Cox Pair Make Season Debuts in Mint Julep Stakes

Beau Recall will join stablemate Juliet Foxtrot in the starting gate of the $100,000 Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes (G3T) May 30 at Churchill Downs, a race that attracted eight graded stakes winners.

The 1 1/16-mile Mint Julep drew a capacity field of 14 older fillies and mares, and 6-year-old Beau Recall drew post 2 in the turf test with Juliet Foxtrot just inside her. Both mares are trained by Brad Cox and will likely use the race as a prep for the June 27 Just a Game (G1) at Belmont Park and/or July 11 Jenny WileyS takes (G1) at Keeneland.

Racing for Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing, Beau Recall placed second in the Sept. 28 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park in her most recent effort.

Video: Rodeo Drive S. (G1T)

Though the daughter of Sir Prancealot  was already a graded stakes winner and grade 1-placed, her resume was bolstered last year with three wins and three runner-up finishes in six starts. Among her 2019 wins, Beau Recall won the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2T) at the Louisville track and later the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar.

Breezing on the turf at Keeneland, Beau Recall turned in a four-furlong work May 23 in which she completed the distance in :50 4/5. The week prior, over the same course and distance, she breezed through the half-mile in :48 1/5 to be the fastest of nine May 16.

Shaun Bridgmohan will pick up the mount.

Like her stablemate, Juddmonte Farms' Juliet Foxtrot will also be making her season debut in the Mint Julep. The 4-year-old Dansili filly has a comparable record with three wins and three places in six starts last year. She most recently finished third in the Dec. 1 Matriarch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.

Video: Matriarch S. (G1T)

After winning a race at Keeneland and Churchill Downs, both at the allowance level, upon her arrival from Europe last year, Juliet Foxtrot took the Modesty Handicap (G3T) at Arlington International and then placed second in the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar.

Shipped back to Keeneland for its fall meet, she finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Uni for runner-up honors in the First Lady Stakes Presented by UK Healthcare (G1T). In that one-mile turf test, Juliet Foxtrot finished ahead of grade 1 winners Vasilika and Rushing Fall.

Florent Geroux has the mount from the rail.

Trainers Chad Brown, Brendan Walsh, and Graham Motion each have a pair entered in the Mint Julep, although not as accomplished as the Cox trainees.

Brown has lightly raced Nay Lady Nay, an Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never who broke her maiden in her second start last year and then went on to win the Oct. 7 Parx Fall Oaks at Parx Racing and the Nov. 29 Mrs. Revere Stakes (G2T) at Churchill to close out the year.

The 4-year-old filly has three wins and a second in six starts. She will be ridden by Jose Ortiz from post 6 in Saturday's test.

Her stablemate is French-bred and -raced Altea, who won only a Nov. 16 allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack last year. However, in her 13 North American starts the 5-year-old daughter of Siyouni has been a factor, placing in four stakes. In her best effort, she finished a neck behind Jehozacat in the Feb. 8 Lambholm South Endeavor Stakes (G3T) at the Mint Julep distance at Tampa Bay Downs.

Joel Rosario will ride Altea from post 8.

Just to her outside is Motion trainee Varenka, who is also making her first start of the year and will look to improve her record of three wins in nine starts. The 4-year-old Ghostzapper  filly was fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) as a 2-year-old but didn't break her maiden until the following year.

All of her wins came as a 3-year-old and were topped by a score in the Aug. 17 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course. She has not raced since finishing fifth in the Oct . 12 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane's End (G1T) at Keeneland.

She will get the services of Javier Castellano.

Motion's other entrant is last year's Nassau Stakes (G2T) winner Secret Message. The 5-year-old Hat Trick mare also won the Dahlia Stakes at Laurel Park but was 10th in her most-recent race, the Oct. 12 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine. She defeated Starship Jubilee, who later won the E.P. Taylor, by three-quarters of a length at the Ontario track in the Nassau at a mile on the turf.

Walsh's pair in the Mint Julep consists of La Signare and Zofelle. French-bred La Signare won the 2018 Wonder Again Stakes (G3T) but has only won once in seven starts since. She comes into the Mint Julep off a March 28 score in the Sand Springs Stakes at Gulfstream Park. In that one-mile turf test, she finished three-quarters of a length in front of Irish-bred Zofelle.

A 4-year-old Zoffany filly, Zofelle raced in Great Britain until last spring. She then showed up in America and won three races in a row, including the Pago Hop at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. In two starts this year she placed fifth in a stakes at the Louisiana track and then finished behind her stablemate in the Sand Springs.

Entries: Old Forester Mint Julep S. (G3T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 30, 2020, Race 11

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 6:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Juliet Foxtrot (GB)	Florent Geroux	120	Brad H. Cox	5/2
2	2Beau Recall (IRE)	Shaun Bridgmohan	120	Brad H. Cox	4/1
3	3Winning Envelope (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	Chris M. Block	20/1
4	4She'sonthewarpath (KY)	Chantal Sutherland	122	Steve Margolis	20/1
5	5La Signare (FR)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Brendan P. Walsh	20/1
6	6Nay Lady Nay (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Chad C. Brown	4/1
7	7Secret Message (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	H. Graham Motion	8/1
8	8Altea (FR)	Joel Rosario	120	Chad C. Brown	12/1
9	9Varenka (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	H. Graham Motion	12/1
10	10Hanalei Moon (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Mark E. Casse	20/1
11	11Zofelle (IRE)	Corey J. Lanerie	120	Brendan P. Walsh	20/1
12	12Coco Channel (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Charles Lopresti	50/1
13	13Elizabeth Way (IRE)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
14	14Mitchell Road (KY)	Joseph Talamo	120	William I. Mott	10/1