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Cox Pointing Mandaloun, Divine Comedy To Fair Grounds’ Road To The Derby Kickoff Day

Catch him if you can. From New Orleans to Hot Springs to Boynton Beach, trainer Brad Cox is logging plenty of frequent flier miles this winter while overseeing a stable that has him in contention to not only win him his first career Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer, but raise the bar even higher in 2021.

Front and center at Fair Grounds where he is the four-time defending training champion, Cox has Mandaloun and Divine Comedy pointing to a pair of stakes on the Jan. 16 “Road to the Derby Kickoff Day,” for what he hopes will be the start of the path to the April 30 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and May 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) later this spring at Churchill Downs.

Both Juddmonte Farms Inc.'s homebred Mandaloun and Godolphin LLC's homebred Divine Comedy figure to be among the favorites in their respective races on the 16th, with the former headlining the $200,000 Lecomte (G3) and the latter starring in the $150,000 Silverbulletday. Both races are important 10-4-2-1 points races for the Derby and Oaks, respectively, and will help shape the local landscape for the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

Mandaloun, a 3-year-old son of Into Mischief, was visually impressive winning both starts in Kentucky at 2, though he's yet to go two turns or run past 7 furlongs. Cox is eagerly looking forward to giving him the chance, and expects even better when it comes.

“He's pretty good and I'm excited about him getting around two turns,” Cox said. “He's been very good in his first two but I think he's a two-turn horse and we're going to see what he's cut out to do. Knock on wood he'll have one more work this weekend and I'm excited about running him on the 16th.”

Divine Comedy, a 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, impressed breaking her maiden here going long Dec. 18 after running sixth sprinting on debut at Churchill. While she may not be as accomplished or as heralded at Mandaloun, she's another in a long line of potential Cox stars.

“Divine Comedy is doing well and came out of her race in good shape,” Cox said. “She had an easy maintenance half, her first work back, and we're excited to run her.”

Cox also left the door open to run Juddmonte's homebred Sun Path, a full sister to last year's Fair Grounds Oaks winner Bonnie South, in the Silverbulletday. The daughter of Munnings is 2-for-3, including a local allowance win the same day Divine Comedy broke her maiden.

Along with his Fair Grounds string, Cox has runners stabled in Hot Springs, Arkansas for his Oaklawn Park division and Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida for his Gulfstream Park contingent. Fair Grounds Media caught up with him Wednesday morning to look back on a 2020 season that sees him on the short list of Eclipse Award candidates, as well as look towards 2021, where he's beginning to plot out the paths of his top horses.

“When I started this, I had dreams of winning an Eclipse,” Cox said. “There are three things that I said I would like to do in this industry, and that's win an Eclipse Award, do enough to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame, and win the Kentucky Derby. And I've yet to do any of them. So, I've continued to work hard, try to find good horses, place them properly, and manage them right. I'm very fortunate to have great owners, a great staff, and great horses and we've had a very good 2020.”

Updates on other big-name runners from Brad Cox's barn are below:

Godolphin LLC's homebred Essential Quality, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, is odds-on to win the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old, and is atop many Derby Future Book lists):

“He's a good colt and his work this weekend (4 furlongs in 48.80 Jan. 3 at Fair Grounds), just 'wow,' just phenomenal,” Cox said. “We didn't give him time off but we backed off on him and he seems to have responded well. He was really good this past weekend and we just need to keep him that way until the middle of February. The Risen Star (G2, Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds) is on the table, as is the Southwest (G3, Feb. 15 at Oaklawn). The one thing about the Fair Grounds race is it's a lot more points (50-20-10-5), so that makes it a little more attractive. But the distance is the question; do we want to go a mile and an eighth off not having a race in three months? We'll talk it over with the Godolphin team and make a decision probably about the 1st of February. If he goes to the Southwest, I'm 99% sure that he would go back to Fair Grounds, and the Louisiana Derby would be in play after that.”

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables LLC, The Elkstone Group LLC, and Bethlehem Stables LLC's Monomoy Girl, who won her second Breeders' Cup Distaff in November and will earn her second Eclipse Award later this month:

“The Bayakoa (G3) on (February) the 15th (at Oaklawn) is the plan right now for her,” Cox said. “She seems to have picked up where she left off last year. Her work this weekend (4 furlongs in 48.80 Jan. 3 at Fair Grounds) was really, really good and I feel like we're ahead of schedule as far as where we need to be with her. We never took her out of training, so it's not like she lost a bunch of fitness, but her work was really, really good.”

