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BC Classic Winner Knicks Go Returns To Churchill Downs Tuesday

Saturday's $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic champion Knicks Go is set to return to Churchill Downs on Tuesday evening along with several other of his stablemates from the Brad Cox barn.

Owned by Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Indianapolis before vanning two hours south to Churchill Downs. The flight is scheduled to land in Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) and should arrive to Cox's Churchill Downs Barn 22 at approximately 9 p.m.

“He ran an extraordinary effort in the Classic,” Cox said. “We're very proud of him and his campaign this year. Things really worked out the way we planned. It means a lot to our team and his owners to win this race.”

Joining Knicks Go on Tuesday's flight is Classic third-place finisher Essential Quality along with Bubble Rock, Juju's Map, Ready to Purrform, and Turnerloose.

The Breeders' Cup World Championships have been held at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., twice and the Classic has been won each time by a locally based horse: Knicks Go and Gun Runner in 2017.

Local trainers Steve Asmussen and Wayne Catalano also enjoyed success at this year's Breeders' Cup. Asmussen's 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu romped in Friday's $2 million G1 Juvenile Fillies while Catalano's Aloha West defeated Dr. Shivel in Saturday's $2 million G1 Sprint by a scant nose.

“This victory was the pinnacle of my career,” Catalano said following the race.

The 65-year-old trainer has trained fewer horses recently and his usual full barn at Churchill Downs has only four horses. Catalano also keeps a string of horses at Keeneland where Aloha West is scheduled to return Wednesday. Aloha West's victory in the Sprint was Catalano's 2,931th as a trainer. He sports a trio of other Breeders' Cup victories with Stephanie's Kitten (2011 Juvenile Turf), She Be Wild (2009 Juvenile Fillies), and Dreaming of Anna (2006 Juvenile Fillies).

Echo Zulu was Asmussen's eighth Breeders' Cup victory. He previously won with Mitole (2019 Sprint), Gun Runner (2017 Classic), Untapable (2014 Distaff), Tapizar (2012 Dirt Mile), Regally Ready (2011 Turf Sprint), My Miss Aurelia (2011 Juvenile Fillies), and Curlin (2007 Classic).

The North American all-time leading conditioner now has a career-best mark in purse earnings of $27,807,020 – about $400,000 more than he had in 2019. He trails fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher by about $46 million to become the all-time leader in purse earnings.

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Cox on Knicks Go: Catch Him If You Can

When Knicks Go (Paynter) arrived in Brad Cox's barn late in 2019 the trainer didn't know what to expect. The Maryland-bred had won the 2019 GI Breeders' Futurity and was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in his next start. But his recent form for trainer Ben Colebrook had not been good. He had lost 10 straight and finished in the money only three times during that span. There was even talk of retiring him.

Some two years later, Knicks Go is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and the leading contender for Horse of the Year. It's been a remarkable transition, but not an inexplicable one. Under Cox, Knicks Go has been a horse allowed to use what is clearly his most potent weapon, his early speed.

“I think it has been huge,” Cox said of the change in tactics. “He's an aggressive horse who likes to go.”

He'll be asked to do it again Saturday in the Classic. Knicks Go is all but certain to go straight for the lead and if he wins, it will have meant that nobody could catch him.

After finishing a well-beaten third in the 2019 Arlington Washington Futurity, Knicks Go scored a stunning upset in the Breeders' Futurity at odds of 70-1. He won wire-to-wire that day, but reverted back to old habits in his next several starts. The Knicks Go who struggled throughout his 3-year-old year, going 0-for-8, was a horse that normally could be found stalking the early leaders. In the handful of races where he did go to the lead, he was never able to open up on the field early. After Knicks Go finished 10th in the GIII Commonwealth Turf S., his owners, the Korea Racing Authority, made the switch to Cox.

The trainer sensed early on that Knicks Go needed to be handled a certain way.

“I walked him off the van last night at 10:30 and he was pulling my guts out,” Cox said. “He's just a very aggressive horse. He's forward. He wants to go. He trains like that. He walks around the shedrow like that. He's really cool and laid back in the stall, but when he comes out of the stall, it's all go.”

Knicks Go made his debut for Cox last year in a Feb. 20 allowance race at Oaklawn. With Joe Talamo aboard, he shot to the early lead and drew off to win by 7 1/2 lengths. The horse that had struggled so often a year earlier was nowhere to be found. He's gone six for eight since, including a win in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the GI Whitney S. His two losses came in the only one-turn races he has competed in for Cox. Joel Rosario has been the rider in each of his last eight starts.

