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Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Cox Out Of Box Quick at Saratoga

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — With 30 days left in the longest meet in the history of Saratoga Race Course, trainer Brad Cox is on pace to have the best summer of his career. But he harbors no intentions of walking out of here on Labor Day as the leading trainer at the marquee summer meet in the nation.

“Oh, no,” Cox said on a sloppy, rainy Wednesday morning at the Oklahoma Training Track. “I don’t have the numbers and that’s okay. I am not worried about winning it.”

The 46-year-old Cox is having a solid Saratoga as he sits in second place in the trainer’s standings in victories with 10 from 31 starters. He also has two seconds, and three thirds and his horses have earned $900,771.

The most wins Cox has ever had during a season at Saratoga is 14, which he amassed during 2024 and 2023.

The current leader of the standings is Chad Brown, who has 11 wins from 66 starters. Brown has won or shared the training title the last five years and he is the favorite to get his ninth this summer.

Cox, who relies on son Blake to run the Saratoga outfit while he spends most of the summer in Kentucky, does make periodic visits to the Spa.

“(Blake) does a good job,” Cox said. “I am in good hands.”

Brad Cox is here this week because GI Belmont Stakes runner-up Commandment (Into Mischief) is running in Saturday’s $500,000 GII Jim Dandy Stakes.

Four of Cox’s wins have come with his young horses. The Good Life (Life Is Good) beat a hyped field by 3 1/2 lengths. Among those he beat was Powerline and Greenwell, two sons of Flightline.

Cox’s other 2-year-old winners so far include 2-year-old fillies Conflict (Golden Pal), Effusive (Into Mischief) and Angel of Kirk (Yaupon).

“The 2-year-olds are well meant,” Cox said. “We normally don’t bring them up unless we like them a good bit. They have responded well. It has been a really good start.”

With the summer meet stretched out to a record 46 days–it will go back to the normal 40 next summer–Cox is in position to win the most races he ever has at Saratoga.

“Just want to make a good showing, and I feel we are doing that,” he said. “It would be nice to continue that through the end of the meet.”

Beckman Not Shy About Sending Ocelli in With Big Boys Again

When the $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes is run for the 157th time on Aug. 29, expect to see a 3-year-old colt that never wins in the starting gate. But get this: the trainer of that loveable loser Ocelli (Connect) will go into the race with the same confidence he did when the colt ran in the GII Wood Memorial, GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Preakness Stakes and Grade II Ohio Derby.

Despite not having gotten to the winner’s circle in the 10 times he has saddled Ocelli, Whit Beckman is keeping the faith.

This comes after he was third in the Wood and Kentucky Derby, fourth in the Preakness and second in the Ohio Derby.

Ten career starts. No wins. Two seconds. Four thirds. Bankroll of $842,300 while knocking heads with the best of the division. This year, he has one second and three thirds in eight starts.

“We’ve come this far, why shy away from anything now? Beckman said while sitting in his office at the Oklahoma Training Track.

When last seen, Ocelli did not put in his typical effort as he struggled on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park and sputtered to a seventh-place finish–last–in the GI Haskell Stakes on July 18.

This time, Beckman is chalking the loss up to the track. The horse just didn’t like the slop at Monmouth.

“We are going to draw a line though this one,” Beckman said. “That was the consensus. That was my vantage point and Tyler’s (jockey Gaffalione) vantage point. He was terrible. Grabbed the bit, looked weird coming up–his head was up–and Tyler said he just could not get any rhythm.”

Ocelli in the paddock prior to the Haskell | Sarah Andrew

The Haskell was the first time in his life that Ocelli raced on an off track.

Beckman will still have to see how Ocelli trains before making the final decision on going to the Travers. He will probably have his first work since the Haskell this weekend on the main track.

That will be his first-ever work at Saratoga; he has done most of his training in Kentucky.

Ocelli is owned by Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate and Front Page Equestrian, LLC and they have been all in on Ocelli competing with the best of the 3-year-old division despite being a maiden. Beckman is, too.

“For a horse that is more than capable, I don’t see why you don’t keep showing up,” Beckman said. “I don’t get better at things by playing with people that are worse than me. I don’t think we have been way over our heads because we have been on the board in most of these starts.”

The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Cox Out Of Box Quick at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Shoemaker Inducted Into L.A. Times Sports Report Hall of Fame

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Legendary jockey William ‘Bill’ Shoemaker has been selected for induction into the 2026 Los Angeles Times Sports Report Hall of Fame, having received 79.2% of the vote to lead the ‘other sports’ category.

Fellow rider Laffit Pincay, Jr. also appeared on this year’s ballot, finishing fourth with 60.7% of the vote, short of the 75% required for inclusion. With more than 10,500 votes cast, Pincay will remain on the ballot for next year’s Hall of Fame class.

“To the public, especially those who grew up in Los Angeles, the name Bill Shoemaker was synonymous with the word “jockey,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Park’s General Manager. “It’s very special to see “The Shoe” honored and remembered so fondly by sports fans nearly four decades since he retired.”

Shoemaker, an 11-time winner of the GI Santa Anita Handicap, was also known for his association with some of the greats of racing history, including Swaps, Ack Ack, John Henry, Spectacular Bid and Ferdinand. He won the Kentucky Derby four times, the Preakness twice and the Belmont Stakes on five occasions.

Shoemaker’s final race, appropriately named “The Legend’s Last Ride,” was held at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, 1990, before a crowd of 64,573. Although he finished fourth, Shoemaker retired after more than four decades in the saddle with a record 8,833 career victories and purse earnings totaling more than $123.3 million, leaving behind one of the most decorated careers in Thoroughbred racing. He passed away on Oct. 12, 2003, at the age of 72.

