Cover image courtesy of Coolmore America

Wells Bayou wins Louisiana Derby

Going off as the last race of the Fair Grounds meet hours after the track announced it was cancelling the final week of the meet, Wells Bayou (USA) (Lookin At Lucky {USA}) jumped to the front of the Kentucky Derby trail with a victory in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.

Taking the lead from the break, the colt was never in serious danger of losing the race. He turned into the straight with a 1l lead and pulled away down the long stretch. While his lead was eaten into in the final sixteenth of a mile, he was still good enough to win by 1.5l for 100 points on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Second in the Grade 3 Southwest S. last out, the big question for trainer Brad Cox isn’t how he’ll get the horse to peak again for the Kentucky Derby in six weeks but how to keep him going until the new September 5 Kentucky Derby date.

“We are really happy with our assistants and everybody involved does an incredible job,” Cox said.

“We have a great team in place, and it showed today. We just have to figure out how to get [his Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders] to the first Friday and Saturday in September and not May. It is uncharted territory and we will do the best we can.”

Wells Bayou is by Coolmore Australia’s former shuttle stallion Lookin At Lucky (USA), who sired last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Country House (USA).

Bonnie South upsets Fair Grounds Oaks

In a top half hour for Coolmore America stallions, Munnings (USA) added a Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks win to his sires' resume when Bonny South (USA) won the race in her stakes debut.

While Finite (USA) looked the likely winner in the race for the stallion, it was the Juddmonte homebred who prevailed to give her sire a third Kentucky Oaks contender. Dropping to the back of the field in the 1700 metre race almost immediately, the filly was content to leave all her work for the last 300 metres.

As race favourite Finite faded in the stretch, Bonny South bounded up the centre of the track to win by 2.15l and give Brad Cox and Florent Geroux their first leg of a stakes double together.

“This filly has just stepped up immensely,” Cox said. “Even when we were walking up and handing her to the pony, we were like wow she looks like she is bigger and stronger. She is getting better every day. I guess she is in the Kentucky Oaks, just have to figure out how to get to September 4. That’s a long way off and just have to see how things play out. Very proud of her she ran a great race today.”

From a top Juddmonte family, Bonny South’s dam is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Etoile Montant (USA) (Miswaki {USA}), and the dam of Hong Kong stakes runner Beauty Lead (GB) (Selkirk {USA}).

The filly’s third dam is Nijinsky Star (USA) (Nijinsky {Can}), the matriarch of the family that produced the Australian Group 1 winner Kings Will Dream (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) with international Group 1 winners Sightseek (USA) (Distant View {USA}) and Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) also in the family.

Stakes double for The Factor

Former Newgate Farm shuttle stallion The Factor (USA) saw an impressive pair of stakes winners on both sides of the country on Saturday.

The double started in Louisiana where the stallion’s son Factor This (USA) was going for his second straight victory in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic. Stepping up to the Grade 2 level for the first time after winning the Grade 3 Fair Grounds S. last out, the 5-year-old had it his own way throughout the race. Never pressured in the 1800 metre affair, Factor This romped to a 3l victory for his second win in three starts this year and the first of three stakes wins on the day for trainer Brad Cox.

Less than an hour and a half later, the stallion’s Grade 1 winning son Cistron (USA) made his return to the races for the first time since winning last seasons Grade 1 Bing Crosby S. in the Grade 3 San Simeon. Racing over 1100 metres, the 6-year-old was content to sit a little over a length off the leading Surrender Now (USA) (Morning Line {USA}).

While that foe started to fade in midstretch, it was Bound For Nowhere (USA) (The Factor {USA}) that Cistron had to run down with the Wesley Ward trainee looking strong running to the line. It took every inch of the straight for Cistron to get there and a photo to separate them but in the end Cistron took his record to three wins in his last four starts for trainer John Sadler.

Shuttling to Newgate from 2014 to 2017, The Factor has sired 28 stakes winners worldwide, including Queensland Group 3 winner Fun Fact.