Essential Quality, Mandaloun Breeze at Churchill Downs

Before many of his elite horses travel northeast July 5, trainer Brad Cox put two of them, 3-year-olds Essential Quality  and Mandaloun , through separate workouts July 3 at Churchill Downs.

Godolphin's Essential Quality, the top-ranked sophomore in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Thoroughbred Poll, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 3/5, and Juddmonte's Mandaloun went the same distance in a bullet :59 1/5. Both workouts came in company with other Cox runners. The two 3-year-olds won their last starts in June—Essential Quality in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Mandaloun in the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Essential Quality's primary summer target is the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) Aug. 28 at Saratoga Race Course, likely preceded by the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) there July 31. Mandaloun runs in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) July 17 at Monmouth.

BH+: Cox On Knicks Go, Essential Quality, Mandaloun

Cox chose to give Essential Quality a stiff five-furlong workout in anticipation of an easier half-mile breeze at Saratoga next week following the colt's arrival in upstate New York.

"He honestly looks like he is getting better all the time. Super pleased with how he bounced out of the Belmont and how he looks mentally and physically," the trainer said.

He wants to observe the Tapit   gray at Saratoga and consult with Godolphin USA representatives Jimmy Bell and Dan Pride before deciding whether to run in the Jim Dandy. At this point, Cox is inclined to start him.

"I always felt like the goal is the Travers, but if he is doing well and settles into Saratoga and there are no setbacks, I don't see why we wouldn't maybe take a chance in the Jim Dandy," he said. "Use it as a maintenance tool as far as fitness and just continue to educate the horse.

"You know, as much as he has accomplished, he has only run seven times and four times this year. So honestly, I have a feeling the best is yet to come. He has always had a lot of talent; he obviously showed that as a 2-year-old, his brilliance early on—but he is also a horse with his pedigree and his running style that can only get better with age, as well."

Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality working five furlongs in 1:00.3 outside of Joe Frazier. pic.twitter.com/PEGOODrlX2

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) July 3, 2021

Mandaloun, who would move from second to first in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) if stewards ultimately disqualify Medina Spirit for a post-race test for betamethasone, travels to New Jersey Monday. Cox called the Into Mischief   colt's Saturday workout "fantastic."

"He'll work at Monmouth once," Cox said. "He's familiar with the track, obviously. He has never worked over it, but he had the race over it. I think that Pegasus experience—I am hopeful it will turn into a valuable lesson for him come Haskell day. He went through all the steps, schooled. He handled everything extremely well.

"He's an extremely smart horse. He takes everything in, has a lot of class.  Hopefully we can put it all together on Haskell day."

Mandaloun is among a group of 16 nominees to the Haskell, a Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifier for the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar. Essential Quality was not among the nominations. However, the runner-up behind Essential Quality in the Belmont, Hot Rod Charlie , is an intended starter, trainer Doug O'Neill said July 2.

Cox also plans to run Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger, and the Estate of Peter Coneway's Arklow  in the $500,000 United Nations Stakes (G1T) on the Haskell undercard.