Cox's far-flung empire centers around Fair Grounds

Brad Cox will have horses spread out all over the country this winter with strings at Turfway Park, Oaklawn, Palm Meadows, and Sam Houston. His Fair Grounds stable often houses some of his very best stock, even if they don’t race in New Orleans, and that is likely to be the case again this winter.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Essential Quality still is at Churchill Downs and will ship soon enough to Fair Grounds, but Cox said there are no set plans for his next start.

“He’ll be down there but I’m not sure if he’ll race there,” Cox said. “We’ve not decided yet where he’s going to land.”

Monomoy Girl wintered at Fair Grounds before her championship 3-year-old season in 2018 and was stabled there again last winter as she prepared for what will be another Eclipse Award-winning season in 2020. Cox said Monomoy Girl remains in training at Churchill but plans for upcoming races won’t take shape until Cox has a discussion with new owner Spendthrift Farm, which paid $9.5 million to acquire the mare following her Breeders’ Cup Distaff win. The 2021 Distaff, Cox said, is the only target he knows of at this stage.

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In the nearer term, 2020 Louisiana Derby winner Wells Bayou is a possible runner Dec. 19 in the Tenacious Stakes. Wells Bayou, unraced since a fifth-place finish May 2 in a division of the Arkansas Derby, has worked steadily since mid-October.

Also stabled with Cox at Churchill is Hidden Scroll, purchased at auction Nov. 17 by owner Marc Detampel for $525,000. Hidden Scroll remains eligible for a second-level allowance race and Cox said he won’t set a plan for the mercurial colt until Hidden Scroll posts a workout for his new barn.

Stillchargingmaria debuts

Saturday’s nine-race Fair Grounds card has no open allowance races, but a pair of 2-year-old maiden special weights, races 6 and 8, could produce horses to follow.

Race 6, a two-turn dirt race, marks the debut of Stillchargingmaria, first foal to race out of Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria. Stillchargingmaria, by Pioneerof the Nile, was officially purchased by Whisper Hill Farm for $1.9 million as a weanling, but her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm, remains a part-owner. She starts for trainer Steve Asmussen and will have to beat Latte Dolce, second at Keeneland sprinting in her debut.