Heavenly Sunday executes Cox plan to perfection in Edgewood Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE?q=100)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Brad Cox knew going into Friday’s $500,000 Edgewood at Churchill Downs that his fillies Heavenly Sunday and Flashy Gem were likely the speed in the race. His chief concern was keeping the two of them from “eating each other up,” as he so colorfully described it, dueling on the front end in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.
Fortunately for Cox, the Grade 2 Edgewood played out as he’d hoped, with Heavenly Sunday loose on the lead and her mate racing in a stalking position just a couple of lengths back. That scenario allowed Heavenly Sunday to lead throughout en route to a three-quarter-length victory over the late-running Revalita, with Mission of Joy finishing another neck back in third.
Heavenly Sunday, who finished third after setting the pace and staying on gamely once headed in the Grade 2 Appalachian last month at Keeneland, hesitated briefly at the start of the Edgewood before rushing to command a furlong into the race. Rating kindly on the front end under Florent Geroux, Heavenly Sunday readily disposed of a mild bid from Flashy Gem into the stretch, then on under vigorous urging.
Revalita, one of three fillies trainer Chad Brown sent out in the Edgewood, raced within striking distance while outside horses and was gaining gradually on the winner at the end. Mission Joy finished best of all, rallying down the center of the course. The Brown-trained Preliminary, the tepid 7-2 favorite in an extremely well-matched field of 3-year-old fillies, was never a factor, finishing 11th and last.
Heavenly Sunday is a 3-year-old daughter of Candy Ride owned by Miacomet Farm. She completed the distance over the firm course in 1:42.40 seconds and paid $21.36. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86.
“I thought Flashy Gem broke a little bit flat and had to hustle into the position she was in,” said Cox. “Actually, the winner didn’t break great either. She broke a half-step slow and had to be asked to get into the position we were hoping for. I wanted one of them on the lead and the other tracking that one, and it worked out really well, for the winner, obviously.”
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Cox said he was disappointed when Heavenly Sunday finished third in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant launching her campaign this past winter at Gulfstream Park.
“She ran well at Gulfstream, although I expected her to win, and then she came back at Keeneland with another very big race,” Cox said. “Another sixteenth of a mile today and she was able to hold on. It was a big performance. She really dug in late to win it.”
Cox said he didn’t believe Heavenly Sunday had to be on the lead to win the Edgewood, but told Geroux, that “if it was there for the taking, to take it.”
“Early on she was a bit on the nervous side,” Cox said. “She’s definitely improved. Florent made the comment she won the race leading up to the start. This is about as wild an atmosphere as she’s going to get and she handled it very well. She’s definitely improved a tremendous amount over the spring.”
Cox mentioned the Regret here on June 3 as a possible option for Heavenly Sunday’s next start.
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