Rockport’s Back
And showed that he’s ready to be a player in the handicap division, winning Saturday’s Essex Handicap at Oaklawn by 2 1/4 lengths over Cougar Cat in his first start in nine months. Displaying the same toughness and heart he did as a 2-year-old, Rockport Harbor took an early lead and fended off a challenge from the runner-up, who managed to get a nose in front briefly at the top of the stretch. “Turning for home, that horse came to him and I asked him to run and he gave me what he had,” said jockey Stewart Elliott. “He was game. He showed that he was back.” He was also a little rank at the break, appearing to lose focus in the first few yards. “The big thing with him is mentally. This race is going to move this horse way up,” said trainer John Servis after, who suggested that Rockport’s next start could be the March 12 Razorback.
More: Rockport earned a Beyer of 98 for the Essex.
