Cowboy Diplomacy Takes Long Journey to Churchill Downs

Last year the connections of Cowboy Diplomacy were hoping to have the colt race at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May—but after a rough start and 15 months off, the now-gelded full brother to champion Monomoy Girl will instead be racing at the Louisville track on the first Saturday in September.

When Cowboy Diplomacy finished second in his February 2019 debut, three lengths behind the winner at Oaklawn Park, Marc Wampler of Pocket Aces Racing knew that his decision to stretch his budget at auction was validated. 

Wampler outbid the competition, which included Liz Crow of BSW Bloodstock, to take home the Tapizar  colt for $175,000 at The October Sale, Fasig-Tipton's 2017 Kentucky fall yearling sale. Crow was particularly impressed that the colt looked almost identical to his champion sibling, who she purchased as a $100,000 yearling, and she later approached Wampler and struck a deal to get her client, Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables, on board as a partner.

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Trained by Brad Cox, as is Monomoy Girl, Cowboy Diplomacy did not race at 2 due to minor shin issues. After his debut, he finished third in March and fourth in April, all in maiden special weight company at Oaklawn.

"All our hopes and dreams were to be running on Derby Day last year, but it's interesting the (circumstantial) path we took to wind up running on Derby Day (this year)," Wampler said. "In late April (2019) Brad called me to tell me 'He's off, he's lame.' We do ultrasounds, we do X-Rays … the vets can't come up with anything really definitive, so what it ended up being was bone bruising (in the right hind ankle).

The bone bruising healed and Cowboy Diplomacy returned to training at the track, but a short time later he sustained a soft tissue injury of the left hind suspensory according to Wampler, who said that really put things on hold, and helped the connections in their decision to geld him.

"That's what took all the time," Wampler said. "He would not have been away very long with just bone bruising. I would dare say he would not have been gelded if it was just the bone bruising. Things happen for a reason.

"When we bought him he had strength. He was athletic, very good mover and all that, but it was something (we knew we were going) to have to keep an eye on because as he ages and matures he might start getting a little too heavy. … He grew and matured but it was in proportion. After the soft tissue injury—his neck, his shoulder—he was starting to put on more mass, he was starting to cross that line. So our main reason (for gelding him) was soundness."

In his return to the races, Cowboy Diplomacy won his 2020 debut July 18 at Ellis Park by a resounding 4 1/2 lengths, defeating seven others in a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up while finishing on a fast track in 1:09.47.

For his second start of the season Cowboy Diplomacy will leave post 11 of 12 in a seven-furlong allowance test that goes as Race 6 on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) undercard with an approximate post time of 1:45 p.m. ET. Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will return to ride the gelding, who is 7-2 on the morning line.