Bernard Baruch a starting point for Mouillage

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown hopes the end of the Saratoga meet could be the beginning of a strong North American career for Mouillage.

A 4-year-old French-bred son of Toronado, Mouillage will make just his second start of 2022 and first in six months in Monday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap, one of two stakes on the closing-day card.

A listed stakes winner in France for Jean-Claude Rouget, Mouillage was purchased privately by Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Bob Edwards’ e Five Thoroughbreds and turned over to Brown. On March 5, Mouillage made his stateside debut, finishing second, beaten three-quarters of a length, by Mira Mission in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf at Gulfstream Park. Mira Mission has come back to run second in two Grade 1 stakes, including the Sword Dancer here on Aug. 27.

“We liked him in the race,” Brown said. “He got run down by a good horse.”

Mouillage emerged from Canadian Turf with an injury, Brown said. After rehabilitating at Fair Hill, a training center in Maryland where he breezed four times starting in early July, Mouillage was shipped to Saratoga, where he had four more breezes for Brown, who has liked what he’s seen in the morning.

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“I think he’s pretty talented,” said Brown, who has Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride from post 2.

There is rain in the forecast for Monday and Mouillage has shown good form over good-to-soft ground in France. Brown said he would prefer the course to be firm.

Brown, seeking his first win in the Baruch after sending out 10 runners over the last six years, also saddles Emaraaty, who is 3 for 4 at Saratoga, including an allowance win here Aug. 4. His lone loss came when fourth in the 2019 Baruch over soft ground.

Trainer Tom Morley won last year’s Bernard Baruch with Tellyourdaddy and on Monday he’ll send out that gelding’s brother Dynadrive in the 1 1/16-mile race.

After overcoming a severe bout early this year with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis [EPM], a disease that can affect a horse’s central nervous system, Dynadrive has won both starts for Morley, including the Lure Stakes here at 23-1 on Aug. 6.

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“He turned a real corner after about 45 days of us having him,” Morley said. “We did have to treat him very aggressively for EPM when he first came in and it appeared to turn him inside out. He is a very, very happy horse at the moment, that is probably the key to him as well.”

Morely also sends out Ocala Dream, who on May 30 won the Kingston Stakes against New York-breds. He is winless in two starts since, but his last race was run at 1 3/16 miles, which was probably too far for him. Two starts back, on July 3 at Belmont Park, Morley said Ocala Dream overheated before the race in the paddock.

“In hindsight I should have scratched him,” Morley said. “His form looks a little dirtied up, but he should run the race that he ran in the Kingston, which makes him very competitive in here.”

City Man, trained by Christophe Clement, had a troubled trip when finishing behind Ocala Dream in the Kingston but came back to win the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple at Belmont on July 15. He was scratched from the Yaddo Handicap on Aug. 26 when that race was rained off the turf.

Winters Back, unraced in 13 months, would be the lone speed if he runs. He is cross-entered in Monday’s $100,000 Red Bank at Monmouth Park. As of Saturday, morning trainer Todd Pletcher had not yet decided in which race he would run.

The Bernard Baruch is carded as the third on a 12-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m.