Tag: Al Stall

Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Mena’s ‘Pure Courage’ Grants Him Another Chance In Saratoga

Winners aren't people who never fall. They're people who never quit. 

Jockey Miguel Mena knows that truth all too well. A serious ankle injury in early 2018, complicated by fracture blistering which prevented surgical repair, kept him out of the saddle for a long, arduous eight months of physical therapy.

“It has changed my schedule a lot, because I have a crooked foot that is painful all the time,” Mena explained. “I can't run anymore, and even if I do too much walking, it hurts. I have to ride my bike all the time on the backstretch, so I can save my foot for the races. Thankfully it doesn't hurt when I'm on the horses, but it totally changed my routine.”

The 34-year-old native of Peru had been an avid runner, utilizing the exercise to maintain his weight and fitness for his riding career. Now, with running off the table, Mena uses a stationary bike and other low-impact forms of cardio to achieve that goal.

None of those challenges have stopped Mena. In the past several weeks, he's traveled out of state to win both the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown with Masqueparade and the G3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park with Dalika. Both horses are trained by Al Stall, Jr., one of the first individuals to give Mena a big shot after his ankle injury.

Mena had a strong 2019 season that earned him the honor of the inaugural Randy Romero “Pure Courage” Award for his comeback, presented in February of 2020. Last June, Stall gave Mena the leg up on his stable star Tom's d'Etat for a win in the G2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.

Tom's d'Etat and Miguel Mena win the 2020 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs.

“He had been letting me work Tom's d'Etat in the mornings, and he always told me that if (regular rider Joel) Rosario couldn't ride him, I was gonna be the guy,” Mena relayed. “I'm so grateful for the opportunity to ride that horse. Mr. Stall, he gives me a lot of confidence, he trusts my work, and lets me get on the horses from when they're very young.”

That trust and teamwork has led to another exciting opportunity with improving sophomore colt Masqueparade (Upstart). A winner in his last three starts, including his graded stakes debut in the Ohio Derby, Masqueparade will now head to Saratoga for the G3 Jim Dandy on July 31.

“That colt, we got him as a 2-year-old here, and we were always very high on him,” Mena said. “He showed a lot of talent from day one, but he was kind of a slow learner. He was such a big colt, we knew the talent was there but we had to take our time.

“My boss Al Stall, he's a very patient trainer and he takes his time. Now, in his last two starts, he's really improving and getting better and better.”

Masqueparade wins at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2021

The Jim Dandy will be a significant test for Masqueparade, as the race is expected to draw Juvenile Champion and Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality. 

“I think we have the horse to beat him,” Mena said. “Between working him and getting him to the races, I've just never seen the horse get tired. He was always getting better slowly, and we just haven't seen the best of him yet. I'm so excited to see the future from him. With his maturity and more races, I think he can beat the top horse in the country.”

Stall echoed Mena's belief in the colt earlier this week.

“He's on a wickedly improving curve, which is good,” Stall told the Daily Racing Form. “We ought to give him a chance to see how far he can take himself.”

It's been 10 years since Mena has ridden at Saratoga, and it's also the site of a dark spot in his career. At age 22, having just arrived at Saratoga as a promising young jockey, Mena developed a drinking problem that threatened to derail his promising career.

Mena took responsibility for his actions and entered Alcoholics Anonymous.

“AA is like another family I have now,” Mena told the Post-Star in 2010. “I never thought I'd meet people who would listen to me the way they do. It's very good. It's a family that supports me. I don't have my family here in the states and AA is a big part of my life now.”

The biggest turning point came when he married his wife April in 2011. The couple subsequently had two daughters, Naelah and Montserrat.

“They're daddy's girls,” Mena said of the 7 and 8-year-old. “They always look for where to spend time with me, going swimming or to the park.”

Thanks to his family's unwavering support, Mena never felt tempted to turn to alcohol during the process of healing from his ankle injury and the difficult eight months of physical therapy.

“I've got a strong support system now, with my family and friends,” Mena explained. “It feels good, you know. It's been a long road, 17 years in the United States with a lot of ups and downs.”

