Horse Racing Trainer Cox Savors Knicks Go’s Classic Win, Prepares to Send Champion Essential Quality to Second Career

Lower than 24 hours faraway from the richest and most necessary victory of his 17-year coaching profession, Brad Cox mirrored on an “odd” feeling as he stood Nov. 7 amidst a quiet and principally abandoned Del Mar barn space.

A day earlier, Cox savored the candy style of success whereas watching Knicks Go win the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on the Southern California racetrack and wrap up Horse of the Yr honors. But on the identical time, there was the letdown of a third-place end by Godolphin’s 3-year-old Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and Runhappy Travers Stakes winner Essential Quality, who completed third because the 9-5 favourite within the closing race of a spectacular profession.

“I don’t know methods to describe watching the race. It was odd,” Cox mentioned about his preliminary Traditional victory. “I assumed Important High quality put in a extremely, actually good effort and didn’t get the set-up he wanted. To win at this degree, it’s a must to get a great journey. Knicks Go had issues his personal manner.”

Maybe the important thing second within the Traditional got here initially when Medina Spirit broke slowly and jockey John Velazquez didn’t rush out to battle Knicks Go and jockey Joel Rosario on the entrance finish.

That left the Korea Racing Authority’s Knicks Go along with a transparent lead that he held round each turns of the 1 1/4-mile Traditional earlier than pulling away to cross the end line 2 3/4 lengths forward of runner-up Medina Spirit in a quick 1:59.57.

“It’s large to have the ability to seize the richest race in America and do it on a world stage, which is what the Breeders’ Cup is,” Cox mentioned in regards to the 5-year-old bred by Angie Moore. “Knicks Go was in a position to clear off and get some house on the backstretch and finally it led to him having sufficient in reserve to complete up extraordinarily nicely.”

In addition to Knicks Go completed up within the Traditional, it won’t be his finale. Cox and KRA officers say if the Maryland-bred son of Paynter continues to coach sharply, the $8.6 million earner will shut out his profession bidding for back-to-back wins within the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 29.

There, he figures to be extra fiercely examined on the entrance finish because of the presence of China Horse Membership and WinStar Farm’s Life Is Good, who can be concentrating on the Pegasus after a dominant win Saturday within the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile, the identical race that Knicks Go received final yr and which catapulted him to stardom.

Cox mentioned Knicks Go will likely be shipped to Honest Grounds Race in early December to organize for the Pegasus, however earlier than that he’ll return to Kentucky Nov. 9 with Important High quality and will likely be showcased for breeders over the weekend at Taylor Made Farm, the place Cox is assured he’ll start a profitable stud profession subsequent yr.

“I feel the velocity he has, he’s constructed for American racing on the filth. That’s what he’s finished and I’m hopeful that he’ll go that on to his offspring,” mentioned Cox, who took over the coaching duties for Knicks Go final yr and received eight of 10 races after the horse had received simply two of 14 begins earlier than that. “I feel he’s received every little thing it takes to be a stallion. He’s a Grade 1 winner, too. He was a Grade 1 winner at 4, 5. He’s traveled world wide and he’s a really powerful, sturdy horse. He’s extraordinarily sound and I feel we’re in a day and age the place horses go to stud so early and he’s somewhat little bit of a throwback horse in that he’s raced at 4 and 5 and raced as a lot as he has. I’m so very happy with what he has completed this yr and ending final yr and hopefully he’ll go it on as a stallion.”

Important High quality’s subsequent cease will even be life at stud for Godolphin and its Darley breeding arm at Jonabell Farm, the place the 2-year-old champion, homebred, American classic-winning son of Tapit figures to be in excessive demand by breeders.

The Traditional was simply the second loss for Important High quality, whose document of eight wins in 10 begins features a fourth behind Medina Spirit within the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and earnings of $4.75 million.

“There’s loads that I’ll keep in mind about Important High quality,” Cox mentioned. “He was in all probability my first large colt. He and Mandaloun [who was second in the Kentucky Derby] have been my first large pictures at profitable the Derby. He was a champion and profitable a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile like he did, it’s in all probability the second-biggest Breeders’ Cup race you may win when it comes to set up worth as a stallion. What he completed at 2 was wonderful and to switch that over on the age of three and win as a lot as he did and add two extra Grade 1 wins at 3 at basic distance hopefully has him arrange for a incredible stallion profession.”

Whereas there could be some debate over the 3-year-old champion, since Medina Spirit completed forward of Important High quality of their solely two conferences, the Kentucky Derby and Traditional, Cox firmly believes the Eclipse Award ought to go to his 3-year-old Tapit colt.

“He would get my vote,” chuckled Cox, who doesn’t have a vote within the balloting for year-end honors. “I can take nothing away from Medina Spirit. He ran a incredible race and he’s received a pleasant résumé as nicely. However Important High quality was in a position to seize two prestigious grade 1 races within the Travers and the Belmont, which is the ‘Take a look at of the Champion’ and hopefully he’s a champion and may add one other trophy to his résumé come Eclipse time.”Joel Ros