Mandaloun wins resurrected star, steps to Kentucky Derby

Photo: Hodges Photography / Jan Brubaker

Once again, Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon and Proxy took the top three places in a Kentucky Derby preparation at Fair Grounds. But this time it was Mandaloun who came out on top and actually sewed a place in the Derby starting gates.

Mandaloun, third behind Midnight Bourbon and Proxy on January 16 at Lecomte (G3), won Saturday in Grade 2, $ 400,000 Resurrected star Challenges. Proxy was 1 1/4 lengths in second while Midnight Bourbon was third.

The Risen Star is the first 2021 Kentucky Derby preparation to award points for the first Saturday in May on a 50-20-10-5 basis. Fifty points were enough to make the Derby in every year of the points age, which began in 2013, so the Risen Star is a de facto win-and-you-re-race.

If Mandaloun makes it to the starting gates at Churchill Downs, he’ll be looking to win coach and Louisville native Brad Cox his first Kentucky Derby triumph.

Mandaloun covered 1 1/8 miles at Fair Grounds in 1: 50.39, returning $ 6.20 as a 2-1 favorite under jockey Florent Geroux.

“I think the blinders helped,” Cox said of a gear change he made in Mandaloun on Saturday. “Florent immediately made a comment after the race. Much more concentrated in the post-parade, more focused on his work.

“We didn’t put a bunch of mug on him, just like a one-inch mug, but it seemed to have done the trick to mentally get him over the top, mentally bringing him where he needs to be.”

Fair Grounds allowance winner Rightandjust, a 31-1 long shot, led the Risen Star field through fractions of 23.65 and 48.45. Midnight Bourbon, who took the Lecomte gate to wire, kept pace and took the lead at the top of the stretch.

Mandaloun and Proxy got involved in the fight, and the homebred from Juddmonte Farms took the victory. 3-year-old colt Into Mischief improved to 4: 3-0-1 in his career with more than $ 350,000 in earnings.

“Today we made the same kind of trip we had in La Lecomte, but when I pushed on the gas today he responded right away,” said Geroux.

The next stop for Mandaloun is likely the million dollar Louisiana (G2) Derby at the same Fair Grounds track on March 20, Cox said. This event spans 1 3/16 miles and awards its winner 100 Kentucky Derby points.

“He’s got the physical makeup of a mile-and-a-quarter horse, so we’re optimistic he’ll get better with more ground,” Cox said.

With 52 points, Mandaloun now sits atop the 2021 Kentucky Derby points standings. Stablemate Essential Quality, who will race next Saturday at Oaklawn Park in the $ 750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), is second with 30 points, followed by Midnight Bourbon. (26), Proxy (24) and Keepmeinmind (18).

Coach Michael Stidham said blinders could also be in order for Proxy, a 3-year-old Tapit colt. Under the guidance of jockey John Velazquez, he struck a rival out of the break and made a wide trip, but he still had enough left to pass Midnight Bourbon in the final yards.

“We’ll be experimenting with the blinders in the morning and if we feel it’s a further improvement, we’ll give it a try,” Stidham said. “The Louisiana Derby would be the next obvious place if he’s healthy and ready to go. I asked Johnny and he figured the extra distance was going to continue to help him, rather than hurt him, and it’s huge at this point. “

As for Midnight Bourbon, coach Steve Asmussen and jockey Joe Talamo noted that the Tiznow colt faced more pressure on the pace on Saturday in the Risen Star compared to the Lecomte.

“I always believe the further he is the better off with him,” said Talamo. “You’re never going to get everything your way but the other horse (Rightandjust) was going pretty hard, and that didn’t help us. I would have liked to sit down for a bit, but that first eighth (of a mile) didn’t help but I was proud of it.

Finishing fourth through 11th in the Risen Star were, in order, O Besos, Senor Buscador, Rightandjust, Santa Cruiser, Sermononthemount, Starrininmydreams, Carillo and Beep Beep.