Ryvit Drills First Stakes Win At Oaklawn

Ryvit (Competitive Edge), recorded his third victory in-a-row at Oaklawn Park on Saturday afternoon and his first stakes win for the Heiligbrodts.

After a debut second Apr. 13 at Keeneland, the bay colt was third May 5 at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Juvenile S. Taking a break, he returned to action in Hot Springs Feb. 18 and was a well-beaten sixth before winning against restricted auction company Mar. 25. Stepping up against optional claimers, the Steve Asmussen trainee won from off-the-pace by 2 lengths Apr. 14.

Facing a well-backed favorite in Mo Strike (Uncle Mo), Ryvit went off at odds of 5-2 and from the outset made his presence known by seizing the lead. Rounding the far turn, he distanced himself from the rest of the field and went to secure the victory by 2 lengths over the late-running chalk. GSW High Dollar Woman (Super Saver) is a half to the winner's dam. This is her first offspring to make the races, but she does have a 2-year-old colt by Collected.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

BACHELOR S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 4-29, 3yo, 6f, 1:11.16, my.
1–RYVIT, 121, c, 3, by Competitive Edge
          1st Dam: She Is Bedazzling, by Medaglia d'Oro
          2nd Dam: Melissa Jo, by Fusaichi Pegasus
          3rd Dam: Takeaway, by Fly So Free
($70,000 Ylg '21 TTAYHR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-William L. and Corinne Heiligbrodt; B-Curt Leake (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Keith J. Asmussen. $91,650. Lifetime
Record: 6-3-1-1, $228,068.
2–Mo Strike, 121, c, 3, Uncle Mo–Featherbed, by Smart Strike.
($90,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $325,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Nasser
Bin Omairah; B-Blue Heaven Farm & Ashford Stud (KY); T-Brad
Cox. $28,200.
3–Arman, 121, c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Beautissimo, by Uncle Mo.
($52,000 RNA Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $600,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR).
   1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Loren Nichols (FL);
T-Peter Miller. $14,100.
Margins: 2, 2HF, 3. Odds: 2.70, 1.60, 2.70.
Also Ran: Release McCraken, Count de Monet, Alto Road,
Joking Way, Tyler's Tribe.

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Five of Six Have Hopeful Claims

The curtain falls on the 40-day Saratoga meeting Monday afternoon with a field of six set to head to the post for the GI Hopeful S. And a legitimate case can be made for all but one of the juvenile colts signed on.

Half of the Hopeful field have already been accorded 'TDN Rising Star' honors and Gulfport (Uncle Mo) could well go favored for Steve Asmussen and the Heiligbrodts. The $275,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchased could not have looked better in his first two career outings–a seven-length debut at 1-2 at Churchill June 10 followed by a 12 1/4-length tour-de-force at 20 cents on the dollar in the July 4 Bashford Manor S. Odds-on yet again in the Aug. 13 GII Saratoga Special S., the bay found enough trouble 2 1/2 furlongs out to allow fellow 'Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin) to get the jump and was forced to settle for second.

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) is not a 'Rising Star' but holds the distinction of being the lone previous graded winner in the field, having stalked and pounced to a 3 1/2-length tally in the GIII Sanford S. July 16. Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown), third home that day, has since returned to wallop state-breds in the Funny Cide S.

“He's doing great. He's been feeling really good and came out of the Sanford in good order,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He's been working every seven days.”

A subpar fourth in Sanford was Forte (Violence), who streaked home by nearly eight on his downstate debut May 27 to earn his 'Rising Star', but never got untracked last time, finishing an even fourth. Trainer Todd Pletcher is willing to give his charge the benefit of the doubt.

“The track was probably a little deep for his liking [in the Sanford]. The pace didn't come back much,” said Pletcher. “I think he should appreciate the added distance.”

Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) also caught what appeared to be a heavy track on his July 24, earning an 85 Beyer when covering six furlongs in 1:13.34 to defeat re-opposing next-out maiden romper Bourbon Bash (City of Light) by 6 1/4 lengths.

“The form looked good in his last race,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He had his last breeze [on Sunday] for the Hopeful, so we'll see.”

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Patience is Key as Tessa Bisha Develops Next Class of Cox Stable Stars

Impressive GIII Sanford S. victor Mo Strike was the first Brad Cox-trained 2-year-old to make it to the winner's circle at Saratoga this year, but the son of Uncle Mo probably won't be the last. At last year's meet, Cox saddled five juveniles winners at the Spa, including the future multiple stakes-winning filly Bubble Rock (More Than Ready).

In recent years, the Cox barn's arsenal of talented 2-year-olds has rapidly developed in terms of both quality and quantity. While many of the stable's runners have reached future success alongside their back-to-back Eclipse Award-winning trainer, nearly all of them received their early schooling at Keeneland under Cox's assistant trainer Tessa Bisha.

