Mandella ships Subsanador for easier spot in Iselin

Subsanador traveled 2,800 miles this week to race for $250,000 in the Philip Iselin Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Only five rivals, all drawn inside him, stand between Subsanador and a worthwhile ship from trainer Richard Mandella’s current base at Del Mar.

“He’s training really well right now, and I expect him to run a good race. The timing was good for this,” said Mandella, who reported that his horse had shipped without incident.

The Grade 3 Iselin, contested at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, is run under allowance conditions, and Subsanador carries 118 pounds, six fewer than his main rival, Il Miracolo. Mike Smith takes the mount for Mandella and owner Wathnan Racing.

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Il Miracolo, runaway leading rider Paco Lopez named to ride the 4-year-old for the first time, breaks from post 5. The other four, from the inside out, are Khozeiress, Instant Coffee, Antigravity, and Everso Mischievous.

Subsanador was considered for the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar but missed that July 27 race, Mandella said, and rather than jump straight into the Grade 1 Pacific Classic over 1 1/4 miles, the Iselin arose as a more appealing plan.

Twice a Group 1 winner over one mile on dirt in Argentina, where Subsanador was bred and made his first 12 starts, Subsanador has raced three times for Mandella without winning, though he was second, beaten a head, in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. Subsanador returned from that March 3 start with a lesser fourth-place finish May 27 in the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup. The turnback in distance should suit Subsanador.

“We’re kind of still getting to know him. He’s been training very sharp, and I think he’ll like” the 1 1/16 miles, Mandella said.

Il Miracolo, who ships from Saratoga for trainer Antonio Sano, has made six of his last eight starts in Grade 1 or Grade 2 competition, running competitively in all of them but the Pegasus World Cup. His two Grade 3 starts during that span produced wins, in the Smarty Jones about a year ago and in the Ghostzapper on March 30 at Gulfstream. This might be the ideal distance for Il Miracolo, a grinding stalker who could sit second behind pacesetting Everso Mischievous.

Everso Mischievous makes his two-turn debut and is a gate-to-wire threat if slipping loose on a clear lead for Florent Geroux. He’s trained by Brad Cox, who used to train Instant Coffee, a 4-year-old who returns, now trained by Chad Summers, from a four-month layoff while making just his third start since March 2023.

Select Stakes

Colts Neck Stable and trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. have two of the major players in the $100,000 Select Stakes, Saturday’s supporting feature, but Grooms All Bizness is likely to stay in the barn, with Nothing Better flying owner Richard Santulli’s colors in this 5 1/2-furlong grass sprint.

Duarte said he anticipates a firm turf course, which is what Nothing Better needs to show his best. Grooms All Bizness handles some cut in the ground and has proven himself over various racecourses, which makes him a candidate for the rich Turf Sprint next month at Kentucky Downs, Duarte said.

“I’ve been monitoring the weather, and it looks like the turf should be fine for Nothing Better. He’s been doing pretty well,” Duarte said.

Seven-year-old Nothing Better has held peak form since November, winning three of his last four starts and his two most recent races. Nothing Better reared at the start of his 2024 debut, losing all chance, returning to win the Mighty Beau at Churchill Downs and the Wolf Hill last month at Monmouth. In the Wolf Hill, Nothing Better ran down sharp pacesetter That’s Right and held clear a run from 1-2 favorite Arzak, a two-time Grade 2 winner of two sprints.

Jorge Ruiz rides Nothing Better, while Lopez has the call on the only horse with a chance to beat an in-form Nothing Better, Xy Speed. Xy Speed ships from Florida and made his lone Monmouth start in May 2022, finishing sixth in the Get Serious Stakes. Out of nowhere, the 8-year-old gelding became the fastest turf sprinter in South Florida late this spring, winning three in a row with Beyer Speed Figures of 99, 99, and 102. Making his first start since late May, Xy Speed is unlikely to run to that level – and unlikely to beat Nothing Better.

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