Clint Gasaway, Lance Gasaway, Madaket Stables LLC, and Wonder Stables' Wells Bayou, who won the Louisiana Derby in March but hasn't raced since running fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in May:

“(He's had 10 workouts since the middle of October) and we have a couple of options, including the Louisiana (G3 at Fair Grounds Jan. 16) and the Fifth Season (Jan. 23) at Oaklawn as well.”

OXO Equine LLC's Travel Column, who ended her 2-year-old campaign with an eye-catching win in Churchill's Golden Rod (G2):

“She's really good and she's doing really well right now,” Cox said. “Her work the other day (4 furlongs in :50 Jan. 3 at Fair Grounds) was a little slow but it was more because her workmate broke off a little slow but the rider on her did exactly what he was instructed to do and she'll pick it up and start going a little quicker and further in the future and right now we are pointing for (Fair Grounds' Feb. 13) Rachel Alexandra (G2).”

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, who won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November:

“We're thinking about the Louisiana but we're pretty sure we'll end up going in the Pegasus (G1 at Gulfstream Jan. 23),” Cox said. “I told the owners I could go either way, and they thought maybe we'll wait one more week and give it a shot there and see how it goes. Then we could maybe look at the Saudi ($20 million G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse Feb. 20) race as well. We'll get the first one out of the way and then go from there. I don't think further distances will be an issue for him at all. He's doing well, he's a grade 1 race horse, and that work (at Fair Grounds Jan. 2), three quarters in 1:13.00, that's fantastic and is moving on that race track.”

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber, The Elkstone Group LLC, and Bethlehem Stables LLC's Aunt Pearl (IRE), who completed a 3-for-3 juvenile campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf:

“She was given some time and there aren't a lot of options with the 3-year-old fillies on the grass early in the year,” Cox said. “One of our goals is possibly (Royal) Ascot (G1 Coronation in June) and maybe the Churchill race (Tepin Stakes) this summer to start her back.”

Shortleaf Stable LLC's homebred Caddo River, a 9 ½-length MSW winner at Churchill in November:

“He's doing really well and we're going to shoot for the Smarty Jones (Jan. 22 at Oaklawn),” Cox said.

Juddmonte Farms Inc.'s Prate, a 4 ¼-lengh debut winner here Dec. 19:

“I think his next start will be around one-turn,” Cox said. “I'm not saying we wouldn't eventually try two turns, but for the time being we'll keep him around one-turn. I don't have anything picked out for him right now and I want to give him plenty of time to recover from his first race. Since he's been at Fair Grounds he's settled in really well and is moving forward mentally.”

Shortleaf Stable Inc.'s The Sound, who's won two in a row in New York:

“We'll try a second-level allowance race with him around two turns at Oaklawn and hopefully he'll gradually make the progression to stakes company before the winter is over,” Cox said.

Kueber Racing LLC's Coach, who won Churchill's Rags to Riches at 2:

“She had a fantastic work (4 furlongs in a bullet 48.00 Jan. 4 at Oaklawn) and we really weren't expecting her to do as much as she did,” Cox said. “We're pointing her to the Marth Washington (Jan. 30 at Oaklawn).”

Rupp Racing's Gagetown, second sprinting in the local Dec. 19 Sugar Bowl:

“We're pointing him to an allowance race (at Fair Grounds) on the 16th (of January) going long,” Cox said. “It will be his introduction to two turns. We think he should handle it but you don't now until you try.”

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‘A Serious Horse’: Maiden Winner Caddo River To Point For Smarty Jones

Powerful maiden winner Caddo River will make his stakes and two-turn debut in the $150,000 Smarty Jones for 3-year-olds Jan. 22 at Oaklawn, the colt's trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday morning.

The one-mile Smarty Jones is Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races, a series that continues with the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 15, $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 13 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10.

A homebred for Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable, the lightly raced Caddo River finished second in his first two career starts in New York, both 7 furlongs, before concluding his 2-year-old campaign with a front-running 9 ½-length maiden victory Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs. Caddo River, as the odds-on favorite, covered a mile over a fast track in 1:35.22 to earn a career-high 104 Equibase speed rating, a 15-point increase over his previous start.

“He's a very good colt,” Cox said. “He ran against two really good colts in New York. He was able to break his maiden, one turn at Churchill. He's big, tall, rangy, leggy colt. I really do think that he's going to be better around two turns. He's got what I think it takes to be a serious horse. He's got speed and he can carry it.”

