LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brad Cox and Luis Saez ended Friday's stakes at Churchill Downs in stellar fashion. They kicked off Saturday's stakes beneath the twin spires in strong form as well, teaming up with Liberal Arts, who wore down Patriot Spirit for a three-quarter-length win in the $200,000 Knicks Go Overnight Stakes, for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a graded stakes in 2024-2025.
The Knicks Go, which went off at about 12:45 p.m., was the first of eight consecutive undercard stakes leading up to the Kentucky Derby, set for just before 7 p.m. Cox and Saez, who teamed to win last night's Kentucky Oaks with Good Cheer, will face off in the Derby, as Cox saddles Final Gambit and Saez has the mount on Neoequos.
First, however, they picked up another stakes score together with favored Liberal Arts ($5.60), who races for Evan and Stephen Ferraro. The 4-year-old had shown an affinity for Churchill by winning the Grade 3 Street Sense here in October 2023, while trained by Robbie Medina. He placed in two other graded stakes for that barn, but then was well-beaten in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and Grade 3 Lexington. After a break in mid-2024, he was transferred to Cox, and has resurfaced to win three of five starts for this barn, although this was his first stakes win for the string.
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Cox said he didn't make major changes when Liberal Arts was transferred to his care, but the horse has his own quirks.
"He's a very aggressive horse to train," Cox said. "He can be a little strong. But he's had a few good weeks, and when he's training well, he runs well, and his last few works have been solid."
Liberal Arts and Saez were fifth at the quarter pole of the one-turn mile, but had solid targets, as New king had just stuck a head in front of longshot Inveigled and Patriot Spirit through a sharp half in 45.20 seconds. Patriot Spirit, winner last year's Illinois Derby at Hawthorne and coming off a fourth in the Grade 3 Essex at Oaklawn in which he weakened late, edged his way to a half-length lead, but Liberal Arts, with clear sailing coming five wide, wore him down in the final sixteenth.
The time for the mile was 1:35.25 on a sloppy, sealed track as intermittent showers continued to fall. The conditions were expected to persist through the day.
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