Mandaloun in good shape after an odd Pegasus victory
Yes, Mandaloun won the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes on June 12 at Monmouth Park, but his race might have raised more questions than it provided answers.
Mandaloun took a clear midstretch lead but had to hold on to win by a neck over Weyburn, whom he had passed with relative ease in upper stretch. Mandaloun ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.63, a raw time that yielded a Beyer Speed Figure of 92, down from the 103 the colt received finishing second in the Kentucky Derby as well as the 98 he got winning the Risen Star Stakes in February.
Mandaloun, a Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Brad Cox, stands to become the Derby winner if Medina Spirit, who crossed the wire first, is disqualified for a medication positive.
Mandaloun shipped back to Cox’s base at Churchill Downs on Monday and Cox saw him Tuesday morning and again Tuesday afternoon.
“Pleased with how he took it,” Cox said. “It can be challenging to ship in the summer, and I think he handled it well, had a great experience. It gives us enough confidence to go back next month if he’s doing well.”
Cox was referring to the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 17, the race for which the Pegasus was a prep. Churchill Downs is closing its stabling area in early July as they renovate their turf course, and rather than relocate Mandaloun twice, Cox said he’ll send the colt back to Monmouth when his horses have to leave Churchill.
“I’ll probably have to breeze him over there once,” Cox said.
Mandaloun likely won’t be shipping alone, as Cox said he plans to assemble a team of runners for various Monmouth stakes races. The composition of that group has yet to be determined.
In the Pegasus, Mandaloun got in a tight spot right after the start, leading Florent Geroux to take him back to last of five in a slow-paced race. Mandaloun typically races closer to the lead, and Cox went into the race expecting a similar trip, but instead saw his charge rally into the fastest part of the race, the third quarter-mile run around the turn, and then idle after assuming command past the three-sixteenth pole.
“I think our horse might have got lost a little bit once he made the lead, maybe didn’t stay focused,” said Cox. “That could be something we work on going forward in terms of timing.
“He took a ton of dirt, about as much dirt as you’re going to take with four other horses in a race. I was able to get back to the test barn and saw that he cooled out quick. In the end, he’s still a young horse that’s learning.”
◗ A New Jersey-bred first-level allowance race with a $15,000 claiming option is the nominal headliner on Friday’s twilight six-race program at Monmouth. Race 4 on a card that starts at 5 p.m. Eastern, this six-furlong dirt sprint drew 14 entrants with 10-year-old Chublicious, a nine-time Monmouth winner, the 3-1 morning-line favorite.