Back with statebreds, Looms Boldly goes gate to wire in John Morrissey Handicap

SARATOGA SPRINGS N.Y. – Looms Boldly returned to statebred company for the first time in over a year and made the most of the opportunity, leading from start to finish, en route to a convincing 3 1/4-length victory over old nemesis Factually Correct in Thursday’s $125,000 John Morrissey Handicap at Saratoga.

Looms Boldly, who finished second by three lengths to Factually Correct when the pair met against open company at Aqueduct earlier this spring, had not faced New York-breds since winning the Ontario County Stakes at Finger Lakes by 5 1/4 lengths in June of 2023. Looms Boldly started once more as a 3-year-old, finishing well back against open allowance competition here last August before being sidelined until the spring. He entered the John Morrissey off far and away the best race of his career from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, earning a 99 for his second place finish in an open, 6 1/2-furlong allowance dash here on Belmont Stakes weekend.

With Florent Geroux aboard for a second straight start, Looms Boldly broke alertly from his outside post, quickly sprinting clear to fractions of 22.76 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.91 for the half, while being chased by Factually Correct from the outset. Looms Boldly remained clear leaving the turn then drew off readily when sharply roused upon settling into the stretch.

:: Get Saratoga Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day.

Factually Correct dug in under strong handling to outlast Light Man by a neck to finish second. They were followed in turn by Sheriff Bianco, Ocean’s Reserve, and the 7-5 favorite Rotknee, who never really recovered after stumbling at the start, showing brief speed before dropping back and being eased to the wire through the final furlong by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Looms Boldly, a 4-year-old son of Goldencents, is trained by Brad Cox for Ten Strike Racing. He completed six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.41 and paid $7.20.

“We just felt he needed time to let him develop a little bit last summer. Sometimes they’ll develop and really move forward after a freshening like that,” said Cox, who was not in attendance for the race. “He’s a big heavy horse and it did take him a couple of races to get back to top form.”

Cox said the plan was for Geroux to get the speedy Looms Boldly right to the front if he could.

“I thought he’d break well and we knew he was doing well but there was a good bit of speed, on paper, in the race, so we didn’t know how much company he’d have up front,” Cox said. “But he seems to run his best when aggressively ridden, when he can get his head in front, and when I saw the opening split and he was clear on the lead without any real pressure, I was pretty confident he’d go on from there.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.