High North earns first stakes win in Northern Spur

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The blinkers trainer Brad Cox added to High North’s equipment for the $150,000 Northern Spur at Oaklawn Park on Saturday appeared to result in a more focused performance as he showed improved speed and then outbattled Ike in the stretch to score his first stakes win.

High North, a 3-year-old son of Midnight Lute owned by Arkansas lumber man John Ed Anthony, won a maiden race going two turns in his third career start but hadn’t made a serious impact in his most recent starts, the Grade 2 Rebel and the Grade 2 Risen Star.

“We were starting to wonder if he could get the two turns,” Cox said. “The blinkers we put on him seemed to make a big difference.”

Longshot Soul P Say set a reasonable pace in the Northern Spur, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, while being tracked by 3-1 Ike and High North.

Ike and High North took over from Soul P Say on the far turn with High North getting the upper hand nearing the stretch. He pulled away to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Ike was second-best, finishing 3 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Higher Power.

High North, who was ridden by Florent Geroux, paid $11.80 as the third choice in the eight-horse field. He was timed in 1:43.73 following fractions of 23.54 seconds, 47.28, and 1:12.36 and was given a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

Cox said High North would join his Churchill string of horses and that he and Anthony would discuss future options.

Title Ready, the 4-5 favorite, saved ground in a contending position early but lacked the needed response when asked and finished fourth.

“We tried to put him on the Triple Crown trail but that didn’t work out,” Cox said. “This was a step forward today.”