Mojovation works toward Hopeful

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mojovation, arguably the most impressive male 2-year-old maiden winner at the meet, worked four furlongs in 48.57 seconds Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track.

Going in company with the unraced juvenile Animal Kingston, Mojovation, under John Velazquez, went his first quarter in 25.01 seconds and came home in 23.56 while continuing to gallop-out a solid five furlongs in 1:01.99 and six furlongs in 1:15.48.

Mojovation, a son of Quality Road, won a six-furlong race by two lengths July 28 and is pointing to the Grade 1 Hopeful here Sept. 4.

“I thought he worked excellent,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He looked good, seems to have come out of his race well. He’s always worked well. This morning was another example.”

Pletcher has won eight 2-year-old races at the meet, including one on Saturday with Coltandmississippi, who won a seven-furlong race by a neck.

“I thought he ran well, showed some courage,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said he might run in the $75,000 Sapling Stakes, a two-turn mile race at Monmouth Park on Sept. 3.

Coltandmississippi ran seven furlongs in 1:26.18, which was significantly slower than the earlier division of that race won by Oskar Blues over the Pletcher-trained Airotouch. Oskar Blues ran the seven furlongs in 1:23.99 and is a candidate for the Hopeful, according to trainer Ken McPeek.