Freshened Mind Control saddles up for Toboggan

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The idea behind stopping on Mind Control after he won the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga last August was to have a bigger, stronger, better horse for a 4-year-old campaign.

Saturday, the first results of that decision will be in as Mind Control will begin his 4-year-old season in the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes going seven furlongs at Aqueduct.

Mind Control is a two-time Grade 1 winner at seven furlongs, with victories in the Hopeful at 2 and the Jerkens at 3, both at Saratoga. He is 2 for 3 at Aqueduct, with a victory in the seven-furlong Bay Shore Stakes.

Following the Jerkens, Mind Control was sent to Good Chance Farm in Ocala, Fla. Mind Control returned to trainer Gregg Sacco’s barn in early November and he has nine works since Nov. 17 leading to his return. That included a sharp move from the gate last Sunday.

“Other than moving up a couple of works a few days earlier, everything’s been on cue,” said Sacco, who trains Mind Control for Stephen Brunetti and Sol Kumin.

John Velazquez, who is 4 for 6 on Mind Control, is coming up from Florida to ride the son of Stay Thirsty in the Toboggan. Mind Control drew post 8 in what is a nine-horse field that includes graded stakes winners American Anthem, Still Having Fun, and Nicodemus.

“It looks like we’ll be forwardly placed,” Sacco said. “It looks like American Anthem is the fastest horse, if he wants to go. We can see how it sets up and we’ll leave it up to John.”

American Anthem was a multiple graded stakes winner for Bob Baffert, including a victory in the 2017 Woody Stephens at Belmont. He was purchased at the Keeneland November sale for $145,000 by Don Tiger and turned over to trainer Danny Gargan, who thinks the son of Bodemeister is destined for the turf.

“I think this is a good spot to get him started. He’s fast, he’s going to have a lot of speed,” Gargan said. “I worked him behind horses and he didn’t like it.”

Manny Franco rides American Anthem from post 2.

Still Having Fun won the 2018 Woody Stephens and is looking for his first victory since then in the Toboggan. Though Still Having Fun is cross-entered in Saturday’s Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel, trainer Tim Keefe said the plan is to run in New York.

Still Having Fun came off a six-month layoff to run second, beaten a neck in the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial at Laurel last month, his first start as a gelding.

“I was very happy with it,” Keefe said. “I have him acupunctured every month and his acupuncturist said he’s never been better. His works have been very good in the morning.”

Sunny Ridge, a seven-time stakes winner and $1.4 million earner, will shorten up to seven furlongs after winning a two-turn 1 1/8-mile stakes last out at Laurel. Nicodemus won the Grade 3 Westchester in the mud in May. There is a forecast for a mix of snow and rain on Saturday.

Bon Raison and The Sicarii are expected to complete the field. Arch Cat is cross-entered in the Fire Plug at Laurel and could run there.