Three Technique wins the inaugural Knicks Go May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs (Coady Photography)
NYRA Press Office
ELMONT, N.Y.— David E. Miller, Eric Grindley, and John Werner’s multiple graded stakes-placed Three Technique, listed at 5-1 on the morning line in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud, will return to Belmont Park for the first time since finishing third in the 2021 renewal of the seven-furlong sprint for older horses.
Trained by Jason Cook, the 6-year-old Mr Speaker horse is cross-entered in Sunday’s $275,000 Hanshin at Ellis Park and was initially looking to improve on his runner-up effort in last year’s renewal won by eventual Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile victor Cody’s Wish.
However, when the Hanshin was moved from a one-turn mile at Churchill to a slightly different configuration out of the chute at Ellis Park, Cook decided to give the dark bay another try in the Nerud.
“I’m loading him up and bringing him to New York. He loves a one-turn mile but at Ellis the mile is a turn-and-a-half,” Cook said. “I really wanted to run in the Hanshin. We got beat a neck to Cody’s Wish in that race last year and it kind of stung that they brought that good a horse to that race. But we’re coming to New York. I think he’s more of a one-turn horse.”
Three Technique launched his career in the care of his former conditioner Jeremiah Englehart and finished third in the 2021 John A. Nerud when 1 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Mind Control. He was made available at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale but RNA’d and was haltered for $40,000 from a runner-up effort in a six-furlong sprint at the end of that month when conditioned by Robert Medina.
“He just had so much back class. I won a 27-way shake for him. I just happened to win the lottery that day,” said Cook, with a laugh.
Cook first tried the dark bay in a trio of tests over synthetic at Turfway Park topped by a third-place finish in the Forego in February 2022. But Three Technique proved his best efforts come on dirt, taking the restricted Knicks Go on last year’s Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill two starts before his memorable Hanshin effort. He closed out his campaign with a rallying third in the Grade 3 Ack Ack in October at Churchill and a non-threatening sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.
“When I got him, I ran him in a couple little stakes at Turfway and I don’t necessarily think he liked the Tapeta as much as he likes the dirt. He ran good races and ran hard, but just didn’t get there,” Cook said. “Obviously, he won on Derby Day and he’s just been a joy to train. He runs hard every time.
“Last year, I thought I might win the Ack Ack and he kind of shuffled a little bit at the start and there wasn’t enough pace in front of him,” continued Cook. “But I always thought with the right bunch he could be a Grade 3 or a Grade 2 type. He’s that kind of horse.”
Three Technique enters from an impressive allowance optional-claiming score at Churchill Downs on May 27 over the well-regarded Kupuna, who had recently finished a close second to Zozos in the Knicks Go at the Louisville oval for trainer Bret Calhoun.
“In his allowance race the other day, they came home in 23 and change after going a pretty slow half. That was a really nice horse that he was doing with, a horse that’s on his way up,” Cook said. “Bret said to me after, ‘boy your horse ran game.’ The worst thing about his talent level is he catches them on the way up to being Grade 1 horses and he catches them on the way down. He never has an easy race.”
Cook is the son of the late jockey Lois “L.C.” Cook, who captured the 1957 Kentucky Oaks with Lori-El. Cook has never saddled a horse at Belmont Park and his lone New York entrant was Remember the Roar, who finished sixth in an August 1997 claiming event at Saratoga Race Course.
“I’m going to try and buck the trend and win one in New York,” Cook said. “My dad was a jockey and I like history and that track has a lot of history. My dad was one of the leading riders in the country in the ’50s.”
With Three Technique’s regular rider Rafael Bejerano riding at Ellis Park on Saturday, Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, winner of two-thirds of this year’s Triple Crown, has picked up the mount from post 2.
“You can’t get a much hotter rider than the jock I got. He’s won a few big races lately,” said Cook, with a laugh. “And what better place to sit and make a big run from the three-eighths pole home than Belmont Park, right?”
A memorable New York victory could be made that much sweeter by the presence of the horse’s trio of owners in the building as Three Technique looks to keep his perfect in-the-money record of 5-1-2-2 over Big Sandy intact.
“All three owners can never seem to be in the same spot at the same time, but I think they’ll all be flying to New York for the race,” Cook said. “He’s never been off-the-board there and he’s doing good – and when they’re doing good, you have to take your shot.”
