Mandaloun catches Midnight Bourbon in Louisiana Stakes

NEW ORLEANS – Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon ranked near the top of their 3-year-old class in 2021 and from the look of the Louisiana Stakes on Saturday, they’ll be formidable 4-year-olds, too.

Mandaloun, turning in an excellent performance in his first start since the Haskell Invitational on July 17, ran down loose-on-the-lead Midnight Bourbon and won the Grade 3, $150,000 Louisiana by three quarters of a length. Warrant, racing for the first time since winning the Oklahoma Derby, turned in a solid run for third but was 8 1/2 lengths behind Midnight Bourbon.

Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track was a rapid 1:42.52, a half-second off a track record set in 1994. The Fair Grounds surface didn’t play especially fast Saturday and the final time came off a tepid half-mile split of 48.25 seconds, the top two finishers rocketing home.

“I was a little concerned going up the backside when Midnight Bourbon had put up those fractions,” Mandaloun trainer Brad Cox said.

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The two colts now have met six times and, if all goes to plan, they’ll face off again for $20 million in the Feb. 26 Saudi Cup, a one-turn race over about 1 1/8 miles.

Midnight Bourbon had a recency edge on Mandaloun, having finished third Nov. 26 facing older horses for the first time in the Grade 1 Clark Stakes. Trainer Steve Asmussen raced Midnight Bourbon in blinkers for the first time Saturday and jockey Joel Rosario said the equipment change made a difference.

“He broke good, did everything right, and he felt nice and focused in the blinkers,” Rosario said. “We were really running; that was a fast race.”

Mandaloun finished second in the Kentucky Derby last year and won the Haskell when Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified for interfering with Midnight Bourbon. Cox took the colt to Saratoga, but didn’t like the way he was training and Mandaloun wound up being rested the remainder of the summer. Mandaloun made a very favorable physical impression Saturday and Cox said this race should bring him closer to peak fitness.

Florent Geroux, who has ridden Mandaloun in all nine of his races, felt a more mature and capable horse underneath him in the Louisiana.

“He broke on top and I could have probably made the lead if I wanted to, but coming off a layoff the right thing to do was take him back. I was very pleased with how my horse settled. He took a nice breather and felt good all the way around there. He was sharper mentally and let me put him exactly where I wanted to be. Sometimes last year it felt like his mind wasn’t always there, but the mental is catching up to his ability,” Geroux said.

Mandaloun paid $3.80 as the favorite in a field of six after Chess Chief was scratched to race next weekend in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms, Mandaloun is a son of Into Mischief and the Empire Maker mare Brooch – and he looks even better as a 4-year-old than he did at 3.