Nasser Bin Omairah’s Mo Strike (Uncle Mo), GIII winner Sanford S. on Saturday, is likely to start next in GI Hopeful S. September 5, coach Brad Cox confirmed on Sunday.
“He is great and looks great. I think the right thing to do, from a timing standpoint, is to look at Hopeful and work our way from there,” Cox said Sunday. “I think we’ll let it go [Aug. 13 GII] Saratoga Special, because it demands a lot of him and this gives him more time. We got him back quickly after his first win, so he’ll have the whole summer here. It’s a great place to be, so there’s no rush. “
Mo Strike was Cox’s third winner of the three-day old Saratoga meeting. Coaches will consider adding to their graded tally in the coming weeks with Caravel (Mizzen Mat) wants to repeat on July 23 GIII Caress S. and Arklow (Arch) made his debut when his 8-year-old was laid off for 9 months in the GII Bowling Green S on July 31.
Caravel and Arklow both crossed the Oklahoma turf training track on Sunday, the former working half a mile in: 49.60 (24/52) with racer Tyler Gaffalione and the latter drilling five drills in 1 : 01.72 (2/15).
Cox said he’s been particularly impressed with the way Caravel has coached since her win in the GIII Intercontinental S on June 10.
“She is amazing. She was amazing last week [:47.22 (1/29)] and this week she is too, but a little more stable – a sustained move,” Cox said. “Tyler was above her; he’s worked for her a few times in Kentucky and she looks set for a big race on Saturday. I don’t know if we need to see any improvement from her, just more of the same. She loves it here and we hope she can double her runs from last year.”
Arklow hasn’t raced since finishing fifth in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont last October.
“It’s a tall order for layoffs, but he’s shown the ability to execute rounds of layoffs very well,” Cox said. “Last year, his first race back was in Louisville H. and he won. I’m pretty happy with how he’s doing. “
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This story was posted in Top News and tagged Arklow, Brad Cox, Caravel, Shares of hope, Nasser Bin Omarah, Sanford Stakes, Racecourse Saratoga.
