Law Professor takes difficult road to Mathis Mile triumph
ARCADIA, Calif. - Law Professor is unbeaten in two starts since he returned to racing last month following a break of more than five months, the latest win occurring in Sunday’s Grade 3 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita.
Law Professor took the lead on the turn, but never pulled away from pacesetter Beyond Brilliant, eventually winning by a half-length.
The style of the victory, with Law Professor making the job more difficult than hoped, left jockey Jose Ortiz and trainer Michael McCarthy curious as to what he can accomplish with a complete performance.
“He made the lead and he started wandering around,” Ortiz said. “When he made the lead, if he would have run straight, he would have won by five."
Ortiz had Law Professor well placed through the first half-mile, stalking 7-5 favorite Beyond Brilliant through an early pace of 23.26 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.65 for a half-mile. Law Professor was always within two lengths of Beyond Brilliant and led by a head with a furlong remaining.
“It was a little tough to watch a horse get to the lead as easy as he did and not finish the job,” McCarthy said.
Beyond Brilliant won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 27. The Mathis Mile was his dirt track stakes debut.
Tarantino (8-1) finished third, beaten nine lengths by Law Professor. None Above the Law finished fourth, followed by Du Jour, Airman, Cane Creek Road and Flashiest.
None Above the Law has won four stakes this year, highlighted by the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf in September.
Law Professor ($10.20) was timed in 1:37.41.
Owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, Law Professor has won 3 of 7 starts and has earned $226,640. Law Professor was fifth of nine behind Rock Your World in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April and was gelded a month later. He has since won 2 of 3 starts.
The $201,500 Mathis Mile was originally a Grade 2 scheduled for turf, but was moved to dirt because of wet conditions earlier in the weekend.
The Mathis Mile could be rated as a Grade 2 race by the end of the week. When graded stakes change surfaces, the race is automatically downgraded one level until a Kentucky-based committee evaluates the race’s quality to determine whether to restore the original grade or leave the race downgraded.