Caddo River has been based at Oaklawn since late December and already logged two half-mile workouts locally, including a :48 move over a fast track Sunday morning that ranked the third-fastest out of 85 published at the distance.

Caddo River is by 2007 Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun and out of the Anthony-raced Pangburn, an allowance winner at the 2015 Oaklawn meeting. Pangburn then finished third in the $150,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) and fourth in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3), Oaklawn's two biggest events for 3-year-old fillies. All three races were 1 1/16 miles.

“It appears as though he can carry it,” Cox said, referring to Caddo River's speed. “We'll find out this next race around two turns, but I think he's a very, very good colt.”

Cox has several other promising Kentucky Derby prospects, notably probable juvenile champion Essential Quality, who is unbeaten in three career starts. The Fair Grounds-based Essential Quality is under consideration for the Southwest, Cox said.

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Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card: Life Is Good, Not Great, So Far

As we moved into the first weekend of 2021 (anyone sorry to leave 2020 behind?), there were three races that can be looked upon as early-season preps for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby that is scheduled to be run on May 1.

Only one of the three preps – Saturday's Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita – was graded, and two of the races – the Sham and the Jerome at Aqueduct – received a total of 17 qualifying points for the Derby on a 10-4-2-1 basis for the top four finishers.

The third contest, the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, was neither graded nor an official points race, but it is the first leg of the South Florida track's road to the G1 Florida Derby, which has become the major East Coast prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Here is my first report card on the major Triple Crown prep races of 2021. Grades are entirely subjective and based on my personal “eyeball test,” Beyer Speed Figures, historical significance of the race, and perceived quality of the fields. Please keep this caveat in mind: I am not particularly easy on my “grading curve” and am not easily impressed.

Jan. 1: Jerome Stakes, one mile, Aqueduct

Capo Kane is a California-bred colt by Street Sense who handily defeated a pair of New York-bred stakes winners and two other maiden winners in a race that has had no historical impact on the Kentucky Derby since moving to early January at Aqueduct in 2011. Trained by Parx-based Harold Wyner, Capo Kane eased to the front shortly after the start under Dylan Davis, went quarter miles in :23.53, :24.30, and :24.79 for the first six furlongs in the one-turn mile before running his final quarter mile in :25.40 to win by 6 1/4 lengths. He was coming off a similar front-running score at Parx on Nov. 25 when he beat maidens by 4 1/2 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 73. He was given a Beyer of 84 in the Jerome.

Visually, Capo Kane looked OK, racing comfortably on the lead, but then drifted out in the stretch, probably more a matter of losing his focus more than anything else. He was the fourth betting choice in a five-horse field, with 7-5 favorite Swill chucking it in after prompting the early pace. Weak field in a historically weak race.

Grade: C-

Jan. 2: Mucho Macho Man Stakes, one mile, Gulfstream Park

Mutasaabeq was made the 11-10 favorite in this one-turn mile stakes at Gulfstream Park in his return to the dirt after two turf races, including an impressive last-to-first victory in the G2 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland. He then finished 10th in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the Into Mischief colt was purchased by Shadwell as a weanling for $425,000 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and won his debut on dirt at Saratoga Aug. 8 as a well-intentioned 4-5 favorite. Next out he was third of seven runners in the G1 Hopeful on dirt, then shifted to turf for his next two starts.

Nine horses broke from the gate in the Mucho Macho Man, including two other stakes winners: Pickin' Time, winner of the G3 Nashua Nov. 8 at Aqueduct; and Big Thorn, who won a Florida-bred event at Gulfstream Nov. 22.

Unlike the Bourbon Stakes, where Mutasaabeq displayed a brilliant turn of foot from the three-eighths pole to the furlong marker to gain the advantage and draw off by 2 1/4 lengths, he was more of a grinder in the Mucho Macho Man.

Under Luis Saez, Mutasaabeq was kept in the clear to the outside of pacesetter Awesome Gerry in the long run down the backstretch. He engaged the leader on the turn for home under aggressive handling from Luis Saez and was kept to his task down the stretch to win off by 1 1/2 lengths. Papetu, a 20-1 outsider who hadn't raced since running fifth in the aforementioned Hopeful, kept Mutasaabeq honest down the lane, ultimately finishing 1 1/21 lengths back.

Final time was 1:35.98, with quarter-mile fractions of :23.70, :22.45, :23.81 and :26.02. The Beyer Speed Figure team gave Mutasaabeq an 87 for the effort, three points above his maiden-breaking effort at Saratoga last August.

