Cocked and Loaded Fires in the Iroquois Stakes

COCKED AND LOADED was gunned right to the lead and took it all the way to the winner's circle with a record-setting victory in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes.

CONDOMINIUM and EXPECTED RULER quickly separated themselves from the field by six lengths in the early stages of the Iroquois Stakes, dueling through a first quarter 22.69.  After the pair tore through a half mile in 46.29, the pace setters quickly tired.  Expected Ruler, who was on the rail, backed up quickly, causing an unlucky UNBRIDLED OUTLAW  to check hard all the way back to eighth place. 

As the dueling pacesetters were tiring, Cocked and Loaded breezed past them on the outside while under a tight hold by jockey Emmanuel Esquivel. Down the stretch, Cocked and Loaded opened up by two lengths.  RATED R SUPERSTAR and the favorite, CONQUEST WINDYCITY worked hard to close the gap by a half-length, but couldn’t catch Cocked and Loaded.  Once Unbridled Outlaw got moving again, he was the only one making up ground and passed Conquest Windycity late to take third place.  Cocked and Loaded got six furlongs in 1:12.15, a mile in 1:37.99 and flashed under the wire in 1:44.94 for 1 1/16 miles, two lengths in front. The Larry Rivelli trainee ran the fastest since the race distance was lengthened in 2013. Both trainer and jockey earned their first Churchill Downs graded stakes win.

Esquivel, who is in his first week of riding at Churchill Downs, commented on the ride.  "I wanted to be pretty close to the lead without really forcing him. By the half-mile pole, I got to the front pretty easy and just wanted to see if I had a horse. When I motioned to him a little, he just took off.  I couldn't have asked for better than this."

Cocked and Loaded rewarded backers with mutuels of $21.00, $10.00 and $6.00; Rated R Superstar paid $11.40 and $5.00 and Unbridled Outlaw offered $3.40 to show. The $2 exacta was $220.80, $2 trifecta paid $759.60 and the $1 superfecta returned $1,613.20. DOTHAT DANCE  was scratched.

COCKED AND LOADED (Colonel John - Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon) was bred by Bob Austin & John Witte. The colt sold for $16,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale to Richard Ravin and Patricia's Hope LLC. With his Iroquois victory, the colt has a 5-3-0-0 ($250,840) race record. After winning his debut at Keeneland and the Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park, Cocked and Loaded finished off of the board in the Sanford Stakes and Arlington-Washington Futurity.

Cocked and Loaded is the first foal out of the unraced mare Catch The Moon. His dam is a full sister to a Russian G1 winner and the second dam CATCH MY FANCY won the Barretts Debutante.  By a Travers Stakes hero out of a mare by Malibu Moon, Cocked and Loaded should have the capacity to handle 1 ¼ miles.

The Iroquois Stakes is a key contest for juvenile colts. Not only is it the first race in the Juvenile division “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup, it is also the first race to offer qualifying points for next year’s Kentucky Derby.  Cocked and Loaded earned ten points and is the first horse on the Kentucky Derby leader board.  The colt might enter the Breeders’ Futurity (G-1) at Keeneland on October 3, or train up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.