“The biggest thing when it came to getting this horse right and getting his form back was just getting him into some races where he could get his confidence,” Cox said. “We needed to find out what he wanted to do. He's a horse who wants to be on the lead. I really think Rosario fits him well. When the rider holds him together and lets him tote them around there, he's able to run them off their feet. That's what he does.”

Cox has left no doubt what the strategy will be Saturday, but that doesn't mean that Knicks Go will have an easy time of things. The race is loaded with speed and, like Knicks Go, Medina Spirit (Protonico) is a horse who has been thriving on the lead. Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and Art Collector (Bernardini) also have speed. Could there be a pace meltdown?

“I'm not worried about that,” Cox said. “I see Knicks Go breaking and probably having to be asked to establish position down the frontside. Then, hopefully, he can clear off going into the first turn. We'll see. I don't know what the game plan is for the other jocks and trainers. I'm not sure he can clear off, but hopefully he can. That would give him his best opportunity to win. They're going to be going quick. It just depends on how quick they are going and how much pressure he is getting when he goes quick.”

Riding Medina Spirit, John Velazquez will have some choices to make. If he goes after Knicks Go from the start that could prove to be a problem for both. If he allows Knicks Go to get away from him then Knicks Go probably won't get caught.

A rapid early pace could benefit Cox's other Classic starter, Essential Quality (Tapit). He is the second choice in the morning line and another Horse of the Year candidate. Max Player (Honor Code) is another who could benefit from a pace battle.

Then again, Knicks Go may just be too good and too fast for his rivals.

“That's just the way he runs,” Cox said. “That normally leads to the best result for him and for us. That's what we are going to do. We're going to send him away from there running and see how it works out.”

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Breeders’ Cup Breeze Report for Oct. 31: Cox Contingent on Track at Churchill

Three of trainer Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup hopefuls turned in their final works ahead of championship weekend Sunday at Churchill Downs, a day later than originally planned due to rain in the Louisville area Saturday. Aiming for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Essential Quality (Tapit) went five furlongs in a bullet :59.40 (1/22) and Knicks Go (Paynter) covered the same distance in 1:01.20 (9/22). GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff contender Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) went her five furlongs in 1:00.80 (2/22).

“It was a great morning and all three horses put in great works,” Cox said. “It was exactly what we were looking for heading into the Breeders' Cup next week. All three of these horses were scheduled to work [Saturday], but we got a lot of rain in the area, so we moved them all to [Sunday]. Overall, it worked out really well. I thought it was a good track. It was still a little wet, but it was drying out as the morning was going on.”

Essential Quality, with jockey Florent Geroux in the saddle, breezed outside of 3-year-old allowance winner Colonel Bowman (Curlin). Last year's champion juvenile started one length back of his workmate and finished five lengths in front through splits of :23.40 and :47. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.

“Essential really loved the track this morning and it was probably the Tapit coming out of him a little bit,” Cox said. “There was a set of horses slowing down in front of them and I told Florent on the radio to gallop out by them. It was a really, really good move. A lot of people scratch their heads the way he trains in the morning compared to running in a race. That's just who he is, but I think he's really developing at the right time.”

Essential Quality, whose lone career loss was a fourth-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby, won the GI Belmont S. and GII Jim Dandy S. and makes his first start since winning the Aug. 28 GI Runhappy Travers S. in Saturday's Classic.

Likely Classic favorite Knicks Go, with regular exercise rider Hugo Garcia up, clipped through fractions of :24.40, 36.40 and :48.60 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13.80 and seven furlongs in 1:27.60.

“He's just a really cool horse,” Cox said. “He's very kind when he's in his stall, but he's very aggressive, in a good way, outside of the barn. He knows his job and puts a lot into his training and works. I don't see anything from his previous races than he can't get the extra eighth-mile distance in the Classic. In the Whitney, against a field of really good horses, I thought he showed he could get an extra quarter-mile. He seems to clear off around the turn from his competition and is able to go fast and kick on.”

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, comes into the Classic off wins in the July 2 GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H., Aug. 7 GI Whitney S. and Oct. 2 GIII Lukas Classic S.

Shedaresthedevil worked with Geroux aboard through early fractions of :24 and :48.20.

