After holding off Hot Rod Charlie in a signature stretch duel to win the Belmont Stakes, Essential Quality burnished his place in Brad Cox’s mind as the best 3-year-old in his barn. That would make him even better than Mandaloun, who seems destined to win his biggest races through stewards’ decisions and medication rulings.
Now, more than three months before the racing year reaches its crescendo at Del Mar, certain bettors seem to agree with Cox. Essential Quality (5-1) is the global favorite at one foreign bookmaker to win America’s richest race.
Horseplayers who scoff and believe 3-year-olds should be long shots to win the Classic have short memories. Authentic did it last year. So did Bayern, American Pharoah and Arrogate in consecutive years from 2014-16. But what do they have in common? Or, more accurately, whom? Bob Baffert trained them all. Since he is under the microscope after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test, his status for the Br
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