2020 Eclipse Awards: Essential Quality

Brad Cox had an inkling early on that Essential Quality could be special.

“I had a lot of high hopes for the horse after being around him for a month,” Cox said. “I really liked him from the start. He was a little stubborn when he came in, but once he got out on the racetrack I said, ‘This is a good horse.’ ”

What Cox saw in the morning revealed itself in the afternoon as Essential Quality went 3 for 3 with two Grade 1 victories in a nine-week span to become a finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.

On Sept. 5, about 6 1/2 hours before Authentic won the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs, Essential Quality made his debut, winning a six-furlong maiden race by four lengths.

A victory in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3 at Keeneland followed by a three-quarter-length victory in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 6, also at Keeneland, capped his rapid rise to prominence and stamped him as a top contender for the 147th Kentucky Derby.

:: Full list of 2020 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Essential Quality won his three races in different fashion. He overcame some traffic trouble and a little immaturity to win his debut, rallying from seven lengths off the pace.

In the Breeders’ Futurity, Essential Quality was put on the lead by Luis Saez and drew away from his eight rivals to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

In the BC Juvenile, where he faced the undefeated speedster Jackie’s Warrior, Essential Quality was nine lengths back early. But he began to pick off horses from the midway point on the backstretch and outfinished 94-1 longshot Hot Rod Charlie to complete his two-month journey from unstarted maiden to undefeated two-time Grade 1 winner.

“His three races were all different,” Cox said. “He sat off the pace going three-quarters, then he gets the lead at Keeneland in the Breeders’ Futurity, then to be able to come from off it in the Breeders’ Cup, his versatility speaks to how good he is and how classy he is.”

The Breeders’ Cup victory enabled owner-breeder Godolphin Racing to wipe away the memory of the previous year when Maxfield, its contender for the Juvenile, had to scratch due to injury. It also gives Godolphin the ability to dream about a goal that has eluded Godolphin founder Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum for decades – the Kentucky Derby.

“If you didn’t you probably wouldn’t be in this business,” Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin’s U.S. operations said after the Breeders’ Cup. “A lot of [racing] is based on dreams. Those that are fortunate enough to live the dream – which we have done – certainly you dream.”

Essential Quality, by Tapit out of Delightful Quality, returned to the work tab at Fair Grounds on Dec. 20. Cox said Essential Quality is likely to make his 3-year-old debut in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 15.