Amarillo, Texas, September 2, 2006 – Bobby Cox, the AQHA Champion Owner in 2004, has been trying to win the All American Futurity (G1) since 1976.

“You can’t win it if you’re not in it,” said Cox, who is in it in a big way this year.

Cox, from Peaster, Texas, bred and owns two qualifiers to the $1.9 million race on Labor Day, Genuine Botticelli and Dont Let Down. The two horses are trained by John Buchanan, who won the All American in 1987 with Elans Special. Genuine Botticelli will be ridden by Elans Special’s jockey, Alex Baldillez Jr. Dont Let Down will be ridden by Juan Vazquez, who won the 2004 All American with DM Shicago.

A colt by Special Task, Genuine Botticelli is the seventh foal out the First Down Dash mare Genuine Reward.

“I just thought she was one of the fastest horses that I’d ever had,” Cox said about Genuine Reward. In two starts in 1995, Genuine Reward qualified to the Kansas Futurity (G1) at Bandera Downs, but was unplaced in the final. She then was retired to Cox’s broodmare band, but her early foals did not impress the horseman.

“None of them were much of a horse,” said Cox, who said he sold Genuine Reward for $7,500 last year – before her Mr Jess Perry filly Jess Genuine captured the Retama Park Futurity (G1).

“I think sometimes selling the mare helps to get a runner,” Cox said.

Cox has kept Babe On The Beach, a stakes-winning daughter of Invisible Injun who ran second in the 2001 Golden State Futurity (G1). Dont Let Down is her first foal.

“We love that mare, and we raced her,” said Cox about Babe On The Beach. “She’s just one of my favorite mares.”

Cox bred Babe On The Beach to Stoli because “I just kinda thought she needed some of the breeding that was in the Stoli family. I really just thought it would work. So when she had the baby, some people came by and said that he was the prettiest, best-looking baby. He was just great-looking his entire life.

“The other thing was he was pretty rambunctious so we wound up gelding him,” Cox added. “We don’t think we’d have had a racehorse if we had not done that. … I’ve tried proving those stallions have no run in them, and it’s a difficult thing to do. So that never bothers me a lot when the trainer says we need to geld this horse. I usually say go for it.”

If you are unable to be in Ruidoso Downs for the heart-pounding events this week, be sure to catch all the action live on TVG Network. TVG’s live coverage of the All American will begin on Monday, September 4, at 4 p.m. MDT. Coverage can also be seen on Fox New York, Turner South and FSN Prime Ticket from 4-5 p.m. MDT. Delayed coverage will air on ESPN2’s “Wire To Wire” weekly highlight show on September 5 at 2 p.m. MDT.

In addition, the /American Quarter Horse Racing Journal/ is providing daily updates of the contenders and their connections throughout All American week at /aqharacing.com. Complete coverage of the 2006 All American winner will be in the October issue. Subscribe online or call (800) 291-7323.