Cyberknife, Likely for Dirt Mile, Leads Cox's BC Squad
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Cyberknife trains this summer at Saratoga Race Course
Trainer Brad Cox intends to pre-enter four or five horses for the Breeders' Cup Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland, led by Gold Square's Cyberknife , who he is planning to run in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
Cox has a winning history in that race and the Breeders' Cup altogether, having captured eight Breeders' Cup races from 26 starters, one of which was the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 2020 with Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go . That year at Keeneland was one to remember for Cox, who recorded four Breeders' Cup victories in 2020, which catapulted the trainer to his first Eclipse Award.
He also enjoyed victories at the Lexington track in 2020 from Aunt Pearl in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1T), Essential Quality in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), and Monomoy Girl in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
Last year at Del Mar, Cox had a single Breeders' Cup victory in the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with eventual Horse of the Year Knicks Go.
Cyberknife secured automatic paid entry for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic, having won the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1), a "Win and You're In" Challenge Race. But Cox currently prefers the shorter Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for the 3-year-old Gun Runner colt, who ran second in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and a slow-starting third in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in two subsequent starts.
"I think given the right trip, he might go a mile and a quarter," Cox said of the Breeders' Cup Classic distance. "But listen, obviously it's a very, very deep group (of) horses—the best horses right now in the world on the dirt. I think the Mile gives us a better opportunity to win."
The Classic—which Cox said Cyberknife will likely also pre-enter, though as a second preference behind the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile—is led by the brilliant Flightline , as well as Life Is Good , Olympiad , Epicenter , and Taiba .
Laurel River and Jack Christopher (also under consideration for the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1)) top the prospects for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, which seems likely to draw a larger field than the Classic.
Cyberknife ran down Jack Christopher when they were 1-3 in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell this summer at Monmouth Park.
(L-R): Jockey Florent Geroux, trainer Brad Cox, and owner Al Gold and his wife Hilary at the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park
Cox's other intended pre-entries include Caravel for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), Verifying for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Chop Chop for the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and possibly Lady Rocket for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.
Loggins , a close runner-up behind Forte in Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, will not compete in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He is receiving time off and will point toward a 3-year-old campaign, Cox said.
Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Madaket Stables' Caravel, 12th in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint last year, won the Franklin Stakes (G3T) against females at Keeneland Oct. 16; Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor's Verifying ran second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) after a debut maiden win; Selective's Chop Chop was a hard-charging second in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) after two previous wins on dirt; and Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing's grade 3-winning Lady Rocket was second in the Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) in her last start.
Florent Geroux has the mount on Cyberknife and Tyler Gaffalione rides Caravel, Cox said. Joel Rosario rides Verifying and Chop Chop, and "it sounds like" he could be aboard Lady Rocket, Cox added.