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Essential Quality
Essential Quality (foaled April 9, 2018) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2021 Belmont Stakes, the 2021 Travers Stakes, and the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was named the 2020 Champion Two-Year-Old and the 2021 Champion Three-Year-Old.
He won eight of his ten races, finishing in the top three in every race, with his only defeats being a third in the Kentucky Derby after a troubled trip while finishing a length behind the winner and a third in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Essential Quality is a gray stallion who was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin Stables, for which he races as a homebred. He is by leading sire Tapit, whose earlier crops had included five Breeders' Cup winners (Stardom Bound, Tapizar, Tapitsfly, Hansen, and Untapable), and three Belmont Stakes winners (Tonalist, Creator, and Tapwrit). He is the second foal and first winner produced by Delightful Quality, a daughter of Elusive Quality and half-sister to champion filly Folklore. The family traces back to influential broodmare La Troienne through the branch created by Stolen Base, which also includes Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail.
Essential Quality is trained by Brad Cox.
Essential Quality made his first start on September 5 in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at Churchill Downs. He settled in the middle of the pack behind a fast early pace set by Copa. He improved position around the turn but ran into traffic at the head of the stretch. Angled to the outside, he found racing room and closed to win by three lengths. The performance earned the colt "TDN Rising Star" status from the Thoroughbred Daily News.
For his next start, Cox stepped him up in class in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity Stakes at Keeneland on October 3. Despite his lack of experience, Essential Quality was made the 2-1 favorite in the field of nine. He rated just off the early pace set by Upstriker, then took the lead rounding the final turn. He drew away down the stretch to beat the late-closing Keepmeinmind by 3+1⁄4 lengths. Cox credited new jockey Luis Saez with getting the colt to relax. "He's a very green horse," said Cox. "That was my concern today, could he put it all together? And he did... If he can figure it out, he's a serious animal."
His win in the Breeders' Futurity gave Essential Quality an automatic entry in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, held on November 6 at Keeneland. In a field of 14, Essential Quality went off as the 7-2 second choice behind the undefeated Jackie's Warrior, winner of the Saratoga Special Stakes, Hopeful Stakes, and Champagne Stakes. Essential Quality broke poorly and bumped into Keepmeinmind to his outside, then settled into midpack. Jackie's Warrior pressed a fast early pace set by Dreamer's Disease, then took the lead turning to the stretch. He was joined by longshot Hot Rod Charlie, who briefly took the lead. Meanwhile, Essential Quality made a wide move on the final turn and slowly gained ground. With a furlong remaining, he switched leads and produced a closing burst to win by three-quarters of a length over Hot Rod Charlie, with Keepmeinmind closing for third and Jackie's Warrior hanging on for fourth.
"I had a perfect trip, a beautiful trip," said Saez. "I knew there was going to be a lot of speed so we were in the right spot. At the three-eighths [pole], he gave me that kick so I knew we had a chance to win the race. He can run all day."
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Essential Quality
Essential Quality (foaled April 9, 2018) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2021 Belmont Stakes, the 2021 Travers Stakes, and the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was named the 2020 Champion Two-Year-Old and the 2021 Champion Three-Year-Old.
He won eight of his ten races, finishing in the top three in every race, with his only defeats being a third in the Kentucky Derby after a troubled trip while finishing a length behind the winner and a third in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Essential Quality is a gray stallion who was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin Stables, for which he races as a homebred. He is by leading sire Tapit, whose earlier crops had included five Breeders' Cup winners (Stardom Bound, Tapizar, Tapitsfly, Hansen, and Untapable), and three Belmont Stakes winners (Tonalist, Creator, and Tapwrit). He is the second foal and first winner produced by Delightful Quality, a daughter of Elusive Quality and half-sister to champion filly Folklore. The family traces back to influential broodmare La Troienne through the branch created by Stolen Base, which also includes Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail.
Essential Quality is trained by Brad Cox.
Essential Quality made his first start on September 5 in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at Churchill Downs. He settled in the middle of the pack behind a fast early pace set by Copa. He improved position around the turn but ran into traffic at the head of the stretch. Angled to the outside, he found racing room and closed to win by three lengths. The performance earned the colt "TDN Rising Star" status from the Thoroughbred Daily News.
For his next start, Cox stepped him up in class in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity Stakes at Keeneland on October 3. Despite his lack of experience, Essential Quality was made the 2-1 favorite in the field of nine. He rated just off the early pace set by Upstriker, then took the lead rounding the final turn. He drew away down the stretch to beat the late-closing Keepmeinmind by 3+1⁄4 lengths. Cox credited new jockey Luis Saez with getting the colt to relax. "He's a very green horse," said Cox. "That was my concern today, could he put it all together? And he did... If he can figure it out, he's a serious animal."
His win in the Breeders' Futurity gave Essential Quality an automatic entry in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, held on November 6 at Keeneland. In a field of 14, Essential Quality went off as the 7-2 second choice behind the undefeated Jackie's Warrior, winner of the Saratoga Special Stakes, Hopeful Stakes, and Champagne Stakes. Essential Quality broke poorly and bumped into Keepmeinmind to his outside, then settled into midpack. Jackie's Warrior pressed a fast early pace set by Dreamer's Disease, then took the lead turning to the stretch. He was joined by longshot Hot Rod Charlie, who briefly took the lead. Meanwhile, Essential Quality made a wide move on the final turn and slowly gained ground. With a furlong remaining, he switched leads and produced a closing burst to win by three-quarters of a length over Hot Rod Charlie, with Keepmeinmind closing for third and Jackie's Warrior hanging on for fourth.
"I had a perfect trip, a beautiful trip," said Saez. "I knew there was going to be a lot of speed so we were in the right spot. At the three-eighths [pole], he gave me that kick so I knew we had a chance to win the race. He can run all day."