Essential Quality climbs to top of class with victory in Breeders' Futurity

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Trainer Brad Cox has become known for training outstanding fillies, with a pair of Kentucky Oaks winners to his credit, 2018 victor Monomoy Girl and this year's winner, Shedaresthedevil. He came to opening weekend of the Keeneland fall meet loaded for bear, with a dozen horses entered in the first three days, including Shedaresthedevil in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Sunday.

But it was a colt who ultimately carried the day for the barn on Saturday, as Essential Quality cemented his status as a rising star with an authoritative win in the Grade 1, $400,000 Breeders' Futurity.

“We’ve had some very nice 2-year-old fillies, but this is probably the best [2-year-old colt] I’ve had as far as talent goes," said Cox. "He’s our first Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old colt. He means a lot to us. He showed us from Day 1 that he’s special, very talented."

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Essential Quality, an April foal by classic sire Tapit, earned a berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland with his victory, and also earned 10 points toward the 2021 Kentucky Derby. He is the second straight homebred winner of the Breeders’ Futurity for Godolphin, which will hope the colt's path forward is smoother than that of 2019 victor Maxfield. That colt was scratched from the Juvenile at Santa Anita with an injury the week of the race, and was injured again earlier this year.

While Maxfield was not able to progress toward the 2020 Kentucky Derby, Cox unveiled Essential Quality on the undercard, and he rolled by four lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight. That victory came under Shaun Bridgmohan. Luis Saez got the call on Saturday as the colt tried two turns for the first time.

"I was watching the replay when he ran last time, and he looked like, ‘Wow, what a horse,’" said Saez, who won three races at Keeneland on Saturday, including the Grade 2 Woodford with Leinster. "And today he proved that he’s a very good horse. He did it pretty easy. He was a little green when he came to the track – he was looking around a little bit - but he took off. He was running."

Essential Quality, who was sent away favored, broke from post 4 in the field of 9 for the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity, and was able to contest the pace early outside of Upstriker. He poked a head in front of that foe through a moderate opening half of 48.86 seconds on the fast track. Those two continued to dispute things on the front end, but Essential Quality began to edge clear around the far turn. Once straightened away into the lane, he shot clear of his tiring challenger and continued on strongly to widen his advantage to the wire. He crossed the line 3 1/4 lengths clear, finishing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.37. He paid $5.80 to win

Keepmeinmind, the longest shot on the board as a maiden, rallied from sixth on the far turn to be second, another 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place Super Stock, who also ran third in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes on Derby Day at Churchill Downs. They were followed by Upstriker, Founder, Dixie's Two Stents, Calibrate, King Fury, and Notary.

Godolphin and Cox will now see if Essential Quality can take another step forward in his nascent career at the Breeders' Cup.

"He’s a very green horse," Cox said. "That was my concern today – could he put it all together? And he did. He pulled up a bit on the backside. He’s got some learning to do. If he can figure it out, he’s a serious animal."

Cox won two other graded stakes on Saturday, watching from Keeneland as Factor This won the Grade 2 Dinner Party and Juliet Foxtrot won the Grade 3 Gallorette, both at Pimlico.