T D Dance displays nice turn of foot in one-sided James W. Murphy stretch run

BALTIMORE - Trainer Brad Cox may have left his top 3-year-old dirt horses in Kentucky this weekend, but he did bring a pretty talented sophomore turf runner to Pimlico.

T D Dance, patiently handled by Javier Castellano, burst through a gaping hole in upper stretch and drew off to a 3 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes.

In a three-way tussle for second, it was Arzak by a neck over Charles Chrome, who had a neck on Indian Lake.

Extrasexybigdaddee was fifth, followed by Reassured and Kasim. Outadore, the morning-line favorite, was scratched by Wesley Ward earlier in the week due to missed training.

T D Dance assumed the favorite’s role and did not disappoint. Breaking from the outside in the seven-horse field, Castellano was able to work T D Dance over to the rail by the time the field hit the first turn.

Kasim and a pumped-up Charles Chrome supplied the pace, going at each other through a quarter in 23.28 seconds and a half-mile in 47.61 with Indian Lake just off that duo.

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T D Dance raced a joint fourth inside of Arzak but Castellano came into the stretch with a ton of horse, just in search of room. There was ample space at the top of the lane and Castellano guided T D Dance toward the leaders and he really took off inside the sixteenth pole.

T D Dance, a son of Can the Man, covered the mile in 1:34.89 and returned $3.80 as the 4-5 favorite. He is owned in a partnership that includes Madaket Stables, Wonder Stable, Paul Farr, and Team Hanley. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81.

“He ran well, the way he had been training,” Cox said. “I think he’s improving mentally as time goes on.”

Cox hopes this race could be a springboard to longer-distance races perhaps on the New York Racing Association circuit this summer.

“Hopefully, we can compete with horses on the NYRA circuit in the 3-year-old division,” Cox said. “That’s the goal.”

Castellano said he thought the way the horse ran he would have no trouble stretching out in distance.

“I told Brad Cox don’t hesitate to move forward at the longer distances, I think he could be better too,” Castellano said.

Essential Quality, Mandaloun work at Churchill

T D Dance was one of just two runners Cox had on Saturday’s 14-race Preakness Day card at Pimlico.

Back at Churchill, his staff worked approximately 23 horses Saturday morning led by Kentucky Derby second- and fourth-place finishers Mandaloun and Essential Quality.

Mandaloun went a half-mile in 48.20 seconds by himself while Essential Quality went a half-mile in 50.80 seconds.

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Cox was non-committal on next starts for both 3-year-olds though he has previously mentioned the Belmont Stakes as a potential race for Essential Quality.

Noting that Tapit, the sire of Essential Quality, has sired Belmont Stakes winners Tonalist, Creator, and Tapwrit, Cox said, “it gives you confidence in the Belmont. . . . He’s a horse that can handle the mile and a half.”

Cox said he will have discussions soon with the principals of Godolphin, the owner of Essential Quality, and Juddmonte Farms, the owner of Mandaloun, about where to run each horse next.

Shedaresthedevil, the winner of the Grade 1 La Troienne on April 30, worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds at Churchill and is “a very strong possibility” for the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on the June 5 Belmont Stakes card.