Barn Tour: Cox says what's next for Essential Quality, 12 others

Lexington, Ky.

With the Triple Crown campaign behind him, Brad Cox is mapping out summer plans for Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun and other horses in his stable.

Many of those plans involve Saratoga, where Cox is shipping about 30 horses – and looking forward to less oppressive weather than in Kentucky.

Horse Racing Nation caught up with Cox at Keeneland on Thursday for an update on his top runners in the latest edition of the Barn Tour series.

3-year-old colts

Essential Quality had his first work since the Belmont Stakes, breezing four furlongs Saturday in 48.8 seconds at Churchill Downs, and he shipped to Saratoga on Monday. Cox continues to consider the July 31 Jim Dandy (G2), but the Travers (G1) on Aug. 28 is the target for now.

"We'll look at his training and kind of see. I never say for sure," Cox said. "The goal is the Travers. Now, if we feel like we need a race, or we want to use a race, it will obviously be the Jim Dandy."

Mandaloun bypassed the Preakness Stakes with Cox sending him instead to Monmouth Park, where he won the listed Pegasus Stakes, a prep for the Haskell (G1) on July 17. "We thought it'd be good experience," Cox said. "It's good timing. Six weeks after the Derby, he ran a big number. He ran a lifetime best in the Derby (101 Beyer Speed Figure). We wanted to give him time to recover. And he came back and ran a decent number (93) in Monmouth. It was a good race, he got something out of it. He's going to breeze Saturday as well, and he'll ship to Monmouth on Monday."

Caddo River. Another promising 3-year-old, Caddo River had been pointed to the Matt Winn (G3) on May 29 at Churchill Downs, but Cox switched him to the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont Park the following weekend, where he finished last in a field of six. "He's got a freshening after the race. He's just getting a break. I don't know exactly how long we're going to give him off, but hopefully we'll have him back this summer – back in training."

Older males

Knicks Go is entered in Friday's Cornhusker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Downs. His fourth-place finish in the Met Mile (G1) followed a fourth in the Saudi Cup in January after he had reeled off four straight wins. Cox had considered entering him in the Steve Sexton Mile (G3) at Lone Star Park before opting for the race at Belmont. He changed his mind because "Charlatan was out, so I thought it might make it a little softer. But he's obviously kind of shown us now that he's a two-turn horse; he doesn't like the one-turn mile. He's got obviously a lot of speed, but I think he's got speed that works well around two turns, and he's going to get his opportunity on Friday night to hopefully show that."

Warrior's Charge "ran great" in a runner-up finish to Maxfield in Saturday's Stephen Foster (G2) at Churchill Downs, Cox said. "I don't really know where we're going now, but I thought his race the other day was really good. He ran second behind a really good horse in Maxfield, so that was a positive effort. I don't know where we're going to land. That was a little bit of a step up for him, and I thought it was one of his better races he's ever run. So we'll give him time to recover from that."

Fillies and mares

Travel Column. After she finished fifth in both the Kentucky Oaks and the June 5 Acorn (G1), Cox said she is "getting a freshening as well. Just a long campaign. All last fall, ran throughout the winter. A bit of a dull effort in the (Oaks) and then not what we wanted to see in the Acorn, and just time for a break. No surgeries, just some time off."

Coach and Aunt Pearl, two of Cox's other 3-year-old fillies, also are getting a break.

Monomoy Girl, the two-time Eclipse Award winner who finished second to Letruska in the Apple Blossom (G1) last out, is also getting time off. "We checked her last week," Cox said. "She's doing well. And she's getting ready to start resuming some light training here in the very near future."

Shedaresthedevil, the 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner who won the Azeri (G1) and La Troienne this year before coming in third in the Ogden Phipps (G1), is pointed to the Aug. 1 Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar.

Bonny South, also 4, finished second to Letruska in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and is heading to Saratoga, where Cox said he would consider the Shuvee (G3) on July 25 and the Personal Ensign (G1) on Aug. 28.

Vault followed up her win in the Ruffian (G2) with a sixth-place finish in the Fleur de Lis (G2) at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Cox said the 5-year-old "just didn't run very well. We'll just kind of back up with her. She came out of it well. There's just nothing really on the radar for her right now."

Juliet Foxtrot won the Jenny Wiley (G1) in April in her 2021 debut and then finished second in the Mint Julep (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 12. "I'm not sure where she's going to land right now, Cox said. "I don't want to say. She's in training. She's doing fine, but I don't know what we're going to run."