Promising juvenile Cocked and Loaded fires bullet for
Tremont
On Thursday morning, a plain brown wrapper of a colt came barreling down the
Arlington International Racecourse stretch, outworking two older rivals and
catching the eye of onlookers when stopping the clock in a bullet :59.
His name is Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John) and he seems to be just that for
trainer Larry Rivelli. Out of a Malibu Moon mare, the March 21-born juvenile was
recently purchased by Rivelli clients Richard Ravin and Vince Foglia’s
Patricia’s Hope after his impressive one-length victory at Keeneland on April 9
over representatives from the potent two-year-old barns of Wesley Ward and Bret
Calhoun. His price was undisclosed.
“He was very good and did everything the right way; going by horses easily,”
said jockey Florent Geroux, who was up for the work. “He’s very mature and he
went in :59 flat, which is about as fast as a horse can go on this Polytrack.”
Rivelli echoed those sentiments.
“He worked awesome; like a bomb,” he said. “The two horses he worked with
were from the (Mike) Stidham barn and he needed company, so I told (Geroux) to
break off at the five-eighths and go with them.”
In his first race, going a mere 4 1/2 furlongs out of Keeneland’s unique
far-turn chute, the swift charge closed from fifth of six horses to overpower
his rivals under Corey Lanerie for previous trainer John Hancock and owner Blue
Checker Thoroughbreds.
“I love how he passed horses that day,” Rivelli continued. “We knew about him
before the race and (bloodstock agent) Tim Kegel helped us get him. I’m really
impressed with him and he’s working great.
“We are going to run him in the ($250,000) Tremont at Belmont (on June 5).
(Jose) Valdivia (Jr.) or Geroux will probably ride him; no decision has been
made yet. He will ship up to Wesley Ward’s barn there about two weeks prior and
have a work over the surface before the race.”
The Tremont, at 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track, has been won by such greats
as Man o’ War, Buckpasser, Bold Forbes, Alydar, Foolish Pleasure and Hansel.
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