After a soggy morning and a heavy observe induced coach Brad Cox to delay last pre-race works at Churchill Downs Oct. 30 for high Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic (G1) contenders Knicks Go and Essential Quality —along with key Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) runner Shedaresthedevil —the California-bound trio took to the track Oct. 31 and got down to business.
“It was a great morning and all three horses put in great works,” Cox reported via the Churchill Downs media department. “It was exactly what we were looking for heading into the Breeders’ Cup next week. All three of these horses were scheduled to work (Saturday) but we got a lot of rain in the area so we moved them all to (Sunday). Overall, it worked out really well. I thought it was a good track. It was still a little wet but it was drying out as the morning was going on.”
With a red-sky sunrise dawning over the iconic Twin Spires, Essential Quality and Knicks Go both worked after the 7:30 a.m. ET renovation break.
Essential Quality, with jockey Florent Geroux in the saddle, breezed outside of stablemate Colonel Bowman . The multiple grade 1-winning 3-year-old started one length back of his workmate and finished five lengths in front through splits of :23 2/5 and :47, according to the Churchill Downs media department. Firing a five-furlong bullet in :59 2/5, fastest of 22 at the distance on the day, he galloped out to six furlongs in 1:13.
Knicks Go 5F 1:01.20. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/VOfUMwSssV
— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021
“Important (High quality) actually liked the observe this morning and it was most likely the Tapit coming out of him a little bit,” Cox said.
“There was a set of horses slowing down in front of them and I told Florent on the radio to gallop out by them. It was a really, really
good move. A lot of people scratch their heads the way he trains in the morning compared to running in a race. That’s just who he is
but I think he’s really developing at the right time.”
Essential Quality (outside) works in company with Colonel Bowman
Shortly after his move, likely Classic favorite Knicks Go clipped through fractions of :24 2/5, :36 2/5, and :48 3/5. He was credited with a five-furlong time of 1:01 1/5, with a gallop out to six furlongs in 1:13 4/5 and seven furlongs in 1:27 3/5. Regular exercise rider Hugo Garcia was in the irons.
“He’s just a really cool horse,” Cox said. “He’s very kind when he’s in his stall but he’s very aggressive, in a good way, outside
of the barn. He knows his job and puts a lot into his training and works. I don’t see anything from his previous races than he can’t get
the extra eighth-mile distance in the Classic. In the Whitney (G1), against a field of really good horses, I thought he showed he could get an extra quarter-mile. He seems to clear off around the turn from his competition and able to go fast and kick on.”
Essential Quality outside Colonel Bowman 5F :59.40. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/dcWTDIGpmm
— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021
About 90 minutes later, 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil labored alone with Geroux aboard by way of early fractions of :24 and :48 1/5 earlier than hitting the five-furlong mark in 1:00 3/5 to register the second-fastest work of the morning.
“She all the time will get into rhythm in her coaching and races,” Cox stated. “We noticed that once more right now. Florent labored her and
she was simply cruising round there. She all the time appears to be beneath the radar, even going again to when she received the Kentucky Oaks (at
odds of 15-1). I assumed I ran her just a little too shortly again within the Spinster (G1) final yr. She’s gotten the job achieved in 4 out of 5
begins this yr. She would not run greater figures than among the older mares however she is a racehorse by way of and thru. When she will get
in a battle, she reveals all coronary heart and willpower to get the job achieved.”
Shedaresthedevil and @flothejock 5F from the half 1:00.60. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/ZupTH6S0yU
— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021
Shedaresthedevil works beneath Florent Geroux
Knicks Go rides a three-race win streak for Korea Racing Authority into the Nov. 6 Basic at Del Mar, coming off a victory within the Oct. 2 Lukas Basic Stakes (G3) at Churchill after profitable the Aug. 7 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the July 2 Prairie Meadows Corn Husker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Meadows. The 5-year-old son of Paynter has won seven of nine starts since joining Cox’s barn in 2020, including the 2020 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.
Godolphin’s Important High quality additionally is available in off a trio of wins, within the Aug. 28 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and the July 31 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), each at Saratoga, and the June 5 Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Bets (G1). The three-year-old Tapit colt was named champion juvenile male of 2020 after profitable three in a row, capped by the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) at Keeneland.
Shedaresthedevil received the Sept. 18 Locust Grove Stakes (G3) final out at Churchill in spectacular trend for Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Massive Aut Farms on the again of an Aug. 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) rating that assured her connections of an affinity for Del Mar. With three begins over the seaside observe, she is the veteran of the Cox-trained trio; Knicks Go and Important High quality shall be making their first begins the place the turf meets the surf within the World Championships.
The Kentucky-based Cox contingent ships Nov. 1 on a FedEx flight out of Indianapolis. Alongside together with his heavy hitters for Saturday he additionally has not less than three contenders for the Friday card—Juju’s Map in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Bubble Rock and Turnerloose in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), and Ready to Purrform for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), although as of Sunday morning the latter still needed a defection in order to make it into the field for his respective race. Bubble Rock, based with Cox’s Belmont Park string, was set to depart for California Sunday by way of Newark.
Specific Prepare Tunes Up at Santa Anita
Specific Prepare, who’s pre-entered within the Breeders’ Cup Basic, labored 5 furlongs for coach John Shirreffs at Santa Anita Park Sunday morning. Jockey Victor Espinoza was aboard.
“I bought him in round a minute, and he seemed superb,” stated Shirreffs, as he walked briskly again to his barn. “He was so relaxed and he prolonged so properly down the lane.”
Shirreffs plans to ship Specific Prepare to Del Mar Nov. 1. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Union Rags —I’m a Flake, by Mineshaft , races for Lee and Susan Searing’s C R K Stable. This year he has won the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and the San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar. The colt most recently finished third in the Oct. 2 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.
This story will be updated.
