Trainer Cox, Benner Island on Same Page Into Acorn

A look at Benner Island's past performances might suggest the filly entered in the June 10 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park is due for a loss. After all, she won last out in the Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Kentucky Trailer (G2) at Churchill Downs in May, and following each of her two previous wins, she's slumped a bit before returning to the winner's circle.

Trainer Brad Cox is unconcerned. 

"She's undefeated at one-turn on the dirt," he said with a laugh, admitting that he'd experimented a bit with the filly on the road to her first grade 1 start, the one-mile Acorn for 3-year-old fillies.

After breaking her maiden on debut at Indiana Grand, the daughter of Speightstown   ran second on the Polytrack at Arlington International Racecourse.

"We messed with her a little bit, but I'm thinking we've done enough of that," he said. "We've figured out what she wants to do."

She's got a win at the Acorn's one-mile distance in an allowance-optional claimer at Churchill Downs last November, and Cox is confident coming into the Acorn.  

"She'll have to step up, but we think it's possible," he said. "She's training great, and she's set up for a huge effort on Saturday." 

Out of the Awesome Again   mare Spacy Tracy, Benner Island is owned by John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable, which purchased the bay filly at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale for $200,000. She was bred in Kentucky by Mercedes Stables.  

"We have a certain standard or criteria for buying yearlings," Anthony said, "and she checked all the boxes. She was big enough, she was correct enough, she had enough pedigree, and she seemed to have a good personality."  

Anthony's wife Isabel named the filly for the island in Maine where the Hot Springs couple has a vacation home and where artist Andrew Wyeth has a studio. 

"We were lucky enough to be invited to visit him there, and we were much impressed with the opportunity to meet Andrew and his wife and son, and to see how he worked," Anthony explained. "It was natural for her to name the filly after that experience." 

In 2012, Phyllis Wyeth, wife of Andrew's son Jamie, won the Belmont Stakes (G1) with her homebred Union Rags  .  

Cox began training for Anthony last year, and Benner Island was among the first crop of Anthony's 2-year-olds that came to his barn. 

"She's been a really solid filly," said Cox of Benner Island, whose record is 3-2-0 from eight starts with earnings of nearly $236,000. "She fit their program and she fit our program."  

At 6-1, Benner Island is the fourth choice on the morning line and faces stiff competition in multiple grade 1 winner Abel Tasman and last year's Spinaway Stakes (G1) winner Sweet Loretta, who is coming off a win in the Adena Springs Beaumont Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in April.  

"Hopefully she'll make a good showing," Cox said. "It would be a good steppingstone for the Test (G1 at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 5), which is our short-term goal."