turnerloose | Horse Racing Free Tips

Brad Cox Hoping To Add To His Breeders’ Cup Lineup At Keeneland This Weekend

Trainer Brad Cox unleashed a couple of coming attractions here last fall for the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland when Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl (IRE) used Keeneland stakes victories as a springboard to respective triumphs in the TVG Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Cox is hoping for a repeat performance in a trio of upcoming Breeders' Cup Challenge races, which provide the winners with a fees-paid berth into their respective races at Del Mar Nov. 5-6.

Friday's 1 1/16-mile Darley Alcibiades (G1) is first for Cox with a spot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 5 on the line. Cox won the Darley Alcibiades in 2019 with British Idiom, who came back four weeks later to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.

This year, he has Godolphin's Matareya and Albaugh Family Stables' Juju's Map in the race.

“We have always thought highly of her,” Cox said of Matareya, who won her lone start by 4½ lengths at Ellis Park on Aug. 20. “Juju's Map, I like her a lot. She is a little more seasoned than Matareya, and she has won at a mile (at Ellis Park).”

Cox plans to run Shortleaf Stable's Vivar in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile Castle & Key Bourbon (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), also on Nov. 5.

“He ran well at Kentucky Downs,” Cox said of Vivar, who won going a mile as the 1-2 favorite. “He finished well.”

Hoping to follow in Aunt Pearl's footsteps for Cox is Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose, who is being pointed to next Wednesday's 1 1/16-mile JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5.

“I like her a lot, too,” Cox said of Turnerloose, who has won twice going a mile with the latter score coming in the Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies (L) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6.

Cox, whose 1-2 punch of Essential Quality and Knicks Go is targeting the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), plans to run Juddmonte's Bonny South in Sunday's 1 1/8-mile Juddmonte Spinster (G1). The Juddmonte Spinster is a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

“She's doing very well, and her last two works at Churchill Downs have been very good,” Cox said of Bonny South, who won the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here in April. “We will see if she can close the gap on Letruska a little more.”

Bonny South has chased Letruska twice in 2021, finishing second by 2 ¾ lengths in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and in her most recent start was second by a half-length in the Personal Ensign (G1).

Cox already has Shedaresthedevil targeting the Breeders' Cup Distaff and is considering Donegal Racing's Ready to Purrform, winner of last Saturday's Laurel Futurity, for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

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Turnerloose, Tiz The Bomb Capture Juvenile Turf Stakes At Kentucky Downs

With the kind of results Joel Rosario was producing at Kentucky Downs on the second day of the short meet in Franklin, Ky., victory in The Aristocrat Gaming Juvenile Fillies came down to either his 2-year-old, Yin Yang, or her stablemate in the Brad Cox barn, Turnerloose, with Florent Geroux aboard.

Rosario finished the day by winning 5 of the 11 races, but he rode in just eight of them. Fortune did not smile on him in the $500,000 filly co-feature, as Turnerloose turned it on down the long stretch to cross the wire five lengths ahead of Yin Yang.

“Look at that, I beat Joel Rosario today,” said a joyful Geroux as he brought Turnerloose back to the winner's circle.

Closing out Monday's holiday program was another $500,000 stakes for 2-year-olds, The Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, with 6-1 Tiz the Bomb also using the stretch to his advantage to score a three-quarters-length victory with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.

The filly race was more spread out. Behind the top two, sent off at very identical 2-1 odds in the field of nine, it was another 7 1/4 lengths until early pacesetter Verylittlecents and Joe Talamo finished.

“The break, she was very excited there, and didn't get out of there real quickly,” Rosario said. “But she did everything good, and she came running. She's nice, the other horse just got a jump on her. I'm very excited with the way she ran.”

Both of the Cox fillies had broken their maidens at Ellis Park in July. The victory pulled Cox into a tie with Joe Sharp atop the trainer standings, with three apiece.

“Both are very good fillies. I said last week that I liked both fillies, that I thought I'd go 1-2 in the race,” said Jorje Abrego, assistant trainer to Cox, about the pair who are part of the band he was supervising at Ellis this summer. “Turnerloose looked like 'turn her loose' today. She ran well. Yin Yang ran a very good second, so it was very good day for the team.”

Even more excited was Geroux after his first win at the meet, after missing Sunday's opener while riding at Saratoga.

“She was pulling on me pretty much all of the race, she wanted to go,” he said. “So, by the turn, she just kept on going. She was on a mission: she just wanted to take it to them, which was great.”

Turnerloose paid $6, $3 and $2.80, while Yin Yang returned $3.60 and $3. Verylittlecents paid $4 for show in a race timed in 1:36.19 for the mile on a turf course rated as firm.

