Instant Coffee, Verifying among Cox workers at Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS – Hours before starting a trio of 3-year-olds Saturday in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, trainer Brad Cox worked four more 3-year-olds here who are bound for stakes competition.
Instant Coffee, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November and the Lecomte Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, had his first work since the Jan. 21 Lecomte, going a maintenance four furlongs in 49.80 seconds. Working by himself after the renovation break, Instant Coffee went comfortably through the wire and galloped out all the way to the half-mile pole in an encouraging piece of exercise.
“He looks like a mile-and-a-quarter horse, doesn’t he?” Cox said. “He’s light on his feet.”
Connections elected to pass the Risen Star and point to the Louisiana Derby on March 26 with Instant Coffee, a steady late-runner who already has accumulated 32 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby, a total likely sufficient to get him into the 20-horse field. Cox had said he might work Instant Coffee last weekend but gave the colt an additional week, saying Instant Coffee still had ample time to prepare for the Louisiana Derby.
Two colts bound for the Rebel Stakes on Feb. 25 at Oaklawn, Verifying and Giant Mischief, worked a stronger five furlongs in company shortly after the track opened at 5:45 a.m. Verifying worked on the inside, Giant Mischief on the outside, the pair hitting the wire just about evenly while earning an official clocking of 59.80. Giant Mischief hasn’t raced since finishing a troubled second in the Springboard Mile on Dec. 15 at Remington Park and still has distance questions to answer. Sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Verifying bounced back to form Jan. 14 with an eye-catching Oaklawn route allowance tally.
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“Good solid work, out six furlongs in 1:13. I like both of them,” Cox said.
Working in company with the unraced maiden Tufnel just before Verifying and Giant Mischief, Eyeing Clover went five furlongs in 1:00.40 preparing for the Gotham Stakes, a one-turn mile March 4 at Aqueduct. By Lookin At Lucky, Eyeing Clover won an Oaklawn sprint in his debut and was a sharp 9 3/4-length winner of a first-level allowance Jan. 28 at Fair Grounds, and he might have been the most impressive of Cox’s sophomore Saturday workers. Eyeing Clover’s strong gallop out might have provided a positive clue for his stretch from six furlongs to one mile next month.
Warrant, likely bound for the Santa Anita Handicap, a race in which he was narrowly beaten last year, breezed five furlongs in company with 4-year-old filly Interstatedaydream, the pair finishing heads-up in 1:01.40. Winner last year of the Black-Eyed Susan and the Indiana Oaks, Interstatedaydream hasn’t started since a second-place finish Aug. 23 in the Cathryn Sophia at Parx Racing. Her comeback race, if all goes well, comes March 11 at Oaklawn in the $300,000 Azeri Stakes, which could come up a tough spot.
Strobe, a stakes-bound 4-year-old sprinter, went an easy half-mile in 51 seconds.
Friday, 4-year-old filly Matareya, easy winner of the Grade 1 Acorn last summer, blazed five furlongs in 59.80 preparing for possible comeback in the six-furlong Matron Stakes on March 31 at Oaklawn. Matareya hasn’t started since finishing third as the 3-10 favorite in the Test Stakes last August.
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