Gaining set for North American debut in Bewitch Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brad Cox wouldn’t mind leaving Keeneland like he did last fall – with a graded stakes winner to put him in contention for the training title.

Cox stands a solid chance to do that Friday at Keeneland, where the curtain comes down on the 16-day spring meet. He’ll saddle a Juddmonte Farms homebred named Gaining for her North American debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Bewitch Stakes.

“This is a big ask for her, but she’s shown ability in her training and is a group winner overseas,” said Cox, who salvaged a tie for leading trainer here last fall by winning the Grade 2 Fayette on closing day with Leofric.

Gaining, with Florent Geroux to ride from post 8, will be treated with Lasix for the first time when she faces nine other fillies and mares in the 58th running of the Bewitch, a 1 1/2-mile turf race contested around three turns. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Bewitch set for 5:30.

Gaining last raced in November, winning a Group 3 race in France. She has had 10 works since mid-February, many of them with another British-bred Juddmonte filly, Juliet Foxtrot, a flashy winner of a one-mile turf allowance with an 89 Beyer Figure here April 13.

“They’re different type horses because of their distance preferences,” said Cox, who entered the final three-day stretch of this meet just two wins behind the leader, Chad Brown. Cox does have more entries than Brown over the last three days.

“I’ve been impressed with both of them. You’d have to think Gaining will run well after seeing how Juliet Foxtrot won, and I do think she’ll get the mile and a half.”

Among the chief opposition for Gaining are Beach Flower (post 1, John Velazquez), who finished first here last fall in the Grade 3 Dowager, only to be disqualified for interference in deep stretch; Sky Full of Stars (post 2, Julien Leparoux), a German-bred mare also getting first Lasix in her second start on this continent and her first for trainer Christophe Clement; and the second- and fourth-place finishers in the Grade 3 Orchid four weeks ago at Gulfstream Park, Ickymasho (post 4, Jose Ortiz) and Maroubra (post 7, Joel Rosario).

Favoritism could fall to Ickymasho on the strength of her recent form. The 7-year-old mare not only was second by a head in the Orchid but was second by that same margin in her prior start, the Grade 3 The Very One.

The rest of the Bewitch field is Flower Party, Peru, Samuna, Coachwhip, and Dynabee.

The Bewitch, named for the Calumet Farm star racemare who retired in 1951, originally was for 2-year-old fillies before being reconfigured in 1979 and ultimately moved to the turf in 1986. It’s the ninth of 10 Friday races that call an end to another eventful meet that began April 4. Live action on the Kentucky circuit moves Saturday to Churchill Downs, where the spring meet gets under way with an evening card.