Dot Matrix wins first stakes in Warrior Veterans

The Brad Cox barn was taking no prisoners Saturday night at Indiana Grand.

Hachi finished second by a neck in the Indiana General Assembly Distaff, but that was just Cox not wanting to totally embarrass his fellow horsemen. The other three ungraded, $100,000 stakes on the card? Cox swept those, with Dot Matrix winning the Warrior Veterans following victories by Pioneer Spirit in the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial and Pinch Hit in the Marie Hulman George.

Dot Matrix, the 9-5 favorite with Florent Geroux, stalked a strong pace from fifth while hugging the rail on the far turn, came around a tiring Fifth Title with about a quarter-mile to run, split horses in midstretch and collared longtime leader and 2-1 shot Siem Riep in the final half-furlong, going on to a one-length victory.

Dot Matrix, a New York-bred gelding by Freud out of Aunt Dot Dot, by Gulch, was toiling in statebred-restricted second-level allowance races late last fall when his owner, Ten Strike Racing, moved him into Cox’s barn at Fair Grounds. Dot Matrix won an open first-level allowance race in New Orleans first time out for Cox and has continued progressing. He won two more allowance races during the spring, finished a close fourth in a salty edition of the Kingston Stakes on May 28 at Belmont, and was comfortably best Saturday night.

“My horse was very simple. He went exactly where I wanted him to. I called on him and he responded brilliantly,” said Geroux.

Siem Riep did well to hold a clear second over longshot One Mean Man after going his first half-mile in a fast 46.78 seconds. One Mean Man had a half-length on Swagger Jagger as the top for choices in a 12-horse field finished among the top five. Dot Matrix was timed in 1:41.10 for 1 1/16 miles on firm turf and paid $5.60 winning his first stakes.