Brad Cox pulls off double with Commandment, Prom Queen
Commandment gave a sign of things to come in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby Saturday well before the strapping son of Into Mischief stepped onto the Gulfstream Park track.
"He's big, but when he arrives in the paddock and knows when it's showtime, he kind of blows up a little bit," trainer Brad Cox said. "He has great mind. I think that's one of the best things he has going for him. He's a Grade 1 winner now at the age of 3. He's accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Hopefully, we can keep him rolling. We look forward to the rest of the year with him."
Commandment established himself as a top contender for the May 2 Kentucky Derby with a thrilling photo-finish triumph over The Puma in the 75th running of the 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds.
"He looks really good this morning," Cox said.
The Kentucky-bred colt called upon all of his class and athletic prowess to rally from last in a race with little pace. He raced in sixth through a half-mile in 48.8 and three-quarters in 1:13 before advancing on the far turn with a three-wide move and swinging five wide into the stretch under Flavien Prat. Faced with the tough task of catching The Puma, who had gotten the jump on him with a sharp move to the lead on the turn into the homestretch, the bay colt proved up to the challenge with long, powerful strides that carried him to the finish line to win by a nose.
"He's obviously had a good winter there at Gulfstream. I felt like he took a step forward in every race. [Saturday], he was able to overcome somewhat of a softer pace up front and come around some very good horses and put his head down when it counted the most," Cox said. "We are fortunate and lucky and proud of the horse. We look forward to marching forward to the Kentucky Derby."
After impressively breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs last fall, Wathnan Racing's Commandment captured the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes by 6 3/4 lengths Jan. 3 before prepping for his Florida Derby performance with a late-rallying victory by a neck in the Feb. 28 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).
Commandment's memorable triumph completed the Florida Derby–Gulfstream Park Oaks double that two National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame trainers had pulled off before Cox. Woody Stephens accomplished the feat first in 1984 when he saddled Swale for a win in Gulfstream's top stakes for 3-year-olds and Miss Oceana to a victory in the premier stakes for 3-year-old fillies. In 2014, Todd Pletcher scored a Florida Derby victory with Constitution and a Gulfstream Park Oaks triumph with In Tune.
"That's obviously a great accomplishment. We have a great team. It's a team effort. To be in the column with those two guys means a lot," Cox said. "We're very proud of the performances and very proud of our team."
Five races before going back-to-back in the Florida Derby, Cox saddled Gary and Mary West's Prom Queen for a 2 3/4-length win in the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) in her third career start, all three races at Gulfstream. After finishing second to Oaks favorite She Be Smooth in her Jan. 23 debut, the daughter of Quality Road graduated by eight lengths Feb. 12.
"She came out of the race in great shape. I'm very pleased with her and the progress she's made down here in Florida this winter," Cox said. "We're looking forward to the Oaks with her."
OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing's The Puma, who finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Chief Wallabee, gave trainer Gustavo Delgado a heartbreaking fourth runner-up finish in the Florida Derby without a victory. Delgado's 2023 runner-up, Mage, who finished second behind Forte, went on to win the Kentucky Derby.