Cox has eye on Dubai for Harlan Punch

There are races in the region for Fair Grounds-based Harlan Punch, winner of the Louisiana Stakes on Jan. 19 at Fair Grounds, but his connections are considering something much more ambitious.

Harlan Punch, who got a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for his three-quarter-length Louisiana win, has the Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds and the Razorback at Oaklawn as possible next starts, but trainer Brad Cox said he’d also nominated Harlan Punch to the Group 2, $1.5 million Godolphin Mile on March 30 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

“We’re definitely thinking about it,” said Cox, who trains Harlan Punch for Front Row Racing and Ten Strike Racing.

Six-year-old Harlan Punch has won 10 of 36 starts, with his highest-level success coming last summer when he captured the Grade 3 Iselin at Monmouth Park by more than five lengths. He was transferred to Cox’s barn last fall and finished a close second in a Remington Park stakes before beating runner-up Silver Dust and four others in the 1 1/16-mile Louisiana.