Special Ops capable of repeating in Sunday turf feature

Age 6 is late in equine life for a horse to hit peak form, but that appears to be the case with Special Ops.

The Brad Cox-trained Special Ops scored a very sharp first-level, turf-route allowance victory Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds – sharp enough to make him look like a major player while facing second-level allowance rivals and $40,000 claimers in the featured seventh race Sunday.

Only one of Special Ops’s first nine starts came on turf. The gelding is by Big Brown, whose offspring usually prefer grass racing to dirt, and a surface switch last year really raised Special Ops’s game. Cox, who was tied with Tom Amoss for leading training at the meet entering the Friday card, took notice. He and GenStar Thoroughbreds claimed Special Ops for $25,000 in September, and Special Ops has won two of three grass races (he got into serious trouble in the loss) for his new connections.

On Dec. 22, Special Ops rated comfortably behind a moderate pace, came off the fence for a clear run in the stretch, and made the front with a strong run, winning by three lengths. He has worked three times since and would not have to run much better to repeat.

Belomor and Crescent Drive appear to be his primary rivals.