Impressive Verifying One of Many Cox Derby Hopefuls

Stalk, pounce, and draw away. Verifying made it look easy Jan. 15 at Oaklawn Park, rolling to a 5 1/4-length entry-level allowance victory in his 3-year-old debut for trainer Brad Cox.

KING: Midnight Bisou Half Brother Verifying Romps at Oaklawn

Verifying , a half brother to champion Midnight Bisou , was making his first start since finishing sixth in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland. The son of Justify   notched a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 97, a career-high, after running the fastest mile of the meeting in prepping for a Kentucky Derby (G1) points race.  

"It went better than planned," Cox said in a phone call Jan. 14. "We've always liked this colt. Mentally, I don't know if he's always been as polished as some of the other ones, but he's really starting to, I think, figure it out. I thought it was a huge run off the freshening since the Breeders' Cup."

Verifying, owned in partnership by the Coolmore-affiliated Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor, accelerated away from his challengers in the final 100 yards and reached the finish line—mile races at Oaklawn begin and end at the sixteenth pole in the stretch—in 1:37.23 under Martin Garcia. Ginobili  clocked 1:37.35 in winning the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses about 2 1/2 hours later on the card.  

"That's a really good horse," Garcia said after riding Verifying for the first time. "Sometimes you break and have intentions to go and then later you take back. It's hard. In this case, I had intentions to go and the other horse goes, then I sat outside, and moved around him. I asked him one time and he just took off. He just kept going. I knew he had some time off since the Breeders' Cup. I think he's a really good horse mentally and, of course, he has a lot of ability. That's a really, really good horse."

Jorgito Abrego, who oversees Cox's Oaklawn division, said Sunday morning that Verifying appeared to exit his victory in good shape. Cox said next-race plans are pending for Verifying, who has been based this winter at Fair Grounds Race Course.

"We'll ship him back to the Fair Grounds at some point and train him there," Cox said. "I don't really know (what's next). We'll get with the Coolmore (ownership) group and come up with a game plan in the near future."

Verifying is among maybe a dozen Kentucky Derby prospects for Cox and already has four qualifying points after finishing second in the  Champagne Stakes (G1) last October during the Belmont At The Big A meeting.

Cox trainees Victory Formation  and Angel of Empire  ran 1-2, respectively, in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1. The Smarty Jones was Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races. The series continues with the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28.

Cox said he plans to start unbeaten Corona Bolt , Hit Show , and Jace's Boy in the Southwest while Victory Formation and Angel of Empire are being considered for the Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds and the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Feb. 25.

Jace's Road was a 5 1/2-length winner of the Dec. 26 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds while Corona Bolt was blowout winner of the  Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 26 over that same oval.

Hit Show, a son of Candy Ride  , was a sharp entry-level allowance winner at one mile Dec. 17 at Oaklawn.