BREEDERS’ CUP

JUVENILE TURF (GRADE 1)

WHEN you run a $3 million horse – whose half-sister is Beholder – in the Breeders’ Cup, you cover every detail. And that’s why trainer Aidan O’Brien worked overtime to make sure Mendelssohn got to the track okay for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on the Friday.

The two-year-old colt acted studdish in the paddock and gave his groom a bit of a workout in the walking ring, but made it to the track with an assist from O’Brien. With a hand on the groom’s arm, the trainer walked from the paddock to the track and talked Mendelssohn through the whole experience before the horse galloped off to warm up.

“He’s a little bit fresh but we’re happy with him,” O’Brien said from the outside rail a few minutes later. “As you can see he’s gone off there now so hopefully he’s going to be okay.”

He was more than okay.

Mendelssohn lived up to his pedigree and the extra attention with a one-length win in the $1 million race. Ridden by Ryan Moore for Tabor, Magnier and Smith, Mendelssohn held Americans Untamed Domain and Voting Control safe while winning for the second time in five starts.

The bay colt, bred in Kentucky by Clarkland Farm, sold to M.V. Magnier for $3 million at Keeneland in September last year.

In addition to four-time American champion Beholder, the family includes half-brother Into Mischief (a Grade 1 winner and leading sire). A bay son of Scat Daddy, Mendelssohn finished eighth in his debut at the Curragh in July, won a maiden going a mile at the Curragh in August, finished a well-beaten seventh in the Group 2 Howcroft Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September and earned a Breeders’ Cup try with a second to stablemate U S Navy Flag in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on October 1st.

Sent off at 50/1 that day, Mendelssohn started as the nearly 5/1 favorite in the Juvenile Turf as O’Brien assigned U S Navy Flag to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on dirt the next day.

early leader

Sent away from the stalls by Moore from the inside in a field of 14, Mendelssohn established a spot in third behind early leader Sands Of Mali and Flameaway and stayed there for six furlongs. Off the final turn, several rivals either found traffic or got spun wide and Mendelssohn simply came out from behind the leader when Flameaway retreated, established control and was never seriously threatened in 1:35.97 for the mile.

Much was made about O’Brien’s decision to run Mendelssohn in Friday’s turf race and U S Navy Flag on the dirt Saturday, but the trainer had a simple explanation.

“We were trying to split them up and this horse was just slowly progressing and we thought maybe he wasn’t just experienced enough to go on to the dirt,” the trainer said before the race. “He might go on and do that next year.”

With four wins (two in Group 1 company), U S Navy Flag came into the Breeders’ Cup more highly regarded than Mendelssohn but faded to 10th after battling for the early lead in the Juvenile. He would have needed his best to beat Mendelssohn.

“It’s very exciting, a really good race,” assistant Pat Keating said after Mendelssohn’s win. “Ryan gave the horse a brilliant ride, got him out there, got him up, then got him to relax halfway through the race and then made his move just coming around the bend. He’s a very good horse. He finished second in his last race so we were hopeful coming here.”

Mendelssohn made people scatter with several kicks in the winner’s circle, a capper to his pre-race attitude.

“His adrenaline is flowing, all horses are like that,” said Keating with a smile. “It’s a big team effort at our place, from the owners to the lads down in the yards. We all put a lot of work into it.”