The son and brother of jockeys, Mena remembers following his father to the track in Peru as often as he could, beginning at just six years of age. By age 11 he was grooming horses, and at 14 Mena started at the Jorge Bernardini Yori Jockey School in Peru, which also produced Rafael Bejarano and Hall of Famer Edgar Prado.

He moved to the United States at age 17, and the Midwest-based jockey has now won 2,071 races from just over 16,000 career starts.

“I'm so excited to keep showing up to the track in the mornings, getting on young horses, because those are the ones to take you to the big races,” Mena said. “But really, I just want to win races, whether it's a $5,000 claimer or the Kentucky Derby.

“I came here with a lot of dreams. I came very hungry to work my butt off. I'm so grateful to this country. It has given me a better life, not only for me but for my family in Peru as well. I'm very thankful.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Mena’s ‘Pure Courage’ Grants Him Another Chance In Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dalika Stalks Pace, Holds Off Luck Money To Win At Delaware Park

Trainer Al Stall's Dalika sat close to pacesetter Candy Flower throughout much of the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes, waited for the final turn of the 1 3/8 mile test, and then took over leadership of the field of nine to win the Grade 3 turf stake on the soft turf at Delaware Park in Wilmington, De.

Improving on her last-out second place to Temple City Terror in the Keertana at Churchill Downs, Dalika broke clean from the eighth post, hooking up with Candy Flower early, content to hang just a neck off the front runner. Candy Flower, who was trying stakes company for the first time, set fractions of :24.53 for the first quarter and then :48.61 for the first half, a steady pace that allowed jockey Miguel Mena to stay with her through the first six furlongs. Behind them, Blame Debbie and Temple City Terror were six lengths back, with the rest of the field spread out over the soft turf course.

Into the final turn, Dalika easily moved past a fading Candy Flower, taking a two-length lead over Luck Money surging out in the middle of the track and Blame Debbie on the rail. Into the stretch, Dalika had the lead as Luck Money came up to challenge, but that steady early pace meant that Dalika had enough left in reserve to hold off Luck Money and increase her lead to a length in the race's final strides, with Temple City Terror surging down the middle of the track to take third. La Dragontea, Blame Debbie, Hotsy Totsy, Micheline, Tonal Verse, and Candy Flower round out the field. The final time for the 1 3/8-mile was 2:16.35.

Find the race's chart here.

Dalika paid $10.60, $6.00, and $4.00. Luck Money paid $6.00 and $3.40. Temple City Terror paid $3.60 to show.

Bred in Germany by Gestut Ammerland, Dalika is a 5-year-old mare by Pastorius out of the Hurricane Run mare Drawn to Run. She is owned by Bal Mar Equine, LLC. With her win in the G3 Robert G. Dick Memorial, Dalika improves to a career record of seven wins in 22 starts with $508,463 in winnings.

 

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King Fury Resurfaces In Ohio Derby, Facing Promise Keeper, Nine Others

Todd Pletcher-trained Promise Keeper, winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park last out, faces of field of 10 other 3-year-olds including graded stakes winners King Fury and Keepmeinmind in Saturday's Grade 3 Ohio Derby at JACK Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. The Ohio Derby, a 1 1/8-mile fixture first run in 1876, offers a $500,000 purse, with $300,000 going to the winner.

A Constitution colt out of a mare by Curlin, Promise Keeper was picking up his third career victory in five starts – all in 2021 – while winning the Peter Pan by 2 ¼ lengths over Nova Rags. Prior that initial stakes win, Promise Keeper romped to a 5 ½-length allowance victory at Keeneland on April 8 going 1 1/8 miles. He's been ridden in all of his starts by Luis Saez, who will be aboard and break from the No. 1 post on Saturday. Promise Keeper races for Woodford Thoroughbreds, Win Star Farm and Rock Ridge Racing.

Keepmeinmind recorded his only lifetime win in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs last year for trainer Robertino Diodoro after finishing second in the G1 Breeders' Futurity and third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, both at Keeneland. This year the Laoban colt has failed to hit the top three in four stakes, including a seventh-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby and a fourth in the G1 Preakness in his last out on May 15.

