Mendelssohn wins Patton Stakes, on to UAE Derby

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn made a winning return to the races Friday night at Dundalk Racecourse in Ireland, capturing the listed Patton Stakes over his stablemate Threeandfourpence by about three-quarters of a length in his 3-year-old debut.

The Patton, contested over one mile on Dundalk’s synthetic racing surface, was the penultimate race in the European Road to the Kentucky Derby, a seven-race series intended to yield a starter in the 2018 Derby. Mendelssohn earned 20 points, tying him for the series lead with Saxon Warrior, who is not considered a Kentucky Derby hope, and Gronkowski, who earned 20 points winning at Kempton Park in England on Wednesday. The March 30 Burradon Stakes is the last race in the series, and where this week’s races distributed points 20-8-4-2 to the top four finishers, the Burradon points go 30-12-6-3.

But neither Gronkowski nor Mendelssohn is scheduled to start in the Burradon, which could leave the European Road to the Kentucky Derby open to an entirely different horse. Gronkowski is headed either to the Wood Memorial or the Blue Grass Stakes, trying to prove himself on American dirt, while trainer Aidan O’Brien said after the Patton that Mendelssohn will be sent to Dubai for the $2 million UAE Derby on March 31, a race in which he figures no worse than second choice.

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The UAE Derby is a major qualifier in the primary Road to the Kentucky Derby: If Mendelsson wins, his 100 points will lock down one of the 20 Derby starting spots, while a second-place finish, worth 40 points, also likely gets him into the race.

Mendelssohn, making his first start on a surface other than turf, was racing for the first time since winning the BC Juvenile Turf by one length on Nov. 3 at Del Mar, and he appeared to still be carrying some winter weight Friday night. With Ryan Moore in the irons, Mendelssohn broke on top from the rail in the one-turn race but soon ceded the lead to Threeandfourpence, who went clear by about one length around the turn as Mendelssohn took a strong hold. Mendelssohn came through on the inside after turning for home, made the front with about a furlong to run, and briefly opened up before Threeandfourpence narrowed the gap slightly in the final yards. The outcome wasn’t in doubt as Mendelssohn continued to hold sway while galloping out around the clubhouse turn.

Mendelssohn is by Scat Daddy and out of Leslie’s Lady, making him a half-brother to champion dirt horse Beholder, and enhancing interest in his Derby prospects. O’Brien said just minutes after the Juvenile Turf that Mendelssohn would be aimed at the Kentucky Derby, and now he is one solid performance from getting there.