Flying Mohawk undergoes colic surgery

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Whit Beckman’s 2025 Saratoga meet did not get off to an auspicious start.

Flying Mohawk, who Beckman was planning to return to turf in Friday’s Grade 1 Belmont Derby at Saratoga, had to be scratched from the race after undergoing emergency colic surgery on Wednesday, Beckman said.

“He did flip his colon,” Beckman said. “They didn’t have to remove anything, just untwist it.”

Beckman said Flying Mohawk would be out of training for three months, but the plan is to bring him back to the races next year.

Flying Mohawk won his maiden on turf at Churchill Downs last October and a first-level allowance race at Fair Grounds in January but hadn’t been on turf since. His second-place finish in the Jeff Ruby Steaks over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface earned him a spot in the Kentucky Derby where Flying Mohawk finished 18th in the 19-horse field.

Beckman, who sent out Hollygrove to a last-place finish in Thursday’s Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes, shipped in about a dozen horses to Saratoga earlier this week and could have 12 to 14 more shipping in over the next few weeks.

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Beckman said about half of his Saratoga stable will be 2-year-olds, including Honey Dutch, an unraced son of Knicks Go who is in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford Stakes at six furlongs.

Beckman said he entered Honey Dutch to take a look, but since he is one of three maidens in a six-horse field, Beckman said Thursday he plans on running in the Sanford.

“I’ve had him at Keeneland [working] with one I know is really nice and he’s been right there every step of the way,” Beckman said. “He’s acting like he’s in that timeframe where we should go ahead and run him.

“If you wait a week and run in a maiden race you might get a field of 12. The people who own him, Legion Racing, are not afraid to take shots - miss big or win big.”

On Saturday, Beckman also runs the unraced 3-year-old filly Syncoro in a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs. Syncoro is by Bolt d’Oro out of the Freud mare Lovely Syn, who went 4 for 4 in her career including two New York-bred stakes wins.

“This filly is lightning fast - she’s a Bolt d’Oro - she acts like she can really run,” Beckman said.

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