“She always gets into a good rhythm in her training and races,” Cox said. “We saw that again today. Florent worked her and she was just cruising around there. She always seems to be under the radar, even going back to when she won the Kentucky Oaks. I thought I ran her a little too quickly back in the GI Spinster S. last year. She's gotten the job done in three out of four starts this year. She doesn't run bigger figures than some of the older mares, but she is a racehorse through and through. When she gets in a battle, she shows all heart and determination to get the job done.”

Shedaresthedevil defeated likely Distaff favorite Letruska (Super Saver) when winning the GII Azeri S. in March. She comes into the Breeders' Cup off wins in the Aug. 1 GI Clement L Hirsch S. and Sept. 18 GIII Locust Grove S.

Cox has six Breeders' Cup contenders training at Churchill Downs. Along with the trio who worked Sunday, he'll also target the GI Juvenile Fillies with Juju's Map (Liam's Map), the GI Juvenile Turf with Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy) and the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf with Turnerloose (Nyquist).

All of the Churchill Downs-based Breeders' Cup hopefuls are scheduled to van to Indianapolis Monday at noon for a 4 p.m. flight to California.

Art Collector Tunes Up

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector (Bernardini) tuned up for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a four-furlong move in :48.40 (9/29) at Del Mar Sunday.

Art Collector, winner of the GI Woodward S., was one of three Breeders' Cup horses to work at the oceanside oval Sunday for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Neil Poznansky was aboard the trio that included Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) (Mile) going four in :47.60 (4/29) and War Like Goddess (English Channel) (Filly & Mare Turf) going a half-mile in :48.20 (8/29).

“They were all useful works, nothing blazing fast,” said Mott. “I never have a problem working good grass horses on dirt and this track looks safe and very forgiving.”

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was aboard Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) as she covered a half-mile in :48.40 in preparation for the Filly & Mare Sprint.

“She's a happy girl and she loves to just go about her business,” Rodriguez said of Bella Sofia. “She handled the track well and was very comfortable on it.”

Bella Sofia, a winner of four of five career starts, is coming off wins in the Aug. 7 GI Test S. and Sept. 26 GII Gallant Bloom H.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen worked four of his six Breeders' Cup contenders Sunday at Del Mar, with likely GI Qatar Racing Sprint favorite Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) going three furlongs in :36.80. Working half-miles for Asmussen Sunday were Clairiere (Curlin) (Longines Distaff) in :49.20, Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) in :50.40 and Silver State (Hard Spun) (Dirt Mile) in :48.60.

Other Del Mar dirt workers included C Z Rocket (City Zip) (Qatar Racing Sprint) going 3f in :35.80, Commander (Fr) (War Command) (Turf Sprint also-eligible) a half-mile in :48.80, Giant Game (Giant's Causeway) (TVG Juvenile) a half-mile in :48.60, and the Richard Mandella-trained duo of Dogtag (War Front) (Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf) and Bombard (War Front) (Turf Sprint also-eligible) working five furlongs in :58.20 and :58.40, respectively, in company.

Working over the Del Mar turf Sunday were: Mo Forza (Uncle Mo), a two-time winner of the GII Del Mar Mile, worked a half-mile in :49.40 for the FanDuel Mile for trainer Peter Miller. Shortly after Mo Forza finished his work, Going to Vegas (Goldencents) worked a half-mile in :49.20 for trainer Richard Baltas in preparation for the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf.

Also working on the turf were Time to Party (Kantharos) (Juvenile Turf Sprint) going three furlongs in :38.20, Charmaine's Mia (The Factor) (Turf Sprint) going a half-mile in :50.20, Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid) (Turf Sprint) a half-mile in :49.40 in company with Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}); and Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) going five furlongs in 1:04.40.

In other Breeders' Cup works Sunday, GII Zenyatta S. winner Private Mission (Into Mischief) worked five furlongs in a bullet :58.80 (1/44) for trainer Bob Baffert at Santa Anita.

Breeders' Cup Defections

Trainer Richard Baltas withdrew Idol (Curlin) from consideration forthe GI Breeders' Cup Classic after the GI Santa Anita H. winner worked five furlongs in company in 1:02.40. Baltas told Breeders' Cup officials that he did not feel Idol was 100%.

Also Sunday, trainer Ken McPeek reported that GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Rattle N Roll (Connect) would not be entered in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

“He came out of his workout with what looks like a left hind foot abcess,” McPeek tweeted Sunday.

