First Mission, Nash leave competitors feeling blue

HOT SPRINGS — Both stakes winners Saturday at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort rode in stable silks colored like first-place ribbons at the county fair or actor Paul Newman’s eyes.

Other horsemen may have been green with envy after Godolphin blue set the color scheme in the Grade III $600,000 Essex Handicap and $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes.

First Mission and Nash are trained by Brad Cox — who had four Oaklawn wins Saturday — and were ridden by Florent Geroux. Cox spent the day in New Orleans at Fair Grounds, where Geroux gave up mounts on Louisiana Derby Day for a three-bagger in Hot Springs for the 44-yearold trainer.

Cox was figuratively wrapped in long green after Catching Freedom, the Smarty Jones winner Jan. 1 at Oaklawn, won the Grade II $1 million Louisiana Derby on Saturday.

In both local stakes, Geroux shifted into a higher gear on the turn for home. Neither outcome was particularly suspenseful, First Mission clocking nine furlongs in 1:49.76 to win the Essex and Nash in 1:38.49 over a mile to take the Hot Springs.

First Mission paid $4.20, $3.40 and $2.80, while Nash returned $4.00, $2.40 and $2.20

“He broke good and I tried to establish a good position,” Geroux said of First Mission. “Looked like there wasn’t a crazy amount of speed. And from the outside, I was able to get over pretty easily without asking him too much. From there, at the three-eighths pole, I could see everybody trying to ask their horses and from there he was just cruising. He won very easily.”

Cox is prepared to send out a third Oaklawn stakes-winning 3-year-old in next Saturday’s Grade I $1.5 million Arkansas Derby. Timberlake, co-owned by WinStar Stable, won the Grade II $1 million Rebel by two lengths in his 3-year-old debut at Oaklawn on Feb. 24. Entries will be taken and post positions drawn today for four Oaklawn stakes next Saturday.

Cox has options galore for the Kentucky Derby program May 4 at Louisville’s Churchill Downs, including the Grade II Pat Day Mile with Nash. The Medaglia d’Oro colt made the trainer 2 for 2 in the Hot Springs (Eyeing Clover won last year) since it was changed from six furlongs to a mile and restricted to 3-year-olds.

Cox and Steve Asmussen, with a combined 11 stakes wins at the Oaklawn meeting, finished one-two in the Hot Springs.

Carbone reached contention on the second turn and finished second in his best performance since Hot Springs horseman Staton Flurry bought a share in the Mitole colt. But just as Carbone was kicking into gear, Nash was virtually pounding the gavel to declare the race over.

“I think we know what he wants, a little bit shorter in distance, a middle distance. I would say a flat mile, seven-eighths. But a flat mile would hit him right between the eyes for what he wants,” Geroux said of Nash. “Since he was so impressive at Churchill going 1 1/16 miles as a 2-yearold, you want to chase the [Kentucky] Derby. It’s very understandable. We tried a few times and tackled some very good horses down there in Louisiana. So, now a little bit of class relief, better distance for him, and he got the job done today.”

Nash won for the first time since a 10 1/2-length maiden victory Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs, the only race in six starts he has not been favored. The winning margin was 5 1/2 lengths with Nash (117) pulling 5 pounds from Asmussen-trained stakes winner Otto the Conqueror (fifth). Frost Free, last-out winner for trainer Brett Creighton, took them six furlongs before fading to third.

First Mission, a Grade III winner at Keeneland last April and nosed out in the Grade II Clark at Churchill Downs in November, completed a two-race run worth $447,000. The Street Sense colt, by a Medaglia d’Oro mare, won by five lengths over local stakes winner War Campaign with a second meet winner, Time for Trouble, third.

Great Escape, under Harry Hernandez, dropped back after leading six furlongs in 1:12.05. First Mission, getting class relief after a Grade I fade in south Florida, took it from there.