Knicks Go, Essential Quality Lead Oct. 31 BC Work Tab

After a soggy morning and a heavy track caused trainer Brad Cox to delay final pre-race works at Churchill Downs Oct. 30 for top Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contenders Knicks Go   and Essential Quality  —along with key Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) runner Shedaresthedevil —the California-bound trio took to the track Oct. 31 and got down to business.

"It was a great morning and all three horses put in great works," Cox reported via the Churchill Downs media department. "It was exactly what we were looking for heading into the Breeders' Cup next week. All three of these horses were scheduled to work (Saturday) but we got a lot of rain in the area so we moved them all to (Sunday). Overall, it worked out really well. I thought it was a good track. It was still a little wet but it was drying out as the morning was going on."

With a red-sky sunrise dawning over the iconic Twin Spires, Essential Quality and Knicks Go both worked after the 7:30 a.m. ET renovation break. 

Essential Quality, with jockey Florent Geroux in the saddle, breezed outside of stablemate Colonel Bowman . The multiple grade 1-winning 3-year-old started one length back of his workmate and finished five lengths in front through splits of :23 2/5 and :47, according to the Churchill Downs media department. Firing a five-furlong bullet in :59 2/5, fastest of 22 at the distance on the day, he galloped out to six furlongs in 1:13.

Knicks Go 5F 1:01.20. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/VOfUMwSssV

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021

"Essential (Quality) really loved the track this morning and it was probably the Tapit   coming out of him a little bit," Cox said."There was a set of horses slowing down in front of them and I told Florent on the radio to gallop out by them. It was a really, really good move. A lot of people scratch their heads the way he trains in the morning compared to running in a race. That's just who he is but I think he's really developing at the right time."

Shortly after his move, likely Classic favorite Knicks Go clipped through fractions of :24 2/5, :36 2/5, and :48 3/5. He was credited with a five-furlong time of 1:01 1/5, with a gallop out to six furlongs in 1:13 4/5 and seven furlongs in 1:27 3/5. Regular exercise rider Hugo Garcia was in the irons.

"He's just a really cool horse," Cox said. "He's very kind when he's in his stall but he's very aggressive, in a good way, outside of the barn. He knows his job and puts a lot into his training and works. I don't see anything from his previous races than he can't get the extra eighth-mile distance in the Classic. In the Whitney (G1), against a field of really good horses, I thought he showed he could get an extra quarter-mile. He seems to clear off around the turn from his competition and able to go fast and kick on."

Essential Quality outside Colonel Bowman 5F :59.40. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/dcWTDIGpmm

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021

About 90 minutes later, 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil worked alone with Geroux aboard through early fractions of :24 and :48 1/5 before hitting the five-furlong mark in 1:00 3/5 to register the second-fastest work of the morning.

"She always gets into a good rhythm in her training and races," Cox said. "We saw that again today. Florent worked her and she was just cruising around there. She always seems to be under the radar, even going back to when she won the Kentucky Oaks (at odds of 15-1). I thought I ran her a little too quickly back in the Spinster (G1) last year. She's gotten the job done in four out of five starts this year. She doesn't run bigger figures than some of the older mares but she is a racehorse through and through. When she gets in a battle, she shows all heart and determination to get the job done."

Shedaresthedevil and @flothejock 5F from the half 1:00.60. #BC21 pic.twitter.com/ZupTH6S0yU

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) October 31, 2021

Knicks Go rides a three-race win streak for Korea Racing Authority into the Nov. 6 Classic at Del Mar, coming off a victory in the Oct. 2 Lukas Classic Stakes (G3) at Churchill after winning the Aug. 7 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the July 2 Prairie Meadows Corn Husker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Meadows. The 5-year-old son of Paynter   has won seven of nine starts since joining Cox's barn in 2020, including the 2020 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Godolphin's Essential Quality also comes in off a trio of wins, in the Aug. 28 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and the July 31 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), both at Saratoga, and the June 5 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). The 3-year-old Tapit colt was named champion juvenile male of 2020 after winning three in a row, capped by the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) at Keeneland.

Shedaresthedevil won the Sept. 18 Locust Grove Stakes (G3) last out at Churchill in impressive fashion for Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Big Aut Farms on the back of an Aug. 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) score that assured her connections of an affinity for Del Mar. With three starts over the seaside track, she is the veteran of the Cox-trained trio; Knicks Go and Essential Quality will be making their first starts where the turf meets the surf in the World Championships.

The Kentucky-based Cox contingent ships Nov. 1 on a FedEx flight out of Indianapolis. Along with his heavy hitters for Saturday he also has at least three contenders for the Friday card—Juju's Map  in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Bubble Rock  and Turnerloose  in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), and Ready to Purrform  for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), although as of Sunday morning the latter still needed a defection in order to make it into the field for his respective race. Bubble Rock, based with Cox's Belmont Park string, was set to depart for California Sunday via Newark.

Express Train Tunes Up at Santa Anita

Express Train, who is pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic, worked five furlongs in :59 4/5 for trainer John Shirreffs on the  Santa Anita Park main track Sunday morning. Jockey Victor Espinoza was aboard.

"I got him in around a minute, and he looked very good," said Shirreffs, as he walked briskly back to his barn. "He was so relaxed and he extended so nicely down the lane."

Shirreffs plans to ship Express Train to Del Mar Nov. 1. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Union Rags  —I'm a Flake, by Mineshaft  , races for Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable. This year he has won the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and the San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar. The colt most recently finished third in the Oct. 2 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.

Art Collector Highlights Del Mar Work Tab

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector , one of the leading candidates for the Breeders' Cup Classic, worked a half-mile in :48 2/5 Sunday morning to highlight a busy work tab ahead of the World Championships slated for Friday and Saturday.

ART COLLECTOR just completed his work this morning in preparation for the @BreedersCup Classic with Trainer Bill Mott looking on trackside @delmarracing!

Watch Breakfast at #BC21 to get live action and insight leading up to Nov. 5 & 6th! pic.twitter.com/x4y702w3J8

— TVG (@TVG) October 31, 2021

Art Collector was one of three horses to work for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Neil Poznansky was aboard the trio that included Casa Creed  (FanDuel Mile Presented by PDJF, G1T) going a half-mile in :47 3/5 and War Like Goddess  (Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf, G1T) going a half-mile in :48 1/5.

"They were all useful works, nothing blazing fast," said Mott, who has won 10 Breeders' Cup races. "I never have a problem working good grass horses on dirt and this track looks safe and very forgiving."

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was aboard Bella Sofia  as she covered a half-mile in :48 2/5 in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

"She's a happy girl and she loves to just go about her business," Rodriguez said of Bella Sofia, who has won four of five career starts and features daylight victories in the Longines Test (G1) and Gallant Bloom (G2) in her past two outings. "She handled the track well and was very comfortable on it."

Highlighting the grass workers were two California standouts in Mo Forza  and Going to Vegas .

Mo Forza, a two-time winner of the Del Mar Mile (G2T), worked a half-mile in :49 2/5 for the Mile for trainer Peter Miller. Shortly after Mo Forza finished his work, Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) captress Going to Vegas worked a half-mile in :49 1/5 for Richard Baltas in preparation for the Filly & Mare Turf.