Brad Cox is showing no signs of letting down after a year that saw him win the Eclipse Award as North America's outstanding trainer and a record-tying four Breeders' Cup races.
That extends to the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., where Cox has won a meet-leading 11 of 27 starts, with five seconds and three thirds. His haul can get even better as the stable figures to be in at least half of the eight stakes on tap next weekend for Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Weekend.
Entries were taken Sunday for Saturday's stakes quintet, with Royal Prince running in the $100,000 Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf and Adventuring and Caldee in the $100,000 Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on grass. The Preview stakes are designed as stepping stones to Kentucky Downs' all-grass meet Sept. 5-13, with the Ellis Park winners getting a fees-paid berth in the corresponding stakes. While it's not part of the Preview series, Cox also has 2020 Indiana Derby winner Shared Sense in Saturday's Tri-State Overnight Stakes for older horses at a mile on dirt.
Cox also has Hieronymus for next Sunday's $100,000 Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Mint Million at a mile on turf. With entries for Sunday not taken until Thursday, it's possible the barn could have others running.
“Brad is the best, and he has very good stock everywhere, to be honest,” said Jorge Abrego, Cox's assistant overseeing the Ellis Park division.
So far this season Cox earned his first Triple Crown victory with 2-year-old champion Essential Quality winning the Belmont Stakes, then tacking on Saturday's Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Mandaloun — who a week earlier captured Monmouth Park's Grade 1 Haskell upon a disqualification — would give Cox his first Kentucky Derby if the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit is ultimately DQed because of a medication infraction.
Cox is No. 2 in North American purse earnings, his $16.79 million trailing only Steve Asmussen's $17.5 million (a margin that would be wiped out if Mandaloun becomes the Derby victor). Cox's 228 victories out of 522 starters heading into Sunday's racing reflect a 28-percent win rate. He's also averaging a whopping $29,879 every time he runs a horse. Both figures are second only to Baffert's 30 percent and $43,548 per-starter average among the top 40 trainers based on earnings.
While Shared Sense has been at Indiana Grand with Cox assistant Rick Giannini and Caldee has been at Keeneland, Abrego oversaw the final works Sunday morning for Royal Prince, Adventuring, and Hieronymus.
Royal Prince and Adventuring worked together and were officially clocked cruising a half-mile in :50.60 right after the track opened about 5:25 a.m.
“All week the horses galloped very well. We tried to make a good match-up today,” said Abrego, whose own timing of the works was a fifth-second faster. “They went the first three-eighths in :38, :49 4/5, (five-eighths in) 1:01 4/5 – very good for these two. I think both horses are ready for next week.”
A half-hour later, Hieronymus worked :49 flat in company.
Owner-breeder Godolphin and Cox had been wanting to get the regally bred Adventuring on the turf, but her first three career starts in New Orleans were in races rained off the grass. She won the third by 6 1/2 lengths and followed that with victory in Turfway Park's Bourbonette Oaks over a synthetic surface. Back on the dirt, Pimlico's Black-Eyed Susan proved a debacle for Adventuring. Finally getting on turf, she was a close fifth in Churchill Downs' Tepin Stakes.
“I kind of think the filly likes the turf, but maybe wants it faster,” Abrego said. “We're trying to give her another shot here. I think firmer is better for her.”
Royal Prince already is a two-time stakes-winner on turf, down at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., and Sam Houston in Houston, Texas. In his last two starts, he was second in Churchill Downs' War Chant and third in the Audubon. The son of Cairo Prince has experience at Ellis Park, having finished second at the track in his debut last summer.
“Royal Prince, the horse is very nice,” Abrego said. “I think he'll show up next week. I like the way the horses are doing.”
Hieronymus, whose first career victory came at Ellis Park, won Canterbury Park's Mystic Lake in his last start.
“He's a very honest horse, tries hard every time he runs,” the assistant trainer said. “Last week, he breezed in :51 (for a half-mile). He breezed good, but with company this week, he went in :48-and-3, a minute and 3. I'm very happy with his breeze. I think this horse will be tough next Sunday.”
Shared Sense made his first start as a 4-year-old in Indiana Grand's Michael Schaefer Memorial, tiring to fifth as the heavy favorite. The son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense finished fifth in last year's Ellis Park Derby.
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