Hidden Scroll begins to delivers on promise under Brad Cox

Hidden Scroll has been one of the most frustrating horses in all of racing.

The 5-year-old son of Hard Spun had won two career races by a combined 26 1/2-lengths heading into Sunday's allowance race at Oaklawn, but had hit the board only once in his seven other tries while trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott.

He continued his all-or-nothing pattern with a dominant win on Sunday, but this time it felt different.

Unlike his previous two wins where he wired the field, things were not as easy at Oaklawn. He did not break on top and was in a bit tight in the early going.

For the first time in his career he showed the ability to pass horses and he did so in his first start under the care of the hottest trainer on the planet, Brad Cox.

After the remarkable job Cox has done with Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go, the betting public figured he could pull off the same magic with Hidden Scroll, who was bet down to 1-2 while paying $3.00 to win.

After completing the six-furlong race in 1:10.69 under confident handling from Florent Geroux, it appears Cox is well on his way to turning around his latest reclamation project.

Hidden Scroll will likely return to stakes company in his next start, which will be an opportunity to prove he is just as good under Brad Cox on a dry strip.

It is important to note that his romping debut victory that made him an early Kentucky Derby favorite in 2019 came over a sloppy track. Oaklawn's surface was deemed muddy on Sunday.

Most thought Hidden Scroll would be a star after that debut win. Under the guidance of Brad Cox, it might not be too late for his promise to be fulfilled.