Cox runners, led by Set Piece, figure in all three turf stakes
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Trainer Brad Cox’s barn figures prominently in all three turf stakes on Saturday’s card at Ellis Park, with millionaire Set Piece leading the charge in the Grade 2, $400,000 Wise Dan Stakes, a race he won two years ago.
Set Piece, a Juddmonte homebred, has won seven stakes in the United States since 2020. The most recent of those came in the Grade 3 Arlington Stakes on June 3 at Churchill Downs, his second start this season following a layoff.
“He’s such a cool horse and developed into a barn favorite,” Cox said. “He always shows up and runs hard. We’ll see how the pace shakes out in this race. He likes to come from off the pace, but has been training well at Churchill out of the Arlington Stakes.”
Set Piece, with Florent Geroux aboard, will once again have Get Smokin to run at in the Wise Dan. Get Smokin set a moderate pace in the Arlington before Set Piece, who had been fifth in the field of six through six furlongs in 1:13.31, rallied through the stretch to best him by a length.
Third-place finisher Harlan Estate also returns for the Wise Dan. He prefers to be forwardly placed but found himself taken out of his game after hopping at the start of the Arlington.
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Earlier on the card, Godolphin homebred Wadsworth looks for a breakthrough first stakes victory for Cox in the $225,000 American Derby for 3-year-olds on turf. He also faces a familiar foe.
Wadsworth came to hand on Tapeta at Turfway over the winter, with two wins followed by a fourth in a strong edition of the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, which was won by subsequent Kentucky Derby runner-up and Grade 3 Ohio Derby winner Two Phil’s. Ruby runner-up Major Dude has since finished third in the Grade 2 American Turf and won the Grade 2 Penn Mile.
Wadsworth, by Quality Road out of the Grade 1-winning turf mare Dickinson, tried turf for the first time May 17 in the one-mile Caesars Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis. His late rally came up a nose short of Gigante. He gets slightly more ground, at 1 1/16 miles here.
Gigante should provide early pace in the American Derby, along with Mo Stash, who is well drawn on the inside.
Mo Stash set a moderate pace to win the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland over Nagirroc and Webslinger, both next-out stakes winners. Mo Stash was then pushed to set a faster pace in the American Turf and held fourth, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths by Webslinger.
In the $225,000 Tepin Stakes, the sister race to the American Derby, Cox’s turf brigade is rounded out by Heavenly Sunday, last-out winner of the Grade 2 Edgewood in May at Churchill Downs. The third-place finisher from that race, Mission of Joy, is now a multiple graded winner after coming back to take the Regret.
“I think both Wadsworth and Heavenly Sunday both have big shots Saturday,” Cox said. “Wadsworth ran a big race last time out to just miss in the Caesars. Heavenly Sunday is quick from the gates, and we’ll see how the pace shakes out early in the Tepin.”
Grade 1-placed Xigera is the morning-line favorite in the Tepin for Phil Bauer as she makes her return to stakes company off a strong allowance win at Churchill to start her season. Safeen is coming off a win in the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap, the sister race to the Caesars.
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