Chocolate Ride just one of Cox's many stakes runners

Chocolate Ride, a minor Fair Grounds institution the last two race meetings, soon will ship to New Orleans from Churchill Downs and is set to start Dec. 17 in the $75,000 Buddy Diliberto Stakes.

He’s just one of many horses whose names could be prominently mentioned in the coming months for trainer Brad Cox, who has a stronger Fair Grounds presence this season than last, when his 28 wins ranked fourth in the trainers’ standings.

“They gave us 35 stalls, and we have 30 more at the Evangeline Training Center,” said Cox, who also will operate a 40-horse string at Oaklawn. “We totally expect to run more horses this year.”

Chocolate Ride came out of nowhere to win the Fair Grounds Handicap and the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz in 2015. Last winter, he won the Col. Bradley and a second Fair Grounds Handicap before finishing fourth in the Muniz. Chocolate Ride was ninth in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard and hasn’t started since but is ready for another Fair Grounds run.

“We had a minor setback with him a few weeks ago, but his two works since then have been amazing,” Cox said.

Cox said he might have a second starter for the Diliberto in Almasty, and Cox will be in action one week earlier with Illussion Artist in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint. Illussion Artist, by Drosselmeyer, has started her career with three wins, the most recent in a second-level allowance at Churchill.

“We think she’s a pretty nice horse,” said Cox.

Cox has two more stakes starters for the Dec. 17 Tenacious in Dazzling Gem and Financial Modeling and plans to run Green Mask that day in the $75,000 Bonapaw. Another Louisiana-bred, the 3-year-old filly Believe in Bertie, crushed statebred allowance foes Saturday at Fair Grounds and goes next in the $75,000 Pago Hop on Dec. 31.

Cox plans to start Cash Control on the same day in the $75,000 Blushing K. D. Cox said Cash Control, who is about to turn 6, will not be retired this winter. Indeed, the mare exits one of the best races of her life, a four-length victory Nov. 19 in the Grade 3 Cardinal over the Churchill turf course.

“She looks better than she’s ever looked since we had her,” Cox said.

Two Churchill winners from the Nov. 26 Stars of Tomorrow card could see Fair Grounds action. Dontmesswithjoanne came from 10th to win a one-mile grass race by almost six lengths in an eye-catching performance and will ship to Fair Grounds within the week.

“It was good to get her started on turf, but we’re not so sure she won’t like the dirt, too,” said Cox.

Another 2-year-old filly, Benner Island, bounced back from a seventh-place finish in the two-turn Alcibiades Stakes to win a first-level allowance race at a one-turn mile by almost four lengths.

“We haven’t sat down and talked about what’s next for her,” Cox said. “We might look at the Silverbulletday in January, or she’ll go to Oaklawn.”