My Mitole likely headed for stakes off starter allowance win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 3-year-old My Mitole is likely headed to a stakes race after winning a starter allowance Friday at Aqueduct by 5 1/4 lengths.

While trainer Carlos Martin nominated My Mitole to the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes going one mile at Aqueduct on March 1, he is not enamored with the idea of wheeling him back in two weeks. Martin did mention the $500,000 Virginia Derby, a one-turn, 1 1/8-mile dirt race at Colonial Downs on March 15 as something that could be intriguing.

“Timing, for me, that race in Virginia might be interesting for half-a-million,” Martin said Saturday morning “On March 1, they’re going to be running all over the country, no one’s looking to say ‘Oh, I want to be in Virginia on March 15.' "

However, the Virginia Derby is a newly-minted Kentucky Derby points-qualifying race offering 50 points to the winner.

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The Kentucky Derby, at 1 1/4 miles, might be a stretch for My Mitole, but he has now won two straight races run at a one-turn mile. Friday, he stalked the pace, took over at the head of the lane and drew clear despite hanging on his left lead until nearing the wire. My Mitole covered the mile in 1:39.86 and earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure. Martin admitted that My Mitole benefitted from the scratch of morning-line favorite McAfee, whom the veterinarians scratched the morning of the race.

“After that horse came out of the race, I was hoping he was going to be a lot better than those horses and he was,” Martin said. “It was a good race.”

My Mitole was a late scratch at the gate of an early December race. Martin said he backed off the horse some and trained him on the lighter side for Friday.

“For a horse we lost a lot of time with and I put only three works into … I think there’s room to move forward,” Martin said.

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