Cox-trained colts will contest Sugar Bowl at Fair Grounds
First-out winner Corona Bolt headlines a field of six juveniles colts entered in Saturday’s 73rd running of the $100,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes, one of four 2-year-old stakes events on the nine-stakes “road to the Derby kickoff” program at Fair Grounds.
The 6-furlong Sugar Bowl will go as race 4 of 13 with a post time of 2:30 p.m. PST. The card also features the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes (race 11) and $100,000 Untapable (race 12). Both races offer the last chance for Kentucky Derby and Oaks dreamers to earn qualifying points (10-4-3-2-1) as 2-year-olds. The juvenile counterpart to the Sugar Bowl, the six-furlong $100,000 Letellier, will go as race 8.
Brad Cox trains the 8-5 morning line favorite, Corona Bolt, who debuted for owner Stonestreet Stables on Nov 19 at Churchill Downs, beating nine rivals going 6 1/2 furlongs, including the next-out winner Communication Memo from the Asmussen barn. A Bolt d’Oro colt out of the Quiet American dam Stormbeforethecalm, Corona Bolt was purchased for $225,000 at the Keeneland November Sale.
“Hopefully he’ll stretch out when it’s time,” Brad Cox said. “But this is the right spot for his second career run.”
Florent Geroux retains the mount and will break from post No. 3 with early speed drawn on either side.
One of Corona Bolt’s rivals in the Letellier is his stablemate Distorted Pro. Making his fourth start in the Sugar Bowl for owner Novogratz Racing Stable, this Distorted Humor colt broke his maiden at Horseshoe Indianapolis in November, finishing ahead of Natural Harbor, a next-out winner. Distorted Pro has one trip around the local surface where he dueled throughout against Release McCracken who got the best of him.
Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. will ride Distorted Pro from the rail.
Cox has had runners finish second in the Sugar Bowl three times (Twirling Cinnamon 2015, Amongst 2019, and Gagetown 2020). Neither he nor any of the other trainers with entries has ever won this historic race.
Another top colt entered into the Sugar Bowl Stakes is $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile winner Late September. With a 92 Brisnet Speed figure in his most recent stakes victory, the Pelican state-bred has run the fastest figure in the field. Handicappers would be wise to throw out his third-place finish in November’s Peluso Memorial.
“In the Peluso he moved from 7 furlongs to 5 1/2 which can be a little confusing for a 2-year-old. Plus the track was wet,” trainer Jose Camejo said.
Bred by Coteau Grove in Louisiana and owned by Kevin Stedman, the son of Munnings will be piloted from post No. 6 by Fair Grounds’ leading jockey Jose Luis Rodriguez.
Another formidable runner is the seasoned seven-time runner Toddchero, who has started in four stakes and traveled to six tracks for owners Norman Stables and Mark Norman, starting with his debut win at Lone Star Park. He is trained by Jayde Gelner, son of Scott Gelner who won this race for Norman Stables in 2017 with Land Battle.