Cox, Geroux combine for sweep of Oklahoma Derby, Remington Park Oaks

Trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux teamed for a significant stakes sweep Sunday at Remington Park, where Most Wanted came back on E J Won the Cup to take the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby and Alpine Princess romped by 9 3/4 lengths in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks.

The races were the richest of eight stakes on the card.

Most Wanted ($3.60) ran his career record to 4 for 4 in the Oklahoma Derby. He moved to the lead soon after the start and set a pressured pace in the 1 1/8-mile race, putting up fractions of 23.60 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.48 for the half-mile, while pushed along by Indispensable.

Most Wanted continued on through six furlongs in 1:11.30 as E J Won the Cup bid three wide on the final turn and into the stretch, and put a head in front of the eventual winner in the late stages. Most Wanted took the lead back soon afterward and went on to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:49.46.

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“When [E J Won the Cup] joined me and my horse was able to look him in the eye, he gave me another spurt,” Geroux said in a post-race interview conducted by Remington. “He was just looking around a bit.

“I think he’s going to be a very interesting horse for the coming year.”

Most Wanted, who is a half-brother to $4.5 million earner Life Is Good, won the Ellis Park Derby prior to shipping into Remington Park. He also won an allowance at Ellis this summer, defeating eventual Super Derby winner Uno Mas Bourbon.

Cox has now won the Oklahoma Derby four times, giving him the outright record for a trainer after he had shared the mark of three wins with trainer Donnie Von Hemel.

Most Wanted won by a length over E J Won the Cup, while it was another head back in third to Indispensable.

Most Wanted is a son of Candy Ride who races for Gary and Mary West.

In the Remington Park Oaks, Alpine Princess ($5.20) stalked the pace in fourth, behind hand-timed fractions of 24.43 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.29 for the half-mile and 1:12.49 for six furlongs. The eventual winner began her bid into the final turn, drew even with leader Miss Code West at the quarter pole, left that one at the top of the stretch and increased her advantage to the wire to cover 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.12.

“No doubts,” Geroux said in a post-race interview conducted by Remington. “I gave her a reminder at the eighth pole, to keep her busy.”

Alpine Princess won over Miss Code West, while it was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third to Just Be Quiet.

Alpine Princess is a daughter of Classic Empire who races for Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stable. She was winning her second stakes, behind the Untapable in December at Fair Grounds.

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