Mo Strike Mows Down 11 Rivals in Sanford Stakes
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Mo Strike wins the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
When Brad Cox received a phone call asking if he wanted to train a 2-year-old colt named Mo Strike for Nasser Bin Omairah, he was caught off guard.
He had never trained for Bin Omairah, was unfamiliar with the name, and the request involved just a single horse.
Was Cox's name picked out of a phone book?
"I think so," he said with a laugh.
But when Cox did his homework, he learned that Mo Strike was a son of Uncle Mo out of the Smart Strike mare Featherbed. The colt was on his short list from the Gene Recio consignment at this year's OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. So, he agreed to take him.
"He was a good-looking horse and I liked his works, but (Bin Omairah) bid on him and got him," Cox said.
Mo Strike in the winner's circle
Standing in the winner's circle on the first Saturday of the prestigious Saratoga Race Course meet, Cox was quite happy he brought Mo Strike into his barn. The $325,000 purchase improved his record to 2-for-2 by spurting clear in the final sixteenth and taking the $175,000 Sanford Stakes (G3) on July 16, a day when 30,024 showed up at the Spa and all-sources handle was $37,068,005.
"He definitely showed some ability and fought off a good horse at the eighth pole. It was a big win," Cox said.
In notching a 3 1/2-length victory over a late-closing Great Navigator , Mo Strike faced a full field of 11 rivals after prevailing in a field of 10 in his June 19 maiden win at Churchill Downs. Though he may have raced only twice, having beaten 20 rivals already means he's had a pair of highly educational starts.
"Oftentimes this race comes up with a short field," Cox said. "One horse scares a lot away and maybe there are not a lot of horses that broke their maiden. He did run against a large group at Churchill Downs and had to fight off a lot of horses before. He's had some experience and has overcome some things."
While Cox was noncommittal about the colt's next start, the likely target for the half brother to grade 3 winner Dynamic Impact (Tiznow) should be the Sept. 5 Hopeful Stakes (G1), the seven-furlong feature on closing day at the Spa.
"He's a pretty intelligent horse and I think he can stretch out a bit. I won't say he can go a mile-and-a-quarter yet, but he's a nice horse," Cox said. "I don't think seven furlongs should be a problem. I think the Hopeful is more likely being he's an Uncle Mo. It's a grade 1 and it will take a lot of the pressure off."
(L-R): Suzi Salmen, great-granddaughter of Stephen Sanford, presents the trophy to Florent Geroux and Brad Cox
Avoiding any traffic issues in the large field, Mo Strike broke quickly in the Sanford under Florent Geroux, who celebrated his 36th birthday Saturday. They were involved in a three-way speed duel with Curly Jack and Mr. Amore Stable's Andiamo a Firenze , the New York-bred 4-1 second choice. The trio covered a quarter-mile in :22.59 and a half-mile in :45.94.
"He broke super sharp," Geroux said. "I was in the clear right from the beginning."
Curly Jack dropped out first, retreating to finish fifth, and at midstretch of the six-furlong test, 8-1 shot Mo Strike ($18.40) and Andiamo a Firenze were locked together, with Mo Strike leading by a head. But from there, Mo Strike took charge and crossed the wire in 1:11.35 well clear of his pursuers.
"When the other horse came to me down the lane, my horse was able to give me another gear and fight all the way to the wire," Geroux said. "The last eighth of a mile, I thought the race was over."
Holly Crest Farm's Great Navigator, a maiden winner at Monmouth Park, rallied late from sixth to take second. A son of Sea Wizard trained by Eddie Owens Jr., he was a neck ahead of Andiamo a Firenze, a Speightstown colt trained by Kelly Breen.
"I knew this was going to be a tough race, but we got here and he ran very good," jockey Jairo Rendon said of the New Jersey-bred runner-up, who was a 5 3/4-length winner of a June 4 open race in his debut.
He was 17-1 in that first start and 18-1 in the Sanford, a race won by Triple Crown champions Secretariat (1972) and Affirmed (1977).
Forte (Violence ), the 7-5 favorite trained by Todd Pletcher, staged a mild rally from seventh to end up fourth, almost six lengths behind the winner.
Bred by Blue Heaven Farm and Ashford Stud, Mo Strike is the ninth of 11 foals from the grade 1-placed Featherbed, who has produced five runners, all winners. Her most recent produce includes a Vino Rosso yearling colt and a filly by McKinzie born this year.