Penn Derby: Cox thinks Dragoon Guard looks Grade 1-ready

Brad Cox came to Parx last September for the Pennsylvania Derby full of confidence, and Saudi Crown validated those beliefs with a front-running victory.

Cox brings another serious player for this year’s $1 million renewal with morning-line favorite Dragoon Guard, who gives the Kentucky-based horseman a big chance to ride away from Bensalem, Pa., with another Grade 1 victory and a big payday.

“I’m hoping to. That’s the plan,” Cox said Thursday. “We’ll see.”

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Dragoon Guard brings a four-race win streak into Saturday’s Penn Derby, including back-to-back scores in the Indiana Derby (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis in early July and the West Virginia Derby (G3) in early August at Mountaineer. He’s the 9-5 favorite on the morning line set by Parx’s racing director David Osojnak.

“The gray horse is doing great,” Cox said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him this year. He’s taken a step forward every time, and I think another step forward should put him in the winner’s circle. He’s a horse that looks like he can handle the distance. He proved that last time in West Virginia. He’s had plenty of time to recover from that, his works have been steady, and he’s giving us a lot of confidence that he’s able to win a Grade 1.”

A fifth straight win would yield a more than $500,000 first-place check, Grade 1 status for Juddmonte’s regally bred son of Arrogate and just the second back-to-back victories in the Penn Derby for a trainer and jockey team.

Cox and Florent Géroux, who have teamed to win scores of major stakes together, try to match Bob Baffert and Mike Smith as only trainer-jockey back-to-back winners of the race. Baffert and Smith teamed to win the 2017 renewal with West Coast and 2018 edition with McKinzie.

Major victories for the Cox and Geroux team include three renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with Idiomatic in 2023 and Monomoy Girl in 2018 and 2020 plus two editions of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) with Shedaresthedevil in 2020 and Monomoy Girl in 2018.

Bred by Juddmonte, Dragoon Guard is out of Grade 2 winner Filimbi, a daughter of Mizzen Mast out of Kentucky Oaks and Alabama winner Flute. Dragoon Guard won going the Penn Derby 1 1/8-mile last out in the West Virginia Derby, which he won by 2 3/4 lengths as the 3-5 favorite.

Cox briefly considered giving Dragoon Guard a Grade 1 try in the Travers Stakes in late August at Saratoga after the colt’s 2 1/2-length win over fellow Pennsylvania Derby runner Stronghold in the Indiana Derby. He did not give into the temptation and opted instead for the West Virginia Derby with an eye on Parx.

“Listen, I don’t know if he was ready to face those horses at that time,” Cox said. “He could. He has the potential to be every bit as good as those horses. Obviously, he only had the one run as a 2-year-old. He didn’t get his season started until April, so he was a little behind those horses with regards to seasoning. We’ve brought him along the right way, and now he has a big opportunity in a Grade 1.”

The Penn Derby at 6:10 p.m. EDT is the 13th of 14 races Saturday at Parx. The first post is at 11:35 a.m.