She’s Got Swag looks to add to Cox’s career-best meet
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As the final four-day stretch of the Churchill Downs spring meet begins Thursday, Brad Cox finds himself in a position he hardly thought possible.
Cox is experiencing the best meet of his 10-year career, having recorded 14 wins and 9 seconds from 40 starts. He trails only Steve Asmussen (18 wins) and Mike Maker (15) in the trainers’ standings at the 38-day meet that ends Sunday.
“I sure didn’t expect to be third,” said Cox, a 34-year-old native of Louisville. “My goal was to be in the top 10 by the end of the meet. We’ve been fortunate to get horses in and, for the most part, haven’t had much go wrong.”
Less than two years ago, Cox was struggling just to stay afloat after his position as a private trainer for the far-flung Midwest Thoroughbreds operation was terminated.
“We’ve made some pretty good claims, and my clients have been active at the sales this year,” said Cox. “I’ve been given some really good opportunities.”
Now Cox has 42 horses in his care, with 30 at Churchill and 12 at nearby Trackside. For the summer, he said he might take “eight to 10” to Saratoga while shipping the others from here to race at Ellis Park, Indiana Grand, or Arlington Park.
One of the Cox horses to make a favorable impression at this meet is She’s Got Swag, who was claimed for $16,000 and then sold privately to Hunter Valley Farm in January at Oaklawn Park. Since then, she has two wins and a second from three starts and will be one of the favorites in the Thursday feature, a $55,000, second-level optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles.
“She was claimed as a broodmare prospect,” said Cox. “The biggest thing that’s helped her is stretching her out. She’s a big, scopey mare and has a nice, long stride on her.”
She’s Got Swag, with Jesus Castanon to ride, will break from post 2 in a field of seven fillies and mares in the seventh of nine Thursday races. The primary opposition is Ocean Bertie (post 3, Shaun Bridgmohan), making her first start since being claimed by Maker, and Handmade (post 7, Robby Albarado), a last-out winner for Neil Howard.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Ocean Bertie (2-1 morning line). Trainer Mike Maker is 5 for 22 with a $4.09 ROI the past two years with new claims in routes coming off a win in their prior start. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 3:47.
◗ Two other allowances are carded for Thursday, both of them first-level races worth $52,000. They go as races 5 and 8.
◗ Highlights for closing weekend are a 10-race Downs After Dark card Friday and a pair of Saturday stakes, the Grade 2 Firecracker and Grade 3 Bashford Manor. Sunday is closing day.
