Willcox Inn after a good mid-summer run looks to close the season on a high, installed as the favourite in the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park
The All In Stable owned 3-year-old colt, Willcox Inn, is headed to headline a line-up of 13 three-year-olds in the Grade 3, $250,000 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park on 24 September, 2011. Willcox Inn entered the race on 20 September.
The Michael Stidham trained Willcox Inn is coming off a successful mid summer season at Arlington Park, where he participated in the Mid-America Triple for 3-year-olds.
The three legged event consisted of Arlington Classic, Grade 2 American Derby and Grade 1 Secretariat. Willcox Inn went on to win the Arlington Classic and the Grade 2 American Derby.
The son of Harlan’s Holiday, out of De Arr by Gone West, Willcox Inn defeated his Arlington Classic foes on 28 May, 2011.
The event opener was run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on grass, as Stidham’s young prospect downed Suntracer and Extensive, covering the distance in 1 minute and 49.51 seconds.
It was again Suntracer, in the second leg of the Mid-America Triple, who proved difficult to go down in the 1 3/16 miles long Grade 2 American Derby.
The race was held on Arlington Park’s turf course on 9 July, 2011, and Willcox Inn pushed aside Suntracer, yet again, to bag himself the American Derby with a winning time of 1 minute and 54.56 seconds. Willcoxx Inn went 2 in 2.
The toughest of the three races was the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes, which also included the Aidan O’Brien trained Irish invader, Treasure Beach.
Over a distance of 1 ¼ miles, Willcox Inn made an appearance in the Secretariat Stakes, looking to complete his perfect run, but Treasure Beach had other ideas, as the runner downed Willcox Inn, Ziyarid and Banned to claim the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes,
with a winning time of 2 minutes and 3.91 seconds. Willcoxx Inn rolled in fourth in the last leg of the contest.
Now, Willcox Inn has to worry about domestic competition in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes, as the 1 1/8 miles long event reeled in the Jersey Derby's winner, Breathless Storm, King Congie, Rush Now and J W Blue.
The Tony Dutrow trained duo, Rush Now and J W Blue, are cross entered for the $1million Pennsylvania Derby.
Tags: