Mo Dont No back quickly in Cleveland Gold Cup
Although he was passed by two horses while finishing a distant sixth in the Ohio Derby, Mo Dont No still ran the fastest race of his career. So, just nine days after his first attempt beyond six furlongs, Mo Dont No will go 1 1/8 miles again, this time against far softer competition in Monday’s $75,000 Cleveland Gold Cup for 3-year-old Ohio-breds at Thistledown.
Mo Dont No was within a half-length of the lead in the Ohio Derby through six furlongs in 1:13.60 and within two lengths of eventual winner Mo Tom after a mile in 1:38.88 before fading badly in the last eighth of a mile. That leading trainer Jeff Radosevich is wheeling Mo Dont No right back is an encouraging sign.
Radosevich also will saddle Linda’s Luck, who returns to the main track after finishing in a dead heat for the win in the 1 1/16-mile Green Carpet on Belterra Park’s turf course. Linda’s Luck is a half-brother to Trophy Boy, the winner of the 2011 Cleveland Gold Cup.
The field also includes Altissimo, unbeaten in three sprints at Belterra, and Ossetra, a former Bob Baffert runner who won his only start on the main track against Ohio-breds in the six-furlong Tall Stacks.
Cleveland Gold Cup, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Mo Dont No, by Uncle Mo
Last 3 Beyers: 81-77-59
◗ Radosevich shows a 10-for-34 record (30 percent) with 3-year-olds back within 14 days in routes, but he’s just 1 for 7 with those like Mo Dont No who are back in 10 days or fewer.
Linda’s Luck, by Lookin At Lucky
Last 3 Beyers: 75-63-55
◗ Radosevich is 7 for 19 (31 percent) with route runners switching from turf to dirt. Linda’s Luck scored a 49 Beyer Speed Figure in his only dirt route and will have to run much faster to have a shot here.
Ossetra, by Into Mischief
Last 3 Beyers: 73-73-77
◗ The 77 Beyer he earned in Southern California in March puts him close to the last-race number of Mo Dont No. His trainer, Doug Cowans, won the 2011 Cleveland Gold Cup with Trophy Boy, who like Ossetra came into the race after running on turf in the Green Carpet.
My Pardner Cal, by Big Atlantic
Last 3 Beyers: 56-74-61
◗ He’s the only horse besides Mo Dont Know to have run nine furlongs, finishing a close second in the slowly run George Lewis Memorial on June 18.
Altissimo, by Noble Causeway
Last 3 Beyers: 57-48-49
◗ Won all three starts at Belterra by daylight margins but faces much faster horses in his two-turn debut.