Crazy Mason opts for Commonwealth as path to Grade 1

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Crazy Mason danced plenty of dances last year, and rarely missed a beat. The first slot on his dance card for 2026 is Keeneland, where he goes in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Commonwealth Stakes, for older horses going seven furlongs.

A field of seven has been entered for the Commonwealth, but at least one withdrawal is expected. Be You, last-out winner of the Toboggan, will instead start in Saturday’s Grade 2 Carter at Aqueduct, where he faces divisional Eclipse Award champion Book’em Danno.

Crazy Mason won last year’s Carter as part of a campaign in which he started eight times and only missed the board once – when he was sixth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby, in which he shipped to California and was going six furlongs, a distance perhaps a touch sharp for him, as he seems to prefer seven furlongs to a mile. Crazy Mason placed in four other graded stakes last year, including a third in the Grade 1 Forego to Book’em Danno. He was last seen finishing third in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile on Dec. 6.

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“We gave him a little freshening after the Cigar Mile,” trainer Gregg Sacco said. “Came into Tampa [for winter training], he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s actually really filled out as a 5-year-old, and Tampa is a great track to leg up a horse. Everything we’ve asked of him this winter, heading into this race, he’s answered. We’re very happy where we are going into the race on Saturday. Awesome.”

As opposed to going to New York to defend his Carter win, Sacco, who will have a small string of horses based at Keeneland for the first time this spring, opted for the Commonwealth locally. If he runs well, Crazy Mason would be pointed to the Grade 1 Churchill Downs at seven furlongs on Kentucky Derby Day, thus requiring minimal shipping to start a long year.

While Crazy Mason is using this race as a rung back toward Grade 1 competition, Saudi Crown is using it as his step back into graded stakes. He made his first start in more than eight months in a March 5 ratings handicap at Oaklawn Park – a new race condition that will debut at Keeneland this spring – and won that 1 1/16-mile race by a length.

Although some of his races have been configured around one turn, this is the first time that Saudi Crown will race shorter than a mile since he won his first two starts in spring 2023. While trainer Brad Cox says he doesn’t regret keeping the horse around two turns – after all, Saudi Crown won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby in 2023 – he is looking forward to Saturday’s opportunity.

“I was always interested in turning him back to one turn as an older horse,” Cox said.

Saudi Crown has been forward in his best efforts and led in his last-out win. Trying to stick with him early will be National Identity, coming off a front-running win in the Say Florida Sandy for New York-breds. Targets would suit Crazy Mason, although Sacco says he is not pace-dependent.

“No matter the pace scenario, he still finishes with his run,” Sacco said. “We hope he’s a little closer this year, a little bit more mature. He breaks good, then he’s just kind of settled back.”

Pace also would help out Track Mate, who, in his lone start this year, closed to be second in the Pelican in February at Tampa.

Rounding out the field are a pair who competed on Turfway Park’s Tapeta over the winter. Dr. Saikali won two of his three allowance starts at the meet – and was second in the other – but is stepping far up in class for his stakes debut. Multitask was winless in three starts over the winter at Turfway and has been well beaten in all three of his career stakes attempts.

– additional reporting by Marcus Hersh

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