Cox eyeing February stakes for Warrior's Charge

NEW ORLEANS – Warrior’s Charge came out of his Dec. 18 comeback race at Fair Grounds in good condition, but his connections probably will wait until February to race their talented 4-year-old again.

Warrior’s Charge set the pace and fended off a challenge from Gun It, pulling away to a two-length win in a second-level dirt-route allowance race, his first start since a game fourth-place finish in the Preakness Stakes. Under Florent Geroux, Warrior’s Charge ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.62 and got a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Warrior’s Charge came to hand quickly last spring and after a first-level allowance win at Oaklawn Park was given a chance in the Preakness, where he set a fast pace and crossed the finish just 2 1/2 lengths behind victorious War of Will. The other pace horses in the race were nowhere close at the end, and Warrior’s Charge has shown an ability to sustain a strong gallop over a distance of ground. Trainer Brad Cox thinks that attribute could lead to a productive early 2020 campaign. The colt missed a summer and early autumn campaign after a case of colic in June.

“I thought the race went really well, and he came out of it fantastic,” Cox said. “I think he could be a Grade 1 horse, a really good middle-distance horse, if he stays happy and healthy.”

Warrior’s Charge will remain in Cox’s Fair Grounds string and could start next in either the $200,000 Mineshaft Stakes on Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds or the $500,000 Razorback on Feb. 17 at Oaklawn Park.

On the older horse turf front, Cox said he is aiming Arklow at the Pegasus World Cup Turf, provided the horse gets an invitation to the race. That seems a fait accompli since Arklow won the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in October. He finished eighth, beaten less than three lengths, in his most recent start, the Breeders’ Cup Turf.