Cox goes for fourth straight Oklahoma Derby with Best Actor

Red dirt’s been pay dirt for trainer Brad Cox.

He’s won the last three runnings of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park and on Sunday will attempt to secure a fourth when he sends out Best Actor against Rattle N Roll.

The 3-year-olds will vie for favoritism and are among seven stakes winners making up the eight-horse Oklahoma Derby. The 1 1/8-mile race anchors a card of eight stakes worth a total of $1.1 million. The slate includes the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks. First post for the 12-race card is 3 p.m. Central.

Best Actor improved his career record to 3 for 4 last out when he won the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx Racing. He stormed home by 5 3/4 lengths and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

“He won the prep for the Pennsylvania Derby, but with the way the race shaped up, we just felt like right now, with as lightly raced as he is, it would make more sense for him to continue to progress at this level and then eventually graduate to a Grade 1 at some point,” Cox said.

That’s been a theme with Cox’s previous winners of the Oklahoma Derby.

“It’s kind of our last derby of the year, it and the Pennsylvania Derby, and if we don’t think they’re quite ready for the Grade 1 level, it’s a race that can be a stepping-stone to hopefully taking a swing at some Grade 1s,” Cox said.

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“Owendale ran in the Breeders’ Cup Classic off winning it, then was third in the Clark that same year. Warrant won it, we gave him some time off after it, and he ultimately ended up second, beaten a narrow head, in the Big Cap this year. Shared Sense came back as an older horse and was competitive in stakes.”

Florent Geroux has the mount from post 4 for Mary and Gary West.

“I think if he can get a good stalking trip, he’ll be a factor,” Cox said.

Rattle N Roll will be looking for his third derby win of the year when he starts from post 5 under Brian Hernandez Jr.

“Brian knows the horse really well,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “We’ll just get him in a rhythm and let the horse punch when he’s supposed to. We’ll leave that up to Brian.”

Rattle N Roll, who won last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, leads the Oklahoma Derby field in earnings with more than $750,000. He captured the $200,000 American Derby on dirt in July at Churchill Downs and last out won the $250,000 St. Louis Derby with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 97. From there, the goal for the Lucky Seven Stable runner became the Oklahoma Derby.

“We felt like this would be adding to his résumé if he can knock it out,” McPeek said.

“We’re just real proud of the year he’s had.”

Great Escape enters off a win in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby. Steal Sunshine won his third straight race last out in the Ellis Park Derby. King Ottoman captured the Texas Derby, and Red Knobs won the Manitoba Derby.

Great Escape and Red Knobs both are trained by Robertino Diodoro.

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