Mo Strike was one of the first juveniles to arrive at the Brad Cox barn at Keeneland this spring, putting in three recorded works in May. When the colt showed early talent, he was among the first group that Bisha sent on to Churchill Downs. A few weeks later, he broke his maiden there on debut and is now pointing toward the GI Hopeful S.

Bisha is passionate about training 2-year-olds. While she enjoys overseeing the older horses, she said that they usually have a good handle on their job already. With 2-year-olds, however, she has the opportunity to teach them and get their racing career off on the right foot.

“I'd say judging the two-year-olds is the biggest part of my job–making sure that they get on the right pathway for success for whatever life has in store for them as far as racing goes and I feel like beyond that as well,” Bisha said. “What I look for is I want them to be comfortable with what we're asking them to do. They need to come in with an open mind and a good attitude, and we try to help them get there if they're not when they come in. We go back to the gate early and often and we make it a laid-back and calming experience. We really focus on making everything a good experience for them.”

Every year after the Keeneland Spring Meet has wrapped up, Bisha's incoming class of 2-year-olds starts to arrive. During her busiest months of May and June, she will have up to 85 juveniles under her care. The most precocious among the group will head to the Churchill Downs race meet and later, other promising youngsters will ship to Saratoga. When training at Keeneland concludes for the summer, the remaining pupils will stay under Bisha's care either at Ellis Park or Turfway Park.

Tessa Bisha oversees a morning of training at Keeneland | Sara Gordon

“It's a bit of a revolving door in that sense,” she said. “We really try to watch them breeze every week without trying to say if this horse is going to win the Derby or if it's going to be an absolute bust because they can grow and develop so much. They love proving you wrong and showing you how little you know, so we try to make sure that they all have the opportunity to basically become the best individual they can be with whatever talent and heart they bring to the table.”

With that mindset, Bisha said she aims to keep an open mind when a horse joins her stable, regardless of any reputation that might precede them.

“You have to create an environment where they know what's expected of them,” she said. “With the babies, you have an opportunity to develop them into being an individual that's not too tough on the track, not silly in the gate and not fractious in the barn. If you can get them to act right, they're usually kinder on themselves and handle their job better.”

Bisha first began working for Cox in 2016 as an exercise rider before taking on the role of assistant trainer. In her first year overseeing the incoming 2-year-olds, she estimates that she had about 30 or 40 juveniles in her care. When stable star Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) came onto the scene, the influx of new trainees began soon after.

With the growth of their program, Bisha said that she has had to evolve her managerial role. She finds herself spending more time in the office checking and rechecking registration papers and set lists, going over charts with Cox, and putting in notes from blacksmith visits or for vaccination schedules.

“We have a staff that helps with all that, but I always feel better if I have a hand in it too,” she admitted. “The more people that can check the boxes, the more you know it's thoroughly done.”

Countless top-level horses have been under Bisha's care since Monomoy Girl's outstanding career. Essential Quality (Tapit) will always be one that stands out to Bisha. The four-time Grade I winner spent his early days at Keeneland and returned to Lexington to race several times during his juvenile and sophomore campaigns.

“He came in here and was just head and shoulders above everybody else,” Bisha said. “Things with him were really streamlined, so there was no guesswork. He followed his own mind and liked to do his thing, but for the most part he never missed a work, he went straight to the races, and that was just him.”

Asked which horses she is most proud to have had a hand in bringing up, Bisha named off a few trainees that required a bit more legwork. One recent favorite is GIII Ohio Derby winner Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), who was in her care almost all of last year as a juvenile.

Tessa and Grade III stakes winner Bubble Rock (More Than Ready) | Sara Gordon

“He actually broke his maiden at Turfway over the winter,” she recalled. “I think those types of horses are really rewarding because they have more of, I guess a long-shot feel in our barn. To know that you helped develop them and you let them go on their schedule, that can be very hard, but it's a big success when it works out.”

Bisha said that as their program has continued to develop, one thing she believes they do best is keeping an open mind when it comes to helping their trainees progress.

“When we launched into this 2-year-old program and it started to really take off and get the numbers behind it, Brad and I would have heated discussions over how it was working out and what we were seeing,” she said. “After horses showing us how wrong we were and us eating crow a few times, I think we kind of learned that you really just have to let the horse develop and show you who they want to be.”

Bisha explained that every year, they make an effort to try something new or use a certain tool more frequently–maybe putting blinkers on more readily for a workout, warming up without the pony with a first-time starter, or going back to the starting gate one extra time before breezing.

“It might just be something small, but we try to stay open minded and focus on improving all the time and not just using our ego or what we think we know to get in the way of improving the program,” she noted.

Last year, Bisha was a finalist for the TIEA Dedication to Racing Award. Prior to her time with Brad Cox, the Washington native worked at tracks in Southern California and all along the East Coast. These days, as her former pupils are making headlines at high-profile racetracks like Saratoga, she prefers to stay back home in Lexington training up the next class of future stars.

