allowing his story, as well as his horses' stories to be shared with the fans of our sport is the epitome of what the award stands for. We congratulate Brad on his incredible 2021 racing season that includes the victory by Knicks Go in the Breeders' Cup Classic as well as being chosen by the members of the Turf Publicists of America as the Big Sport of Turfdom.”

The Big Sport of Turfdom award will be presented to Cox at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's annual awards luncheon on Dec. 7. The luncheon is part of the 2021 Symposium on Racing & Gaming at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz. As there was no Symposium held in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions, 2020 Big Sport winner, trainer Tom Amoss, will he honored at the same time

“I am honored to receive this award,” Cox said. “It is especially meaningful given the list of previous winners.”

The luncheon is included in registration fees for the symposium. Additional information about the luncheon may be obtained by contacting TPA Secretary/Treasurer Dave Zenner.

The Big Sport of Turfdom has been presented annually since 1966. This is the first time Cox has won the award.

Previous winners include jockeys Mike Smith, Pat Day, Chris McCarron, Bill Shoemaker, Angel Cordero Jr., Eddie Arcaro and Gary Stevens; trainers Art Sherman, D. Wayne Lukas and Jack Van Berg; and other individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport, such as Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, a two-time winner; announcer Tom Durkin, author Laura Hillenbrand, broadcaster Jim McKay, Turf writer Joe Hirsch and actors Tim Conway and Jack Klugman.

A complete list of past Big Sport of Turfdom winners can be found online at http://www.turfpublicists.com/awards.html.

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Famed Steps Out in Golden Rod

Famed (Uncle Mo), likely best known as champion Essential Quality (Tapit)'s younger half-sister, began to make her own reputation with a 'TDN Rising Star' graduation at Keeneland in October and the Godolphin homebred could take another step towards living up to her name when she goes postward in the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill Downs Saturday.

Always well thought of by Sheikh Mohammed's operation, Famed's career nonetheless started with a defeat. The Brad Cox trainee was in the mix early as the 4-5 favorite in the six-furlong affair at Churchill Sept. 26 only to come up a length short of 44-1 longshot Sweet Dani Girl (Jess's Dream). That filly came back to win the Myrtlewood S. Oct. 29 at Keeneland.

“She really did run a winning race, but ran into an absolute buzz saw who was a longshot that day, but was a short shot when she won the stakes at Keeneland in her next start,” Godolphin's Jimmy Bell said of Famed's runner-up debut effort. “So that form held up. But obviously, in Brad's mind, that first start was just time to get going. There is nothing like that afternoon race versus two or three more works in the morning and getting that experience. While she ran a winning race, six furlongs was never going to be her best distance. But these individuals who have talent, show talent and that was the case that day.”

Famed had another furlong to work with when she made her second start at Keeneland Oct. 30 and romped home to win by a geared-down 7 1/2 lengths (video).

“She came back, stretching out to seven-eighths at Keeneland and that suited her a lot better,” Bell said. “We had all along been looking forward to stretching her out and seeing what she could really do at a distance that we felt would suit her style.”

Famed tuned up for the 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod with a five-furlong work in 1:00.00 (3/12) at Churchill Downs Sunday.

“She is a nice, growthy filly and she's certainly beginning to fill out nicely,” Bell said of Famed's development. “She's doing very, very well. We've tried to get her races to be a building process and it's been very straightforward for us so far.”

Famed will be trying two turns for the first time in the Golden Rod and connections are eager to see how she takes both the stretch-out and the jump in class.

“What we are looking for is the obvious, the step up in competition and seeing if Brad's feeling of two turns is really going to be what she's all about,” Bell said. “That's really what he's been wanting to do since before the first race. We are going to get that opportunity on Saturday.”

Godolphin has enjoyed a banner year across the globe in 2021 and the operation could add to its 10 North American Grade I wins when Maxfield (Street Sense) makes his final career start in Friday's GI Clark H.

“Most of the time we get to have a joyful moment occasionally, but it's just been a very strong year,” Bell said of the team's 2021 success. “And everybody has contributed so much; Eoin Harty, Billy Mott, Brendan Walsh, Mike Stidham, and of course Brad. Everybody has had a major horse who had a major contribution. That made it all the more enjoyable that so many people have played such a major role in the success we've had this year.”

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Voting Now Open For 2021 Secretariat Vox Populi Award

Online voting is now open for the 12th annual winner of the 2021 Secretariat Vox Populi Award. Created by Secretariat's late owner Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year.

The six nominees were selected by a committee comprised of several distinguished personalities from within and outside the racing industry who all share a keen interest and affection for the sport. But voters also have the option to write in a racehorse of their choice. Voting will be open through Nov. 30, and the winner will be announced in December.

This year's nominees are:

Echo Zulu, the 2-year-old filly sensation whose undefeated debut season boasted impressive wins in all four of her starts, including the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Essential Quality, the 3-year-old colt whose class and consistency has provided conversation throughout the racing season with five wins in seven starts, including the Belmont Stakes
Hot Rod Charlie, the gutsy 3-year-old colt who rose to be a force along the Triple Crown trail and beyond with wins in the Louisiana Derby and the Pennsylvania Derby
Knicks Go, the 5-year-old Breeders' Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup winner whose stellar 2021 campaign resulted in earnings of $7.3 million
Letruska, the talented and tenacious 5-year-old distaffer who collected six wins in eight 2021 starts
Life is Good, the swift 3-year-old colt whose comeback from mid-season injury resulted in four wins in five starts, including the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

“Our nominees this year represent some of the brightest moments for the sport in 2021,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “We look forward to the fans celebrating their favorites by voting for the horses who thrilled them, who inspired them, and who provided them the most joy during another challenging year.”

The list of previous Vox Populi winners reads as a who's who among the sport's contemporary superstars and beloved equine heroes: Authentic (2020), Bricks and Mortar (2019), Winx (2018), Ben's Cat (2017), California Chrome (2016 and 2014), American Pharoah (2015), Mucho Macho Man (2013), Paynter (2012), Rapid Redux (2011), and 2010 inaugural winner Zenyatta.

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