The post Shoemaker Inducted Into L.A. Times Sports Report Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Cox Out Of Box Quick at Saratoga

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — With 30 days left in the longest meet in the history of Saratoga Race Course, trainer Brad Cox is on pace to have the best summer of his career. But he harbors no intentions of walking out of here on Labor Day as the leading trainer at the marquee summer meet in the nation.

“Oh, no,” Cox said on a sloppy, rainy Wednesday morning at the Oklahoma Training Track. “I don’t have the numbers and that’s okay. I am not worried about winning it.”

The 46-year-old Cox is having a solid Saratoga as he sits in second place in the trainer’s standings in victories with 10 from 31 starters. He also has two seconds, and three thirds and his horses have earned $900,771.

The most wins Cox has ever had during a season at Saratoga is 14, which he amassed during 2024 and 2023.

The current leader of the standings is Chad Brown, who has 11 wins from 66 starters. Brown has won or shared the training title the last five years and he is the favorite to get his ninth this summer.

Cox, who relies on son Blake to run the Saratoga outfit while he spends most of the summer in Kentucky, does make periodic visits to the Spa.

“(Blake) does a good job,” Cox said. “I am in good hands.”

Brad Cox is here this week because GI Belmont Stakes runner-up Commandment (Into Mischief) is running in Saturday’s $500,000 GII Jim Dandy Stakes.

Four of Cox’s wins have come with his young horses. The Good Life (Life Is Good) beat a hyped field by 3 1/2 lengths. Among those he beat was Powerline and Greenwell, two sons of Flightline.

Cox’s other 2-year-old winners so far include 2-year-old fillies Conflict (Golden Pal), Effusive (Into Mischief) and Angel of Kirk (Yaupon).

“The 2-year-olds are well meant,” Cox said. “We normally don’t bring them up unless we like them a good bit. They have responded well. It has been a really good start.”

With the summer meet stretched out to a record 46 days–it will go back to the normal 40 next summer–Cox is in position to win the most races he ever has at Saratoga.

“Just want to make a good showing, and I feel we are doing that,” he said. “It would be nice to continue that through the end of the meet.”

Beckman Not Shy About Sending Ocelli in With Big Boys Again

When the $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes is run for the 157th time on Aug. 29, expect to see a 3-year-old colt that never wins in the starting gate. But get this: the trainer of that loveable loser Ocelli (Connect) will go into the race with the same confidence he did when the colt ran in the GII Wood Memorial, GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Preakness Stakes and Grade II Ohio Derby.

Despite not having gotten to the winner’s circle in the 10 times he has saddled Ocelli, Whit Beckman is keeping the faith.

This comes after he was third in the Wood and Kentucky Derby, fourth in the Preakness and second in the Ohio Derby.

Ten career starts. No wins. Two seconds. Four thirds. Bankroll of $842,300 while knocking heads with the best of the division. This year, he has one second and three thirds in eight starts.

“We’ve come this far, why shy away from anything now? Beckman said while sitting in his office at the Oklahoma Training Track.

When last seen, Ocelli did not put in his typical effort as he struggled on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park and sputtered to a seventh-place finish–last–in the GI Haskell Stakes on July 18.

This time, Beckman is chalking the loss up to the track. The horse just didn’t like the slop at Monmouth.

“We are going to draw a line though this one,” Beckman said. “That was the consensus. That was my vantage point and Tyler’s (jockey Gaffalione) vantage point. He was terrible. Grabbed the bit, looked weird coming up–his head was up–and Tyler said he just could not get any rhythm.”

Ocelli in the paddock prior to the Haskell | Sarah Andrew

The Haskell was the first time in his life that Ocelli raced on an off track.

Beckman will still have to see how Ocelli trains before making the final decision on going to the Travers. He will probably have his first work since the Haskell this weekend on the main track.

That will be his first-ever work at Saratoga; he has done most of his training in Kentucky.

Ocelli is owned by Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate and Front Page Equestrian, LLC and they have been all in on Ocelli competing with the best of the 3-year-old division despite being a maiden. Beckman is, too.

“For a horse that is more than capable, I don’t see why you don’t keep showing up,” Beckman said. “I don’t get better at things by playing with people that are worse than me. I don’t think we have been way over our heads because we have been on the board in most of these starts.”

The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Cox Out Of Box Quick at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Shoemaker Inducted Into L.A. Times Sports Report Hall of Fame

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Legendary jockey William ‘Bill’ Shoemaker has been selected for induction into the 2026 Los Angeles Times Sports Report Hall of Fame, having received 79.2% of the vote to lead the ‘other sports’ category.

Fellow rider Laffit Pincay, Jr. also appeared on this year’s ballot, finishing fourth with 60.7% of the vote, short of the 75% required for inclusion. With more than 10,500 votes cast, Pincay will remain on the ballot for next year’s Hall of Fame class.

“To the public, especially those who grew up in Los Angeles, the name Bill Shoemaker was synonymous with the word “jockey,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Park’s General Manager. “It’s very special to see “The Shoe” honored and remembered so fondly by sports fans nearly four decades since he retired.”

Shoemaker, an 11-time winner of the GI Santa Anita Handicap, was also known for his association with some of the greats of racing history, including Swaps, Ack Ack, John Henry, Spectacular Bid and Ferdinand. He won the Kentucky Derby four times, the Preakness twice and the Belmont Stakes on five occasions.

Shoemaker’s final race, appropriately named “The Legend’s Last Ride,” was held at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, 1990, before a crowd of 64,573. Although he finished fourth, Shoemaker retired after more than four decades in the saddle with a record 8,833 career victories and purse earnings totaling more than $123.3 million, leaving behind one of the most decorated careers in Thoroughbred racing. He passed away on Oct. 12, 2003, at the age of 72.

The post Shoemaker Inducted Into L.A. Times Sports Report Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.