Imperial Hint vs. Mitole in Vanderbilt

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Imperial Hint, the dominant winner of last year’s Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, will face top sprinter Mitole and five others in Saturday’s 35th renewal of the Vanderbilt going six furlongs.

Imperial Hint, the beaten favorite in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is making his first start since he finished third in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 30 in Dubai.

:: Get PPs, Clocker Reports, picks, and more from DRF's Saratoga/Del Mar One-Stop Shop

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. didn’t feel Imperial Hint got the best trip in Dubai after not breaking as well as he would have liked.

“I really thought my horse could have run better,” Carvajal said.

Carvajal wanted to work Imperial Hint one more time before the Vanderbilt, but said between the hot weather and wet tracks at Monmouth, he had to skip it.

Imperial Hint will be reunited with Javier Castellano, who has been aboard for seven of the 6-year-old’s 12 wins.

Mitole brings a seven-race winning streak into the Vanderbilt, his two most recent wins having come in the Grade 1 Met Mile and the Churchill Downs.

Mitole, the 125-pound highweight, drew the rail for the Vanderbilt. Outside of him, in post order, are Strike Power (117 pounds), Imperial Hint (123), Firenze Fire (118), Mr. Crow (116), Diamond Oops (116), and Do Share (116).