Cox has graded stakes lined up for Alpine Princess

Alpine Princess has graded stakes options in New York and Kentucky following her powerful win in last month’s $200,000 Remington Park Oaks.

Trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday that the filly could make her next start in either the Grade 3, $300,000 Chilukki at a mile Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3, $400,000 Falls City at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 28 at Churchill, or the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 30 at Aqueduct.

“Those are all races we will kind of keep an eye on,” Cox said.

Alpine Princess was a 9 3/4-length winner of the Remington Park Oaks, her first start since March. For the effort, she earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 96.

“Huge run off the layoff,” Cox said. “We’ve always liked her. She’s always been a very good work horse, but it was nice to kind of see her take a step forward off her freshening.

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“She had several runs there as a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old and this was kind of her [race] when you say, ‘Did they move forward from 2 to 3 or from 3 to 4?’ This was her opportunity to move forward and she certainly looked like she did, based off the performance and figures.”

The effort has Cox excited for the future with Alpine Princess, a daughter of Classic Empire who races for Full of Run Racing II and Madaket Stables.

“It’s very encouraging moving forward, that she’ll be competitive in graded stakes,” he said. “That’s what she needs to be competitive in, based off her résumé. I think she’s got a big future.”

On the same card as the Remington Oaks, Cox won the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby with Most Wanted. He said next-race plans are to be determined for the half-brother to $4.5 million earner Life Is Good.

“I don’t really have anything set in stone,” Cox said Tuesday. “I’m just looking to breeze him back this weekend for the first time since the Oklahoma Derby and go from there.”

E J Won the Cup to Zia

E J Won the Cup, a multiple stakes winner who finished second in the Oklahoma Derby, will likely make his next start in the $300,000 Zia Park Derby, trainer Doug O’Neill said Monday.

The race, which will be run over 1 1/16 miles, anchors a Nov. 26 card that also features the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks. Zia opens its meet Nov. 2.

E J Won the Cup captured the Turf Paradise, Texas, and St. Louis derbies prior to his runner-up finish at Remington Park. He is back home at Santa Anita.

“He looks fantastic,” O’Neill said. “He came back in great shape and doing really, really well.”

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