“I've been to a lot of different tracks so I feel like I've seen enough and done enough to where I'm pretty content just staying here and doing this,” she said. “I don't mind traveling, but I find myself most fulfilled by training the 2-year-olds, so I don't feel any need to stray away from that.”

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Uncle Mo Colt ‘Strikes’ In the Sanford

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) was the second 8-1 shot to win a graded event at Saratoga Saturday, taking his record to two-for-two with a victory in the GII Sanford S.

Away in good order from the six-hole, the bay rushed up to contest the pace alongside Curly Jack (Good Magic) with 'TDN Rising Star' Andiamo A Firenze (Speightstown) to his outside through a :22.59 opening quarter. They ran three abreast on the backstretch run, registering a :45.94 half-mile. Great Navigator (Sea Wizard) tried to break through that trio in early stretch, but was forced to swing out for the overland route just as Curly Jack threw in the towel at the fence. Andiamo A Firenze, the half-brother to the speedy GISW Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior), continued to battle Mo Strike in the lane, but that foe found another gear at the eighth-pole, pulling away for a 3 1/2-length decision. Great Navigator made a bold late run for second at 18-1. Favored 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) ran in seventh most of the way, made a three-wide bid in the turn, but never got into gear, finishing fourth.

“I mean, I didn't really know how the pace would set up,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “He broke and put himself right there, I saw the :22 1/5, or whatever it was, and I thought if he was there and he was doing it, he would have something to finish up with. He galloped out really well in his first run and he's a pretty intelligent horse. I think he can stretch a bit–I'm not going to say he's going to go a mile and a quarter just yet, but he's a nice horse that I think his biggest asset is his mind. He definitely showed some ability and fought off a very good horse [Andiamo a Firenze]. That horse ran a big figure in his race at Belmont, I believe, and when Florent [Geroux] really asked [Mo Strike] at the eighth-pole, he was able to get away.”

On a potential next start in the GII Saratoga Special Aug. 13 and the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 5, Cox said, ” It would probably be a lot to ask him [to race] in the Special and the Hopeful, but we'll let him determine our plans, and once again how he comes out of it, and go from there. I think the Hopeful is more likely being he's an Uncle Mo, it's a Grade I, and it would take a lot of pressure off. He's a nice colt.”

“He broke super sharp,” Geroux said. “From there, I was in the clear right from the beginning. I let the inside horse [Curly Jack] go. I kept an eye on [Andiamo a Firenze]. We were able to slow it down a little bit the second quarter and when the horse came to me down the lane, my horse was able to give me another gear and fight all the way to the wire. I was very pleased with his effort. The last eighth of a mile, I felt the race was pretty much over and he was just keeping along nicely. If someone else was going to attack me, I felt I had another gear to fight them down.”

A $90,000 FTKOCT yearling buy, Mo Strike summoned $325,000 at OBS April after breezing in :10 flat for Gene Recio. He beat nine rivals when taking his debut at Churchill Downs June 19 as the lukewarm favorite, earning a 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

Pedigree Notes:

Mo Strike is the 45th graded winner and 83rd black-type winner for top sire Uncle Mo, whose son Sea Wizard sired runner-up Great Navigator. He is also the 60th graded winner and 148th black-type scorer out of a daughter of Smart Strike. Stakes winner and GISP Featherbed is also the dam of GIII Illinois Derby winner Dynamic Impact (Tiznow). Her recent produce includes a yearling colt by Vino Rosso and a 2022 filly by McKinzie.

Saturday, Saratoga
SANFORD S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-16, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.35, ft.
1–MO STRIKE, 120, c, 2, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Featherbed (SW & GISP, $227,904), by Smart Strike
                2nd Dam: Favorite Feather, by Capote
                3rd Dam: In My Cap, by Vice Regent
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000 Ylg
'21 FTKOCT; $325,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Nasser Bin
Omairah; B-Blue Heaven Farm & Ashford Stud (KY); T-Brad H.
Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$165,710. *1/2 to Dynamic Impact (Tiznow), GSW, $421,006.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. 
2–Great Navigator, 120, c, 2, Sea Wizard–All Even, by Stephen
Got Even. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Holly Crest Farm (NJ); T-Eddie Owens, Jr. $35,000.
3–Andiamo a Firenze, 120, c, 2, Speightstown–My Every Wish,
by Langfuhr. 'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED
BLACK TYPE. O/B-Mr Amore Stables (NY); T-Kelly J. Breen.
$21,000.
Margins: 3HF, NK, 2. Odds: 8.20, 18.50, 4.20.
Also Ran: Forte, Curly Jack, Major Dude, Roman Giant, Prove Right, Valenzan Day, Boppy O, I'm Wide Awake, Puttheblameonme.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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