Mitole bright off big Beyer in Bachelor

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Mitole, who put up a Beyer Speed Figure of 107 for his win in the $150,000 Bachelor for 3-year-olds Thursday at Oaklawn, was bright and alert Saturday and is scheduled to ship to Churchill, according to his trainer, Steve Asmussen.

Mitole’s number equaled the top Beyer put up by a 3-year-old so far in 2018. Justify earned a 107 for his win in the Santa Anita Derby.

Mitole won the six-furlong Bachelor in 1:08.41 for owners Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt. He set fractions of 21.32 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.22 for the half-mile before rolling to a nine-length win. It was his third victory at the Oaklawn meet behind a maiden special weight and a first-level allowance, both sprints.

“He ran a brilliant race,” Asmussen said of the Bachelor. “I was very concerned with how fast he was going, but he handled it well. He came out of it in good shape. He goes from here to Churchill, and after we’re training him there I’ll discuss with Mr. Heiligbrodt what we’ll do next.

“We’ll just see what we think is best for him when we move him. He had five races here, which was plenty, so we’ll just see what we do when we get to Churchill.”

Mitole is a son of Eskendereya who is nominated to the Triple Crown.

– additional reporting by Jim Dunleavy