GIII Sanford S. impressive winner Mo Strike was the first Brad Cox-trained 2-year-old to make it to this year’s Saratoga winner’s final round, but was the son of Uncle Mo probably won’t be the last. At last year’s meeting, Cox reassured five minor winners at Spa, including the lovely Bubble Rock that wins more stakes in the future (More than ready).
In recent years, the Cox barn’s arsenal of 2-year-old talent has grown rapidly in both quality and quantity. While many of the stables’ athletes have enjoyed future success with their Eclipse Award-winning coach, nearly all of them went to school early in Keeneland under the guidance of their trainer Tessa Bisha. Cox.
Mo Strike was one of the first chicks to arrive at Brad Cox’s barn in Keeneland this spring, putting on three productions recorded in May. When the foal soon showed its talent, it was in the first group that Bisha sent to Churchill Downs. A few weeks later, he broke his maidenhood there with his debut and is now heading towards GI Hopeful S.
Bisha is passionate about coaching 2-year-olds. While she enjoys overseeing the older horses, she says they usually get a good handle on their work. However, with 2-year-olds, she has the opportunity to teach them and put their racing careers in the right direction.
“I’d say evaluating two year olds is the most important part of my job – making sure they’re on the right path to success for whatever life throws at them while the race goes on. happens and I feel like Bisha said. “What I’m looking for is that I want them to feel comfortable with what we’re asking them to do. They need to come with an open mind and a good attitude, and we try to help them get there if they don’t come when they come in. We return to the gate early and often and we create a feeling of comfort and a calming experience. We are really focused on making everything a good experience for them.”
Each year after the Keeneland Spring Encounter ends, Bisha’s new 2-year-old class begins to arrive. During her busiest months of May and June, she will have up to 85 cubs under her care. The earliest of the group will advance to the Churchill Downs race meeting and later, the other promising young people will move to Saratoga. When training at Keeneland ends in the summer, the remaining students will stay under Bisha’s care at Ellis Park or Turfway Park.
Tessa Bisha oversees training mornings at Keeneland | Sara Gordon
“It’s a bit of a revolving door in that sense,” she said. “We really try to watch them brag every week without trying to say whether this horse will win the Derby or it will become an absolute bust because they can grow and develop. developed a lot. They love to prove you wrong and show you how little you know, so we try to make sure they all have the opportunity to be the best individuals they can be with whatever talent and heart they have. which they bring. “
With that in mind, Bisha said she wants to keep an open mind when a horse joins her stable, regardless of any reputation that may come before them.
“You have to create an environment where they know what to expect of them,” she said. “With babies, you have the opportunity to develop them into an individual that is not too tough on the track, not silly in the gate and not bad in the cage. If you can get them to do the right thing, they’ll usually be kinder and handle the job better. “
Bisha first started working for Cox in 2016 as a gymnast before taking on the role of assistant coach. During her first year supervising 2-year-olds, she estimates that she has about 30 or 40 minors in her care. When steady star Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) appeared, the new wave of trainees began shortly after.
With the growth of their program, Bisha says she has had to grow into her management role. She found herself spending more time at the office checking and re-checking registrations and lists, going through charts with Cox, and taking notes from blacksmith visits or vaccination schedules.
“We have a staff to help with all of that, but I always feel better if I have a hand in it too,” she admits. “The more people can check the boxes, the more thoroughly you know it’s done.”
Countless top level horses have been cared for by Bisha since Monomoy Girl’s distinguished career. Necessary quality (Tapit) will always be one of the highlights for Bisha. The four-time Class I winner spent his early days at Keeneland and returned to Lexington to race multiple times during his junior and sophomore campaigns.
Bisha said: “He came here and was only head and shoulder compared to the others. “Things with him are really streamlined, so there’s no guesswork. He does his own thing and likes to do his thing, but for the most part he never misses a piece, he goes straight to the races, and that’s just him. “
When asked which horse she’s most proud of, Bisha points out a few trainers who need a little more exercise. One recent favorite is GIII Ohio Derby winner Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), who has been in her care for most of the last year as a teenager.
Tessa and Bubble Rock Level III Stake Winner (More than ready) | Sara Gordon
“He really broke his maidenhood at Turfway in the winter,” she recalls. “I think those types of horses are really rewarding because they have more of, I guess, a long-lasting feeling in our stables. To know that you helped develop them and that you keep them on schedule can be difficult, but it is a huge hit when it works. “
Bisha says that as their program continues to grow, one thing she believes they do best is keep an open mind when it comes to helping their interns progress.
“When we started this 2 year old show and it started to really hit the ground running and hit the numbers behind it, Brad and I would have heated discussions about how it works and what it is. we’re seeing,” she said. “After the horses showed us we were wrong and we ate crows a few times, I think we learned that you really just have to let the horses grow and show you how they want to be. who to be.”
Bisha explains that every year, they try to try something new or use a certain tool more often – it can be easier to wear a flash for a workout, warm up without a horse with a starter the first time or go back to the start gate one more time before the wind.
“It may just be something small, but we try to keep an open mind and focus on improving all the time and not just using our egos or what we think we know. to improve the program,” she noted.
Last year, Bisha was a finalist for the TIEA Dedicated Racing Awards. Before her time with Brad Cox, the Washington native worked on the tracks in Southern California and along the East Coast. Today, when her former students are making headlines at famous racetracks like Saratoga, she prefers to stay at home in Lexington to train the next class of future stars.
“I’ve been on a lot of different songs so I feel like I’ve seen enough and done enough that I’m pretty satisfied just being here and doing this,” she said. “I don’t mind traveling, but I find myself most satisfied coaching 2-year-olds, so I don’t feel the need to move away from that.”