Diodoro is adding blinkers to the colt's equipment for his ninth career start in the Ohio Derby. David Cohen has been aboard Keepmeinmind for all of his starts and is back aboard on Saturday. He races for Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm and will break from the No. 8 post

Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury has finished behind Keepmeinmind in three races – the Breeders' Futurity, Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes – but the Curlin colt trained by Kenny McPeek put it all together in his 2021 debut, winning the G3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 10 by 2 ¾ lengths and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 96. King Fury was entered in the Kentucky Derby on May 1 but McPeek was forced to withdraw him when he came up with a fever.

King Fury returned to the work tab at Churchill Downs three weeks after the Derby, going a half-mile in :47.60 on May 22, and he's had a series of four works since then, including a quick five-furlong breeze in :58.60 on June 12.

“It took him a while to come around. He was pretty clogged up,” said McPeek. “I sent him to my farm for about 10 days. He had a chest full of congestion, but he's locked and loaded now. He's doing really well, but he's a horse that needs some pace in front of him.”

Corey Lanerie rides King Fury, who will break from the four post.

Godolphin homebred Proxy finished fourth behind King Fury in the Lexington but showed flashes of talent over the winter at Fair Grounds, finishing second in the G3 Lecomte (behind Midnight Bourbon) and G2 Risen Star (behind Mandaloun). He then ran fourth behind Hot Rod Charlie in the G2 Louisiana Derby. Trainer Michael Stidham tried blinkers in the Tapit colt's last two starts, but is removing them for the Ohio Derby. Joe Bravo will be aboard for the first time on Saturday and they will break from post nine.

Two horses who will be making their stakes debuts but have recorded impressive allowance victories are Masqueparade for trainer Al Stall and Ethical Judgment for Brendan Walsh.

Masqueparade, who earned his maiden diploma via disqualification  at Fair Grounds on March 20, comes off an 11 ¾-length allowance victory at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, May 1. Ridden by Miguel Mena, the Upstart colt pressed the pace and drew off impressively in the stretch, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 97. Mena rides back in the Ohio Derby, breaking from the 10 post.

Ethical Judgment also exits an allowance score at Churchill Downs, winning on May 9  by 3 ½ lengths in the slop in a race originally scheduled on turf. It was the Honor Code colt's second win from four starts, with two seconds. Martin Garcia will be aboard and break from the five post.

The complete field from the rail out: Promise Keeper, Luis Saez; Falcons Fury, Edgar Paucar; Hozier, Chris Landeros; King Fury, Corey Lanerie; Ethical Judgment, Martin Garcia; Hello Hot Rod, Francisco Arrieta; The Reds, Dylan Davis; Keepmeinmind, David Cohen; Proxy, Joe Bravo; Masqueparade, Miguel Mena; and Channel Fury, Luis Rivera.

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Speightstown Rising Star Stays Unbeaten at Keeneland

4th-Keeneland, $79,735, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 4-2, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.76, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
CARRIBEAN CAPER (f, 3, Speightstown–Checkupfromzneckup {SP, $187,470}, by Dixie Union) romped by eight lengths on debut at Fair Grounds Feb. 13–good for 'TDN Rising Star' honors–and showed a new dimension Friday to remain unbeaten. Off at 4-5, the dark bay broke a touch flat-footed and eventually settled in to draft behind Tiz Splendid News (Maclean's Music) from third. Carried very wide by the pacesetter entering the stretch, she pulled clear midway down the lane and hit another gear late to up the winning margin to 4 1/2 lengths. Tiz Splendid News held on for second. The winner, who hails from the extended female family of A.P. Indy, has a 2-year-old half-sister by Into Mischief who was a $600,000 KEESEP yearling and a yearling half-sister by Tapit. Her dam, who sold for $825,000 while carrying Carribean Caper, most recently visited Quality Road. For more on Carribean Caper, click here. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $84,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Columbine Stable LLC.; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr.

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