A year ago at this point, coach Brad Cox’s days were filled with plans for some of the top Kentucky Derby games presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
His stables include those who eventually won 2/3 of the Triple Crown in Juddmonte’s Mandaloun who was finally declared the winner of the Kentucky race last month after Medina Spirit was disqualified for failing post-race drug tests, and Godolphin’s Belmont Stock held by NYRA Bets (G1) presenter, winner, Necessary quality . River Caddo Smarty Jones Stakes winner and Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up, are also on this list for Cox.
However, if one were to flip through the current list of 56 horses on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboards, they would not see Cox’s name.
And now.
While the three-year-olds of the two-time Eclipse Award-winning coach have yet to accumulate any qualifying points for the Run for Commissions. This could change quite dramatically in the next two weeks when Cox dispatches Zozos during the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 26 at Racetracks & Slots at Fair Grounds and Cyberknife at the Arkansas Derby on April 2 at Oaklawn Park.
“I say with my help all the time, we’re not in the position we were last year, but if you give it another month, we probably won’t be watching the Kentucky Derby from the office,” Cox said. .
Barry and Joni Butzow, half Zozos, are unbeaten in their opening two games and will start in the 1/3/16 Louisiana Derby after qualifying for the optional 1/16-mile round of 16. a maiden race on January 23 at the Fair Grounds.
“Zozos needs to move on in the Louisiana Derby and I think he can,” Cox said of Munnings colt out forestry mare Father’s Forest . “He did everything right. He’s 2 for 2 and we’ll see how it goes.”
For a realistic chance of winning a spot in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby and giving Cox a chance to win back-to-back in the opening match of the Triple Crown, Zozos will likely need to at least finish in second. two in the Louisiana Derby, yielding 100-40-20-10 points for the top four finishers. With a little luck, he can also sneak in with 20 points.
Gold Square’s Cyberknife is the more experienced of the duo with five career starts. After breaking his maiden on the third attempt, the son of Gunman finished sixth in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) after a wide run and then won the February 19 allowance option claim race at the Fair Grounds with three stages in the 1 1/16 fast mile.
In the first debut of his career, Cyberknife was eliminated at the beginning and placed second for hitting an opponent in the long haul.
“His talent is unquestionable, but he is a mentally challenging horse and he can be erratic in the laning phase,” Cox said. “However, he’s a good pony. He’s got a great build for his last race and I think he gets better every time you take him there to run and he he has experience racing in the afternoons.He just steps on the plate and if he puts it all together he can be a solid horse I think he’s better of the two of us. me now.”
Bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey from a mare in flower alley Amazing flowers Cyberknife was purchased by Joe Hardoon, dealer, for $400,000 from a Ramsey Farm shipment at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Show.
He faced the same situation as Zozos in terms of qualifying points with the Arkansas Derby also worth 170 points.
Cox also reported that Shed mosthedevil 3rd place finish in the Azeri Stakes (G2) in Oaklawn on March 12 and will be pointed to either the Apple Blossom handicap April 23 (G1) in Oaklawn or the La Troienne May 6 bet set by Twinspires .com presents (G1) at Churchill Downsa share she acquired in 2021.
Run for the first time since she placed sixth in the November 6 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), Shedhesthedevil set the pace in Azeri and 2020 winner Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) placed third after the champion sprinter Ce Ce and winner of Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) Pauline’s Pearl .
“She’s come back really, really well from a physical standpoint. I’m happy for that and I hope she’s moving forward,” Cox said of her trainee, daughter of 5. age earned 2.3 million dollars of Daredevil currently owned by Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited and Whisper Hill Farm. “You’re disappointed that she didn’t win but she got over it (in the match) and she came back. It was a big effort against the champion at Ce Ce and another very good guy. (Pauline’s Pearl.) Both of those fillings that have this year will continue with us, so we hope to be able to get her back into the winner’s circle.”
Cox also said he hopes that Mandaloun will finally leave Saudi Arabia this week and return home to the United States.
“He’s fine, but unfortunately he’s still in Saudi Arabia,” Cox said. “Hopefully he’ll be able to leave this weekend and that after he’s quarantined we can get him ready for a spring campaign. He’s only raced twice in the season. This year, so he has a whole year ahead of him. We’re very excited about getting him back here, taking him on a tour and plotting a campaign for him.”
Dear son of Into Mischief was a disappointing ninth in the $20 million Saudi Arabia Cup (G1) after starting his four-year-old season with a big win. Midnight Bourbon at Louisiana Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds.
“I think he got a little too close to a hot tempo and that track was a bit more tiring and deeper than the ones we’re used to here,” Cox said of the Saudi Cup. “It wasn’t his day.”
