Mi Bago sprints away with Pulpit Stakes
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mi Bago, who had competed over five different racetracks in his first five career starts, likely won’t be doing any additional travelling for a while. Not after the way he handled the Gulfstream Park turf strip en route to a convincing and very impressive five-length victory over Hit That Review in Friday’s $115,000 Pulpit Stakes.
Mi Bago broke alertly, quickly sprinted clear then opened a commanding advantage in the run down the backstretch after setting lively fractions of 23.50 seconds and 46.24 for the opening half-mile of the 7 1/2-furlong Pulpit. Mi Bago, a New York-bred son of Vekoma trained by Mark Casse for owner Gary Barber, remained comfortably in front turning into the stretch. He then had plenty left in the tank despite the torrid early pace. Mi Bago increased his lead under steady urging by jockey Edwin Gonzalez to the end.
Hit That Review, who has also spent plenty of time on a van during his 2-year-old season, raced forwardly from the outset then rallied to overtake Bucaro by a neck to be second-best, while never threatening the winner.
Mi Bago, who had raced at Colonial Downs, Saratoga, Woodbine – where he won the Algonquin Stakes in his turf debut – and Del Mar in four previous starts, completed the distance over the firm course in 1:27.06 and paid $5.80.
“He’s fast,” Casse said matter-of-factly by phone after the race. “I was a little surprised [to see him set such a fast pace], but I think riders tend to get worried they are going to look bad fighting with a horse, and that sometimes they are better off letting them roll along like he [Gonzalez] did today. It was the right thing to do.”
Casse was supremely confident that Mi Bago was sitting on a big race after watching a tape of his most recent work, where he went four furlongs in 47 seconds over the Palm Meadow turf course nine days earlier.
“I watched the work and said to Nick [Tomlinson, assistant trainer] ‘Wow’," Casse enthused. “I thought that was the best he’d looked. He’s such a beautiful moving horse and I also believed he would love the Gulfstream turf course as well, which he obviously did after watching his race today. So I don’t think he’ll be going anywhere else to run for a while.”
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