Mohaymen taking shortcut to Grade 1 win in King's Bishop
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When the summer began, it looked like a pretty safe bet that Mohaymen would be one of the choices when Saratoga’s marquee event, the Grade 1 Travers, rolled around on the penultimate Saturday of the meet. But following Mohaymen’s disappointing performance as the favorite in the Jim Dandy Stakes, his connections opted for the seven-furlong King’s Bishop rather than the 1 1/4-mile Travers on Saturday.
Mohaymen likely will be among the favorites in a wide-open field of 13 3-year-olds entered for the Grade 1, $500,000 King’s Bishop, even though he’s never tried the seven-furlong distance of the race. Mohaymen will be competing around one turn for the first time since capturing the one-mile Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct last fall in his second start.
Mohaymen’s credentials are impressive. He has four Grade 2 victories, including easy wins last winter at 1 1/16 miles in the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth stakes at Gulfstream Park. Mohaymen was given nearly three months off by trainer Kiaran McLaughlin following his fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and ran fourth after stumbling at the break of the nine-furlong Jim Dandy here in what figured to be a prep for the Travers.
McLaughlin said that he and Rick Nichols, the vice president and general manager of Shadwell Stable, which owns Mohaymen, decided that the King’s Bishop would be a better spot for him than the Travers.
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“It’s a very prestigious race in its own right, and if we win, it would be huge for his résumé,” McLaughlin said.
Mohaymen won at six furlongs and one mile in his first two starts, and while McLaughlin is confident he will handle the seven-eighths of the King’s Bishop, he said it’s still a bit of a question mark.
“Obviously, you never know until they do it,” said McLaughlin. “What we’re looking for is a lot of pace. Hopefully, they’ll just go real fast, that we’re back somewhere in eighth, ninth, or 10th early, and make a big run.”
McLaughlin should get his wish as far as the pace is concerned, with the speedy group for the King’s Bishop including the Bob Baffert-trained duo of Jazzy Times and Drefong, along with Noholdingback Bear and the lightly raced but undefeated Summer Revolution.
Jazzy Times and Drefong are coming off allowance wins for which they earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. Both were with the pace throughout going 6 1/2 furlongs.
Noholdingback Bear, who has not finished worse than second in his last five starts, had his three-race winning streak snapped when he was outfinished by Puntrooski at 2-5 in Woodbine’s Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes five weeks ago.
Summer Revolution has won his two starts by a combined 10 1/4 lengths, with the 105 Beyer he posted in winning an entry-level allowance race here earlier this month the highest in the field.
A rapid pace would also play into the hands of the improving Economic Model and Tom’s Ready, who rallied from last to capture the Grade 2 Woody Stephens at Belmont in his last start.
“We obviously scratched out of the West Virginia Derby to point for this race because we feel there’s more to gain here in such a prestigious Grade 1 race like this,” said Economic Model’s trainer, Chad Brown. “All his good races are around one turn. He’s doing great. I’m just hopeful he gets a good, solid pace in front of him and he comes with a good run.”
Key Contenders
Mohaymen, by Tapit
Last 3 Beyers: 92-96-80
◗ He must tote the top weight of 123 pounds under the allowance conditions of the race, conceding two to six pounds to his 12 rivals.
Jazzy Times, by Discreetly Mine
Last 3 Beyers: 101-92-84
◗ Will race for the first time without blinkers after working five furlongs in 59 seconds in company with American Freedom on Monday at Del Mar.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Jazzy Times. Trainer Bob Baffert is 29-13-3-1 with a $2.73 ROI over the past five years removing blinkers following an in-the-money finish less than 45 days since the last start. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Drefong, by Gio Ponti
Last 3 Beyers: 103-97-89
◗ He’s the more accomplished of the two Baffert entrants, having won his last three starts by a combined 18 1/4 lengths.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 13 Drefong. Trainer Bob Baffert is 25-5-1-3 with a $1.10 ROI over the past five years with last-out winners in dirt sprint graded stakes following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Economic Model, by Flatter
Last 3 Beyers: 95-101-90
◗ One of two members of the field putting blinkers on for the race, along with Star Hill, but must work out a trip from the rail in the bulky lineup.