Nates Mineshaft shows he can sprint, too

Nates Mineshaft made a name for himself running around two turns, with wins in races such as the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap in 2012. But a powerful effort at one turn in his 7-year-old debut last Saturday night at Remington Park has him under consideration for sprint stakes at the Oklahoma City track and at Keeneland, said his trainer, J.R. Caldwell.

Nates Mineshaft popped a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 last weekend when recording a front-running, three-length victory in a $50,000 optional-claiming allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs. He covered six furlongs in 1:08.89 and finished in 1:15.43. The win came in his first start since November, and in his first for Caldwell. Nates Mineshaft, who has won 9 of 24 starts and earned $706,679, continues to race for Windy Hill Farm.

“We were kind of prepping to go long,” Caldwell said. “He ran a pretty nice race and we’re leaving our sprint and route options open. The Remington Park Sprint, we’re going to consider that. There’s also a Win and You’re In sprint stakes at Keeneland, the Phoenix, on Oct. 3.

“We’ll see how he trains out of this race and move forward.”

The $150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup is on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sept. 28. The Phoenix, a Grade 3 worth $200,000, is a Breeders’ Cup challenge race for the BC Sprint.

“The next race will kind of tell us where we’re headed,” Caldwell said.

Nates Mineshaft is based at Remington, and was shipped to Caldwell last month after a series of works at Fairmount Park.

“Leroy Hellman did a lot of the prep on the horse,” Caldwell said. “[Nates Mineshaft] had been turned out at one time, retired. He was very unhappy, didn’t like being turned out. He wants to be at the track, wants to be out there competing.”

Caldwell said he was impressed with the horse’s turn of foot on Saturday.

“I knew he had route speed, was always quick,” Caldwell said. “I really learned that he was sprint-quick, too. Three-quarters in 1:08.80 is getting around there, and what a class horse. He does things so effortlessly.”

Nates Mineshaft is part of a strong stable of horses Caldwell, a 39-year-old native of Idaho, has at Remington.

Strawberry Baby, an undefeated stakes winner, is a candidate for the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial for 2-year-old fillies at Remington on Oct. 24, he said. She was a 7 1/4-length winner of the $75,000 Prairie Meadows Gold Lassie in her most recent out July 19. Caldwell said Bling It On Baby, a Pomeroy filly who romped by more than eight lengths in her debut last week at Remington, is also headed to the Gaylord.

Caldwell’s stable includes 2-year-old colts by Super Saver and Old Fashioned, as well as an unraced full brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Zensational named Sky Full of Stars. The depth of the barn has Caldwell planning on returning to Oaklawn for the winter, then venturing this spring to Churchill Downs.