Mandaloun Surges Late to Beat Weyburn in Pegasus
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ftboa.com • Tuesday & Wednesday • June 15 & 16, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: The Chosen Vron Rallies From Last to Take Affirmed Chub Wagon Stays Undefeated with Shine Again Victory Longshot Rideforthecause Takes Possibly Perfect Stakes Street Lute Wins Stormy Blues for Seventh Stakes Victory Gulfstream Park Perfect Fit for Mandaloun/BILL DENVER/EQUIPHOTO Chantal Sutherland Mandaloun Surges Late to Gulfstream Park Charts Beat Weyburn in Pegasus Track Entries and Results BY MONMOUTH PARK 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17. Florida Stallion Progeny List PRESS OFFICE ___________________ Sent off as the 3-10 favorite, and with $106,920 bet to show on him out of a pool Florida Breeders’ List OCEANPORT, NJ—Whatever plans train- of $140,505, Mandaloun provided his er Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux backers with several few anxious Wire to Wire Business Place had in their minds for how Sunday’s moments before prevailing in the mile- TVG.com Pegasus Stakes would unfold and-a-sixteenth race. The final time was for Kentucky Derby presented by 1:44.63. Featured Advertisers Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) runner-up “We didn’t expect that [being shuffled Mandaloun were dashed a few jumps out back at the start],” Cox said. “We thought Berrettini Feed of the Monmouth Park starting gate. he might be on the lead or tracking a cou- Forced to steady at the start and off last ple. We found ourselves last going into the Florida Department of Agriculture in the five-horse field as a result, first turn. But overall it was a big effort. I Mandaloun needed to rally from farther think he closed into a soft pace. FTBOA back than is normally his style, then was “He probably had to start his run a floated three-wide on the final turn before touch early given the fact that he was last. Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply digging in for a neck victory over a stub- He ran a big race. Florent made the com- Ocala Stud born Weyburn in the $150,000 feature race ment that he may have been looking that serves as the local prep for the Grade See PEGASUS on page 3 Seminole Feed Back to Top Page 3 Pegasus Continued from COVER around late. But he made the lead by himself. Overall it was a good effort for him to ship over here.” With Florida-bred longshot Lugamo setting the fractions of :24.67 for the opening quar- ter-mile, :48.61 to the half and 1:12.41 through three quarters while being tracked by Weyburn, Mandaloun launched his rally three-wide going into the final turn after steadily moving up. He surged past Weyburn and Dr Jack in mid-stretch and looked to be on his way to a clear victory until hav- ing to fight off the gritty Weyburn. “Yes [he was steadied] a little bit [at the start],” Geroux said. “I didn’t want Florent Geroux/BILL DENVER/EQUIPHOTO to rush him. He was nice and relaxed during the race. It was nice to see that he was able to set- tle down on his own and everything worked out great. The impor- tant thing was not to rush him too hard [after the start]. “I had a lot of horse. He was passing horses one by one. At the end when he made the lead maybe he was looking around a little. It was a new thing for him not having the whip for encourage- ment. I saw [Weyburn] coming inside of us. But he was still run- ning pretty good at the end.” Dr Jack finished third, two-and-a-half lengths behind Weyburn. Brooklyn Strong was fourth with Lugamo fifth. See PEGASUS on page 5 Florida-breds Make Florida Racing Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds won 31.5% of races run at the recent Gulfstream Park Championship Meet? This demonstrates how vital Florida-breds are to the success of Gulfstream Park throughout the year—not just during the Spring/Summer season. Additional good news for Florida breeders—66% of those Florida-bred winners during the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet were sired by Florida stallions. Florida-breds: Race ‘Em or Chase ‘Em! Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Pegasus page 3 Continued from Mandaloun paid $2.60 to win. Cox said he will ship Mandaloun back to Kentucky and assess how the son of Into Mischief came out of the race, with the $1 million Haskell Stakes still on his radar. “I think ultimately we’re going to figure out what toll it took on him once we get back home,” Cox said. “The ship over for the race, the ship back. Things such as that. We’ll put it all together and process it and let him tell us where he is over the next couple of weeks. “He made the lead and it looked like he was going to go on. Obviously the horse on the lead was setting softer fractions. You kind of expect that [he was forced to fight late]. I don’t think that’s something that is totally unexpected. Overall it was a big race and we’re proud of the effort. “He responded when asked and was carried a touch wide and floated through the turn. But over- all it was a good effort and hopefully he can bounce out of it in good order and be ready in five Mandaloun/BILL DENVER/EQUIPHOTO weeks [or the TVG.com Haskell Stakes].” The victory was the fourth in seven career starts for 13 and a third in the Grade 3 Lecomte won by Midnight Bourbon Mandaloun with a second and a third, boosting his career earn- on Jan. 16. However, he had an unexplained flop in the ings to $1,051,252. Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) won by Hot Rod Charlie Prior to the Derby, Mandaloun had been one of the top horses in his final Derby prep on March 20 when sixth. prepping for the Derby in Louisiana with a victory in the Grade Mandaloun is out of Brooch, by Empire Maker. He was also 2 Risen Star presented by Lamarque Ford at Fair Grounds on Feb. bred by Juddmonte Farms Inc. Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 The Chosen Vron Rallies From Last to Take Affirmed BY SANTA ANITA PARK PRESS OFFICE____________________ ARCADIA, CA—In a race in which most observers thought the Eric Kruljac-trained and co-owned The Chosen Vron would be on or contending for the early lead, the 3- year-old Vronsky gelding was instead last early in Sunday’s $100,000 Affirmed Stakes (Grade 3) at Santa Anita. Instead, it was Defunded from the barn of trainer Bob Baffert who appeared to have an insurmountable four-length edge turning for home, before The Chosen Vron rallied in the stretch for an impressive length-and-a-half score. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, The Chosen Vron got a mile-and-one-sixteenth in 1:44.01. Stretching out for the first time off a huge win in the Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes going six-and-a-half furlongs, The Chosen Vron settled nicely under Rispoli heading into the first turn as longshot Jimmy Irish and Defunded contested the The Chosen Vron/BENOIT PHOTO early going through quarter-mile splits of :23.25 and :46.34. from five starts. With the winner’s share of $60,000, The With Defunded assuming command around the far turn, he Chosen Vron increased his earnings to $270,600. quickly dispatched of his favored stablemate Classier and had Three days remain in Santa Anita’s current Winter/Spring what appeared to be a winning advantage with a quarter-mile to Meeting, with first post time for an 11-race card on Friday at 1 p.m. run but The Chosen Vron, who had moved into contention at the rail, switched leads straightening for home and reeled in the leader just inside the sixteenth pole to leave no doubt about who was best on the day. Florida-breds “I thought he’d show more natural speed. But they sent a cou- ple horses real hard and Umberto took the initiative,” Kruljac Make Florida Racing said. “He rode the horse with a lot of faith and he got there. He Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds had a lot of kickback on him, but he’ll run through it, this horse. won 36.8% of races run at the recent Tampa The way the track was playing all day, I told Umberto, if the opportunity is there, if there’s not much pace, feel free to go.” Bay Downs season? A two-time stakes winner before Sunday, The Chosen Vron was off as the 8-5 second choice in a field of five sophomores and paid $5.20. This demonstrates “When the gates [opened] his intent was to go, obviously he’s how vital Florida-breds coming from a [sprint] race, but it’s so far he understood that are to the success of when we didn’t go anywhere, he just switched off his mind and Tampa Bay Downs. on the first turn he was just completely relaxed,” Rispoli said. “I had him in a good spot, I threw him on the inside because I know Additional good news for he likes the kickback, and I traveled all the way inside to find a Florida breeders—72% of those good spot at the three furlong pole just moving him up.” Florida-bred winners during the Defunded was second, 11 lengths ahead of Classier in third.