Susie Raisher Photo

Looms Boldly takes them all the way in John Morrissey

by Keith McCalmont

Ten Strike Racing’s homebred Looms Boldly made every pole a winning one in Thursday’s $125,000 John Morrissey, a six-furlong handicap for New York-breds 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox and piloted by Florent Geroux, the 4-year-old son of Goldencents broke alertly from the outermost post 6 and never looked back through splits of 22.76 seconds, 45.91 and 57.89 over the fast main track en route to a 3 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:10.41.

“It was very simple, we broke sharp, went to the lead, and he just kept on going,” Geroux said. “He finished up strongly. He was not tired. He handled the competition easily."

Rotknee, the 7-5 mutuel favorite under Irad Ortiz, Jr., stumbled at the break but was hustled into third position to the outside of Factually Correct as Looms Boldly showed the way down the backstretch. Looms Boldly was in control into the turn with the Flavien Prat-piloted Factually Correct applying moderate pressure and Light Man gearing up for his run from third under Kendrick Carmouche.

Looms Boldly opened up by three lengths at the stretch call and was never in doubt, coasting through the wire a dominant winner. Factually Correct stayed on gamely to earn place honors by a neck over Light Man with Sheriff Bianco, Ocean’s Reserve and Rotknee rounding out the order of finish.

Blake Cox, son and assistant to the winning trainer, said Geroux executed the plan to perfection.

“Great post position outside with a speed horse. We were going to try and be speed of speed,” Cox said. “We broke well, the horse to the inside of us [Rotknee] did not, so he [Geroux] took advantage of it and took them the whole way.”

In victory, Looms Boldly added to six-furlong state-bred stakes scores in the Damon Runyon last March at Aqueduct and the Ontario County last June at Finger Lakes. He entered from a close second in a 6 1/2-furlong open-company optional-claiming sprint on June 8 here won by well-regarded Subrogate, who was in the middle of a three-race win streak before finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 27 here.

"I thought he ran a great race in defeat last time,” Geroux said. “I was not very happy with the outcome, but he gave it his all. The horse [that beat him] Subrogate was doing amazing at the time and was in a Grade 1."

Prat said Factually Correct, a five-time winner, performed admirably in his stakes debut for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

“We had a very good trip. He ran a good race today,” Prat said.

Looms Boldly, out of the Forestry mare See the Forest, is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winner Critical Value and stakes-winner Whittington Park. Bred by Marshall Gramm and Clay Sanders, Looms Boldly banked $68,750 in victory while improving his record to 12-5-3-2. He returned $7.20 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $125,000 Evan Shipman Handicap in Race 2 and the $125,000 Union Avenue Handicap in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.