Grade: C

Jan. 2: Sham Stakes, one mile, Santa Anita

There was a lot of hype here. The Sham Stakes has had some very good winners in the past (Colonel John, Tapizar, Goldencents, McKinzie), but Authentic put the race on the map in 2020 when he won by 7 3/4 lengths despite nearly going over the rail while goofing off down the stretch. The Into Mischief colt went on to win the G2 San Felipe, G1 Haskell, G1 Kentucky Derby, and G1 Breeders' Cup Classic for trainer Bob Baffert and is the Horse of the Year favorite.

Authentic earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the 2020 Sham off a maiden win sprinting at Del Mar.

Life Is Good, like Authentic a son of Spendthrift Farm's leading stallion Into Mischief, earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure while breaking his maiden for Baffert in a Del Mar sprint on Nov. 22, drawing off by 9 1/2 lengths. Bred by Mary and Gary West Stable, Inc., he was purchased for $525,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale.

It's not surprising for Baffert to have the favorite in a graded stakes for horses being pointed toward the Kentucky Derby, but the debut of Life Is Good had the aura of a horse that was something special. He did not disappoint that day.

In the days leading up to the Swaps, Baffert downplayed Life Is Good's superiority, saying you never know if a horse can stretch out from sprint distances to two turns until they try it. Nevertheless, he went off the 1-5 favorite in a five-horse field that didn't include a single stakes winner. Second choice was Parnelli, a John Shirreffs-trained colt who needed four starts to break his maiden, earning a 79 Beyer for his win. Third choice was a second Baffert runner, Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred son of Protonico who sold for $1,000 as a yearling at the OBS winter sale and $35,000 at the OBS July Sale as a 2-year-old. He'd broken his maiden at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11 by three lengths, getting a 76 Beyer.

Under Mike Smith, Life Is Good broke from the outside No. 5 post and was in front into the first turn while four wide. Never challenged through the first six furlongs, he set fractions of :23.56, :23.11 and :23.99 while leading by three to four lengths, according to the Equibase chart.

With a furlong left and a four-length advantage, Life Is Good looked home free. But Abel Cedillo aboard Medina Spirit, who chased from second throughout, cut into that margin — gradually at first and then more dramatically in the final yards. As Medina Spirit gained on Life Is Good in the final sixteenth of a mile, Smith went to work on his mount (much as he did when he thought Authentic was home free in the Haskell, leading by 2 1/2 lengths at furlong pole and then barely holding on against Ny Traffic to win by a nose).

Life Is Good drifted out several paths late, possibly intimidating Medina Spirit and Cedillo, who wasn't able to give the most aggressive ride in the final yards. The winning margin was three-quarters of a length and the final quarter mile was run in :25.97. This was not the performance I was expecting to see.

The Beyer team gave Life Is Good a 101 Speed Figure, by far the fastest of the three weekend Derby preps.

Grade: B-

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Baffert: Life Is Good And Authentic Both Showed ‘Raw Talent’ In Sham

Life Is Good continued on the path of 2020 Horse-of-the-Year-in-waiting Authentic when he won Saturday's Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., although the three-quarter length margin of victory wasn't as large as his odds of 20 cents on the dollar might have warranted.

But Bob Baffert will take it.

All was well Sunday morning as the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer pondered his next move with both Life Is Good and Sham runner-up Medina Spirit, which he also conditions.

“They both came back well so we're pretty happy about both of them,” Baffert said as he embarks yet again on the Triple Crown trail.

“The San Felipe (on March 6) is a race we're considering, but I might keep them separated,” Baffert added. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. It's a long way off, but they both ran really well.

“One might go out of town or they might stay here. I don't know yet. It's too far out. The important thing is they ran well and we thought they would and they ran fast.”

Life Is Good led throughout after breaking from the outside post position in a compact field of five. The bay Into Mischief colt set fractions of 23.56, 46.67, 1:10.66 and 1:23.24 under Mike Smith, who had a four-length lead entering the stretch and never touched him with the crop, although he did have to show it to him when Medina Spirit closed the gap as his touted stablemate drifted out in the final sixteenth.

“I always tell Mike to try and save something,” Baffert said. “Life Is Good wasn't as tired as I thought he could have been. He needs to learn to relax a little bit better, but he will. He'll mature, just like Authentic.

“When he won the Sham last year, he was sort of puzzling, zig-zagging all the way down the stretch, but they're babies.

“Still, you can see their raw talent.”

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