Shedaresthedevil using Locust Grove as prep for Breeders' Cup Distaff
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brad Cox is borrowing a play from his own playbook.
Cox, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer of 2020, may have raised a few eyebrows when announcing last month that the highly regarded Knicks Go would bypass more traditional Breeders’ Cup preps by preparing for the Nov. 6 Classic with a run in the Oct. 2 Lukas Classic at his home track, Churchill Downs.
In that same vein, Shedaresthedevil, who ranks among the top contenders for the BC Distaff on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, also is getting her final BC prep right here in River City. With Florent Geroux riding from the outside post in a field of seven fillies and mares, Shedaresthedevil figures as a heavy favorite in the Grade 3, $400,000 Locust Grove, which anchors a terrific 11-race card Saturday night at Churchill.
First post for Churchill’s final night card of the year is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the Locust Grove going under the lights at 10:42 as the 10th race. The Locust Grove is the last of five stakes on one of the premier dates at a 12-day, dirt-only September meet.
“We said let’s take the easiest, least-congested route to the Distaff that we can,” said Staton Flurry, who co-owns Shedaresthedevil with Qatar Racing and Big Aut Farms. “Brad and everyone else agreed that running her in the Grade 3 right out of her own stall was the right move.”
In a little more than a year, Shedaresthedevil has run herself into the upper echelon of the North American filly-mare division, starting with her 15-1 upset of the postponed Kentucky Oaks here last September. Following a loss in the Spinster in her only subsequent start at 3, Cox regrouped her during the winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans before sending her to Oaklawn Park, where Shedaresthedevil handed the mighty Letruska her only defeat of the year in the Azeri on March 13. Letruska has proceeded to become the clear-cut leader of the filly-mare division and currently stands as a solid favorite for the BC Distaff.
After the Azeri, Shedaresthedevil sandwiched victories in a pair of Grade 1 races, the La Troienne on April 30 at Churchill and the Clement Hirsch on Aug. 1 at Del Mar, around a third-place finish behind Letruska in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps going 1 1/16 miles around one turn on the June 5 Belmont Stakes undercard.
“Looking back, we probably should’ve run in the Fleur de Lis [won by Letruska on June 26 at Churchill] instead of going one turn in the Phipps, and that kind of bit us in the butt,” Flurry said. “But you live and learn. Our goal is to get her back to Del Mar in peak form and try to beat Letruska again and hopefully win the Eclipse” for the top older female on dirt.
Surely a victory Saturday night in the 1 1/16-mile Locust Grove would keep Shedaresthedevil in a prime position to steal divisional honors from Letruska seven weeks later in the BC Distaff. Her connections are confident she can jump through this next hoop following a summer (interrupted only by her California trip) stabled at Ellis Park, where Cox maintained a sizable string with assistant Jorgito Abrego while Churchill was shut down for its turf-course renovation. The 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil shipped in Tuesday from Ellis.
“It was a little quieter down at Ellis than some other places she’s been,” Flurry said. “She’s really thrived the last couple months or so.”
If Shedaresthedevil is to be upset, Envoutante (post 5, Brian Hernandez Jr.) is the most logical perpetrator. Trained by Ken McPeek, Envoutante has twice earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures and has won three stakes, including a six-length romp here last fall in the Grade 2 Falls City. The 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly was beaten just a length by Shedaresthedevil when second in the La Troienne.
The rest of the Locust Grove cast is Crystal Ball, High Regard, Lady Kate, Matera, and Our Super Freak.
Matera (post 4, Ricardo Santana Jr.), a second Cox trainee, brings a 3-for-3 record as a 4-year-old to this race after most recently capturing the Aug. 15 Groupie Doll at Ellis.
This is the 37th Locust Grove, named for the National Historic Landmark in Louisville’s east end. It follows the Open Mind (race 3), Louisville Thoroughbred Society (race 7), Pocahontas (race 8), and Iroquois (race 9) as a key link in all the late multi-race wagers. The 50-cent late pick five extends to race 11, a $127,000 allowance scheduled for 11:10.
A large ontrack crowd can be expected, given that Churchill also is hosting “Louisville Live,” the annual opening of preseason for the University of Louisville men’s and women’s basketball teams.
General admission is $12. Dry conditions and a daytime high of 84 are in the local forecast.