Two other horses were withdrawn from Breeders' Cup consideration by their connections Sunday morning: Flagstaff (Speightstown) from the Qatar Racing Sprint and Reina de Mollendo (Arg) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) from the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf.

Breeders' Cup Draw Live on TVG & Streamed

The Rood & Riddle Breeders' Cup Post-Position Draw for the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be shown live on Monday from Del Mar, beginning at 2:30pm PT/5:30pm ET.

All 14 races will be drawn and announced live on TVG, along with BreedersCup.com, the Breeders' Cup mobile app, and Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

The Rood & Riddle Breeders' Cup Post-Position Draw will be hosted by Britney Eurton and Nick Luck.

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Cox BC Contingent Work At Churchill Downs Ahead Of Trip to Del Mar

With rain moving out of the Louisville area Saturday afternoon, trainer Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup stars Essential Quality (five furlongs, :59.40), Knicks Go (five furlongs, 1:01.20), and Shedaresthedevil (five furlongs, 1:00.80) logged their final works Sunday at Churchill Downs prior to shipping to Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., for the Nov. 5-6 world championship event.

Cox's $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic contenders Essential Quality and Knicks Go both worked following the 7:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) track renovation break. Essential Quality, with jockey Florent Geroux in the saddle, breezed outside of stablemate Colonel Bowman. The multiple Grade 1-winning 3-year-old started one length back of his workmate and finished five lengths in front through splits of :23.40 and :47. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13. Shortly after his move, likely Classic favorite Knicks Go, with regular exercise rider Hugo Garcia up, clipped through fractions of :24.40, :36.40, and :48.60 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13.80 and seven furlongs in 1:27.60.

About 90 minutes later, Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil, preparing for the $2 million Grade 1 Longines Distaff, worked with Geroux aboard through early fractions of :24 and :48.20.

“It was a great morning and all three horses put in great works,” Cox said. “It was exactly what we were looking for heading into the Breeders' Cup next week. All three of these horses were scheduled to work (Saturday) but we got a lot of rain in the area so we moved them all to (Sunday). Overall, it worked out really well. I thought it was a good track. It was still a little wet but it was drying out as the morning was going on.”

Owned by Godolphin, Essential Quality has been off since winning the $1.25 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes two months ago at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“Essential (Quality) really loved the track this morning and it was probably the Tapit coming out of him a little bit,” Cox said. “There was a set of horses slowing down in front of them and I told Florent on the radio to gallop out by them. It was a really, really good move. A lot of people scratch their heads the way he trains in the morning compared to running in a race. That's just who he is but I think he's really developing at the right time.”

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, who is the likely favorite in the Classic, will attempt his second-straight Breeders' Cup victory after winning last year's Grade 1 Dirt Mile. The speedy Maryland-bred has won his last three races, including a victory in the $400,000 Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.

“He's just a really cool horse,” Cox said. “He's very kind when he's in his stall but he's very aggressive, in a good way, outside of the barn. He knows his job and puts a lot into his training and works. I don't see anything from his previous races than he can't get the extra eighth-mile distance in the Classic. In the Whitney, against a field of really good horses, I thought he showed he could get an extra quarter-mile. He seems to clear off around the turn from his competition and able to go fast and kick on.”

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Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing, and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil defeated likely Distaff favorite Letruska earlier this year in the $350,000 Grade 2 Azeri. The talented 4-year-old filly is scheduled to sell at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale following the Distaff.

“She always gets into a good rhythm in her training and races,” Cox said. “We saw that again today. Florent worked her and she was just cruising around there. She always seems to be under the radar, even going back to when she won the Kentucky Oaks (at odds of 15-1). I thought I ran her a little too quickly back in the (Grade 1) Spinster last year. She's gotten the job done in three out of four starts this year. She doesn't run bigger figures than some of the older mares but she is a racehorse through and through. When she gets in a battle, she shows all heart and determination to get the job done.”

Cox has six local Breeders' Cup contenders. Along with the trio who worked Sunday, he'll also target the $2 million Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies with Juju's Map, $1 million Grade 1 Juvenile Turf with Ready to Purrform and $1 million Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf with Turnerloose.

All of the local Breeders' Cup hopefuls are scheduled to van to Indianapolis on Monday at noon (all times Eastern) for a 4 p.m. flight.

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