2020: Two-Year-Old Season Essential Quality made his first start on September 5 in a six-furlong
Maiden Special Weight race at
Churchill Downs. He settled in the middle of the pack behind a fast early pace set by Copa. He improved position around the turn but ran into traffic at the head of the stretch. Angled to the outside, he found racing room and closed to win by three lengths. For his next start, Cox stepped him up in class in the
Grade I Breeders' Futurity Stakes at
Keeneland on October 3. Despite his lack of experience, Essential Quality was made the 2–1 favorite in the field of nine. He rated just off the early pace set by Upstriker, then took the lead rounding the final turn. He drew away down the stretch to beat the late-closing Keepmeinmind by lengths. Cox credited new jockey
Luis Saez with getting the colt to relax. "He's a very green horse," said Cox. "That was my concern today, could he put it all together? And he did... If he can figure it out, he's a serious animal." After his undefeated season, Essential Quality was named the
American champion two-year-old colt of 2020. He became one of the early favorites for the 2021 Kentucky Derby in future wager pools.
2021: Three-Year-Old Season Essential Quality made his three-year-old debut on February 27 in the
Southwest Stakes at
Oaklawn Park. The race had originally been scheduled for the middle of the month but had been delayed because of extreme weather. Essential Quality went off as the 9–10 favorite ahead of Jackie's Warrior in a seven horse field. Over a sloppy track,
Jackie's Warrior went to the early lead while Essential Quality rated a few lengths behind at the outside the pack. Moving four-wide around the final turn, Essential Quality kicked to the lead and drew off to win by lengths over Spielberg, with Jackie's Warrior in third. After the race, Essential Quality ranked third on the leaderboard for the
2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Cox felt the race would set up both horses perfectly for the
2021 Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby Essential Quality was the favorite for the
2021 Kentucky Derby on May 1, going off at odds of 2–1. At the start of the race, he bumped several times with
Rock Your World, costing him early position. He was carried wide around the first turn, and again made a wide move on the far turn. He seemed to lose momentum as they turned into the stretch but closed late to finish third in a blanket finish behind
Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie.
Belmont Stakes Essential Quality bypassed the
Preakness Stakes, and made his next start in the
2021 Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the
American Triple Crown. He went off as the 6–5 favorite in a field that included Preakness winner
Rombauer and several of the leading contenders from the Kentucky Derby, although Medina Spirit had been banned from entering by the New York Racing Association due to a positive drug test. Hot Rod Charlie went to the early lead, pressed by Rock Your World, and set the fastest fraction for the first quarter-mile (:22.79) in
Belmont Stakes history. He then slowed down the pace, completing the half in :46.49 and the three-quarters in 1:12.07. Essential Quality was originally farther back than normal but began to improve his position down the backstretch. As they rounded the far turn, Essential Quality moved up alongside Hot Rod Charlie. They drew off from the rest of the field in a sustained stretch duel, with Essential Quality pulling away at the end to win by lengths. It was another 11 lengths back to Rombauer in third place. The final time was a solid 2:27.11. "I had a lot of horse," said Saez, "and the good thing about Essential (Quality) is that he always fights. He doesn't care who it is; he's going to want to beat them. So I knew he was going to show up at the top of the stretch."
Travers Stakes Essential Quality made his next start in the
Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 28 where he was again the heavy favorite in a field of seven. His main rival was
Midnight Bourbon, who went to the lead and set comfortable fractions of 24.18 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 48.96 for the half. Essential Quality bobbled at the start then moved to the rail in second place until they rounded the final turn. He then switched to the outside Midnight Bourbon and gradually pulled to the lead by midstretch. Midnight Bourbon tried to rally and the two colts drew away from the rest of the field. Essential Quality won by a neck in a time of 2:01.96, with the final quarter run in a very fast 23.15 seconds.
Breeders' Cup Classic Essential Quality made the final race of his career, where he started the 19–10 favorite in the
Breeders' Cup Classic at
Del Mar Racetrack against older horses on November 6, where he finished third to
Knicks Go. ==Retirement and stud career==