One Mean Man hits the road again for Mystic Lake Derby

One Mean Man has become a genuine road warrior, a colt who “nickers when the shuttle comes by,” according to trainer Bernie Flint.

Another road trip began early Thursday from his Churchill Downs base in Kentucky and will ultimately lead to One Mean Man being in the Canterbury Park starting gate Saturday night as a pronounced favorite in the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, the annual showcase race at the Shakopee, Minn., track.

One Mean Man will be running back two weeks after finishing a creditable fourth in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on the Arlington Million undercard.

“We’ll nominate a good horse like him to a bunch of stakes, and if everything comes up right, we go,” said Flint, who owns and co-bred the gray son of Mizzen Mast. “He’s run back in two weeks before and actually won a Grade 3 doing that,” referring to the American Derby at Arlington on July 9.

“He’s on the improve, and he hasn’t had any physical problems. He’s just an all-around nice horse, real sound. You don’t find many like him.”

One Mean Man is one of nine 3-year-olds in the Mystic Lake Derby, which is scheduled for a mile on turf. It’s one of four stakes on an outstanding nine-race program that begins at 6:13 p.m. Central. The Mystic Lake goes at 7:43 as the fourth race.

One Mean Man would have had regular rider Robby Albarado back aboard, but Albarado already had given a call to Mark Casse, the trainer of the likely second choice, Whatawonderflworld, before Flint decided to enter. Instead, Santo Sanjur will be aboard One Mean Man from post 4.

Whatawonderflworld (post 6), owned by Gary Barber, will be making his first start in nearly six months. The New York-bred gelding also was scheduled for a 14-hour van ride Thursday from Churchill after having been sent there recently into the care of assistant David Carroll.

“He’s training well, as you can see,” Casse said this week from Saratoga, referring to three straight bullet workouts in recent weeks at Belmont Park.

Last year at 2, Whatawonderflworld won two of three starts, all on turf, before being tried on dirt and synthetics during the winter. He was second March 12 in the Battaglia Memorial over Polytrack at Turfway Park, after which Casse had to stop on him, eventually easing him back into training in Ocala, Fla.

“He’s a pretty good horse,” said Casse. “I expect him to run well in this spot, given the way he’s trained.”

The fringe contenders behind the two Churchill shippers are the locally based Hay Dakota (post 1, Carlos Castro) and Way Striking (post 5, Daniel Vergara), along with Chicago shipper Epic Journey (post 9, Francisco Torres).

This will be the fifth running of the Mystic Lake Derby. Casse was represented in the 2012 inaugural by Delegation, who ran second to Hammers Terror. The 2015 renewal was won by Nun the Less, ridden by Florent Geroux for Lothenbach Stables and Chris Block.

In the other Saturday stakes:

◗ $75,000 Minnesota HBPA Distaff (race 2, post 6:43): An outstanding field of fillies and mares has been assembled in this one-mile turf race, with a couple of Chicago invaders, Prado’s Sweet Ride and America Mon Amie, likely to be among the favorites.

Others who figure to take solid play are the uncoupled Joe Sharp duo of Calypso Run and Lady Serena. Sharp, whose best horses are at Saratoga, has quietly had a productive summer with his Canterbury string, winning at a 20 percent clip (13 for 65, with 13 more seconds) through last weekend.

If the race happens to come off the turf, then Meshell stands to move up on the strength of her dirt form. Otherwise, she will be making her grass debut.

◗ $75,000 Brooks Fields Stakes (race 3, post 7:13): Nun the Less returns from Chicago seeking his first victory since the Mystic Lake Derby last summer. He’ll face a rugged crew in this race for older horses, which also is scheduled for a mile on turf.

Majestic Pride, a speedy 4-year-old breaking from the rail under Dean Butler, could take some catching for trainer Mac Robertson, who through last Sunday held a 44-41 lead over Robertino Diodoro atop the trainer standings at a meet that runs through Sept. 17.

◗ $40,000 Careless Navigator (race 7, post 9:38): Line Judge, a sharp recent maiden winner for Sharp, figures to vie for favoritism with Warrior’s Kid, the runner-up last month in the Prairie Gold Juvenile, when a field of seven 2-year-olds goes 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

All of the Saturday stakes include major purse supplements that stem from a 2012 agreement between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners and operators of the nearby Mystic Lake Casino. The Shakopee tribe agreed to contribute $75 million to purses over a 10-year period in return for Canterbury dropping its efforts to add slot machines and create a racino. Canterbury’s purses are now more than double what they were in 2011. Out of the agreement also came the Mystic Lake Derby.