Cox-Trained British Idiom, Portrait to Try Pocahontas

Trainer Brad Cox will send out a pair of promising maiden winners in the $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G2) Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs in British Idiom and Portrait who have various ties to Monomoy Girl, the 2018 champion 3-year-old filly he conditions.

Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables' British Idiom will stretch out to two turns in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile test for juvenile fillies after drawing off in the stretch to post a 3 1/2-length score in her six-furlong maiden debut Aug. 15 at Saratoga Race Course. That ownership group nearly matches the group that campaigns Monomoy Girl, the only difference being Monomoy Stables is listed with the champion filly instead of Madaket Stables—Sol Kumin is associated with both those stables, with Madaket also including Jason Monteleone.

Bred in Kentucky by Hargus and Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm, British Idiom is out of the stakes-winning Mr. Sekiguchi mare Rose and Shine, who also has produced stakes winner Parade of Roses, by New Year's Day. X-Go Ranch purchased British Idiom for $40,000 from the Warrendale Sales consignment at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

Cox also will send out LNJ Foxwoods' Portrait who rolled to a 12 1/2-length victory in a seven-furlong race Aug. 25 at Ellis Park. That effort marked Portrait's first start on dirt after she finished third in a one-mile turf race July 29 at Ellis in her maiden debut. Like Monomoy Girl, Portrait is a daughter of Tapizar .

Bred in Kentucky by Alvin D. Haynes Estate, Portrait is out of stakes-winning Bellamy Road  mare My Bellamy. She was purchased by Solis/Litt for $140,000 at least year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Gainesway consignment.

Besides offering an opportunity at graded stakes success for the nine fillies entered, the Pocahontas also provides some future opportunities as both a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Juvenile Fillies (G1) and the first points race for the 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), awarding points on a 10-4-2-1 scale to that race, which is limited to 14 starters.

One of two fillies in the field with graded stakes experience is ERJ Racing, Great Friends Stable, and Tom Mansor's Lazy Daisy, a daughter of Paynter  who enters off a fourth-place finish in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) Aug. 31. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Lazy Daisy won her Aug. 3 maiden debut at Del Mar and then just missed a grade 1 placing in the Del Mar Debutante when she finished a head behind third-place Comical.

Trainer Tom Amoss, who captured this race last year with eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress, will send out stakes-placed His Glory. Trainer Ken McPeek who won the Pocahontas in 2016 with Daddys Lil Darling and in 2015 with Dothraki Queen, will saddle Morning Gold, a daughter of Morning Line who will start on dirt for the first time after rolling to a 1 1/16-mile maiden win Aug. 11 on the Saratoga turf.

Two-time Pocahontas winning trainer Steve Asmussen, who most recently won this race in 2013 with future champion 3-year-old filly Untapable, has entered Lotta Ott off a maiden win second-time out at Saratoga.

Entries: Pocahontas S. (G2)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 14, 2019, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shadilee (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Michael J. Maker	10/1
2	2His Glory (FL)	James Graham	118	Thomas M. Amoss	20/1
3	3Portrait (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	118	Brad H. Cox	3/1
4	4Lazy Daisy (KY)	Abel Cedillo	118	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
5	5Blood Curdling (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Dane Kobiskie	5/1
6	6Morning Gold (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	3/1
7	7British Idiom (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Brad H. Cox	4/1
8	8Lotta Ott (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
9	9Addilyn (KY)	Miguel Mena	118	Antonio Sano	15/1