It was a big win for Turnerloose, owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, and now Team Cox has to look to her future – and to that of Yin Yang. Turnerloose was a $950,000 purchase at last year's Keeneland September sale, while Selective LLC's Yin Yang sold for $160,000 at the Fasig Tipton sale in October.

“This was big for her, now she's a stakes-winner,” Abrego said. “Now is the time to look for a graded stakes. We'll see how she is tomorrow, and if everything is good, maybe get her ready for Keeneland. Yin Yang just got beat by what, today, was a better horse.”

Not to be outdone, Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd.'s Tiz the Bomb took a major step forward with his victory in 1:35.83 on the firm turf course.

Tiz the Bomb wins the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile

“He's got a license to be a good one,” said trainer Kenny McPeek about the colt, who sold for $330,000 at last year's Fasig Tipton yearling sale. “We're thrilled with the way he ran.”

While Play Action Pass and Edgard J. Zayas were setting the early fractions in the field of 10, Tiz the Bomb was in the middle of the pack.

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“He ran well today, the first time on the grass,” said Hernandez. “He put us in the spot and traveled the whole way around there looking like a winner, and got the job done.”

Kiss the Sky, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Jose Ortiz, was just behind Tiz the Bomb, and both colts took a wide path into the stretch for their rallying efforts. But Kiss the Sky, who won a maiden race at Saratoga for trainer Mike Maker in his second start, came up short.

“He ran well, second best,” said Maker, who was leading the Saratoga trainer standings for a good portion of the New York track's summer meeting.

Tiz the Bomb paid $14.20, $5.40 and $4, while Kiss the Sky paid $3.60 and $2.80. Play Action, the 12-1 early leader, was another half-length back in third and returned $6.40.

“They've been bragging on him over at the barn about how well he's been working,” Hernandez said of Tiz the Bomb. “And they were kinda tipping their hand about this performance. Robby Albarado has been working this horse in the mornings. He said that all of a sudden he turned the corner going the right way, and he showed it today.”

McPeek said Tiz the Bomb, who has won two of his three initial starts, might return to dirt in Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity.

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Nyquist Filly Leads Home 1-2 for Cox in Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies

Turnerloose stalked the pace, took over heading for home and poured it on from there to streak home an impressive winner of this lucrative event. Fellow Brad Cox trainee Yin Yang was a clear-cut second under red-hot Joel Rosario after briefly looking like she could threaten her stablemate for the top spot, while Runhappy Ellis Park Debutante S. winner Verylittlecents (Goldencents) was third in her turf debut.

“Both are very good fillies,” said Cox's assistant Jorje Abrego. “I said last week that I liked both fillies, that I thought I'd go 1-2 in the race. Turnerloose looked like 'turn her loose' today. She ran well. Yin Yang ran a very good second, so it was very good day for the team.”

Florent Geroux said of his trip on the winner: “She was pulling on me pretty much all of the race, she wanted to go. So by the turn, she just kept on going. She was on a mission: she just wanted to take it to them, which was great.”

The winner employed similar pace-pressing tactics to take her Ellis unveiling July 16, and becomes the third black-type winner for her well-regarded second-crop sire (by Uncle Mo). Her second dam is GISW dirt sprinter Game Face, and her dam has a filly foal by Arrogate. Goaltending visited City of Light this past season.

ARISTOCRAT JUVENILE FILLIES S., $500,000, Kentucky Downs, 9-6, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.19, fm.
1–TURNERLOOSE, 120, f, 2, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Goaltending, by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Game Face, by Menifee
                3rd Dam: Galleon of Gold, by Gone West
($32,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Ike & Dawn Thrash; B-William
Humphries & Altair Farms LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $300,700. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $331,300.
*3rd black-type winner for second-crop sire (by Uncle Mo).
2–Yin Yang, 120, f, 2, Point of Entry–Gypsy Princess, by
Unbridled's Song. ($13,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $160,000 Ylg '20
FTKOCT). O-Selective, LLC; B-Mt. Brilliant Broodmares I, LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $97,000.
3–Verylittlecents, 118, f, 2, Goldencents–Pinch Me, by Arch.
($50,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $85,000 RNA 2yo '21 OBSMAR).
O-Randy Patterson; B-Kellie & Tim Holland & Ramon Rangel
(KY); T-Randy L. Morse. $48,500.
Margins: 5, 7 1/4, 1. Odds: 2.00, 2.20, 6.60.
Also Ran: Sol Dorado, Ring Me Darling, Miz Jameson, Stepper, Cypress Queen. Scratched: Roughly a Diamond, She Hit a Homer. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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