Another Mystery gets his distance in rescheduled Colonial Turf Cup

Two days later than expected, an eclectic field of 11 is set for the $150,000 Colonial Turf Cup, which could have Cellist as a tepid favorite.

The 1 1/2-mile Turf Cup had been scheduled for Monday before Colonial Downs decided to cancel its card because of extreme heat. The Colonial Cup merely was moved – same horses, same post positions – from the Monday program onto Wednesday’s.

The switch did cause one change: Flavien Prat had been booked to ride Another Mystery in Monday’s race, but with Prat committed to riding Wednesday at Saratoga, Jareth Loveberry takes the mount.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

That just means Another Mystery’s win odds become even more appealing to bettors willing to forgive his 10th-place finish May 21 at Churchill Downs in the Louisville Stakes – not a difficult thing to do.

Start with the fact that Another Mystery was beaten only 3 3/4 lengths in the Louisville while racing over a compromised, quirky turf course that eventually was taken out of use in June.

“I don’t know how funny the course was at the time, but there was heavy rain a half-hour before the race,” said Chris Block, who trains Another Mystery, a homebred by Temple City, for his family’s racing and breeding group, Team Block. “The big thing is he was in traffic the whole time that race, and he’s a horse you need to get out in the clear.”

Another Mystery narrowly beat Illinois-bred rivals June 3 in the Black Tie Affair Stakes at Hawthorne, a one-mile race short of his best trip.

“A mile and a half, no question that’s his best distance,” Block said. “He paces himself along and gets strong as he goes.”

In January, Loveberry riding, Another Mystery dead-heated in the Grade 3 Connally over 1 1/2 miles at Sam Houston. In April, racing at the same trip, he was second to Channel Maker in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland.

To be fair, Cellist didn’t have a perfect trip winning the Louisville, his first try in a race as long as 1 1/2 miles. Unlike Another Mystery, Cellist managed a clean trip that day, but he was forced to race three to four paths wide without cover going around the final turn before prevailing by a neck. Just a 4-year-old, Cellist, trained by Rusty Arnold, has plenty of upside in longer grass races like the Colonial Cup.

A mile and a half might be too short for Snap Decision, a 2021 Eclipse Award finalist in the steeplechase division. One of the top two jump horses last year along with The Mean Queen, Snap Decision, trained by Jack Fisher, goes back to the flat for the first time since November 2018. Trained by Shug McGaughey during his flat-racing days, Snap Decision was a solid allowance-class performer who never raced beyond 1 3/8 miles. It’s difficult to say whether he’s more curiosity or contender in Wednesday’s contest.

Red Knight at the peak of his powers would be a key player, but the 8-year-old gelding hasn’t started since Aug. 21 and has changed barns, from Bill Mott to Mike Maker.

At long odds, consider Always Above, who won an 11-furlong allowance race this past spring at Churchill by 4 3/4 lengths.

The other entrants are Royne, Nathan Detroit, Bakers Bay, The Happy Giant, La Lune, and Bluegrass Parkway. Post time is set for 5:01 p.m. Eastern.