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Keeneland: Perfect 3-For-3 Day for Diodoro, M & M Racing, Cohen

M & M Racing of Mike Sisk zoomed to the top of the Keeneland owner standings Friday with three winners from three starters at the Lexington, Ky., track. All were ridden by David Cohen and trained by Robertino Diodoro.

“There was a lot of texting going on yesterday afternoon,” Diodoro said. “I think he was in Dallas. He hasn't been in the game long, but we need more owners like him.”

Sisk, in 2009 founded Low T Centers that provide diagnosis and treatment for men with low testosterone and other health issues. The company has upwards of 50 clinics in a dozen states. He operates M & M Racing with his wife, MIckala. Former trainer Cody Autrey is the stable's racing manager.

Friday rivaled the day that Godolphin and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had April 15, 2017, here when they won with all four entrants, including Dickinson in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1) and Watershed in the Ben Ali (G3).

“I don't think I have gone three-for-three for the same owner in one day,” Diodoro said. “And definitely not at Keeneland, and that's the most important thing.”

Nomizar started the day with a 10 3/4-length romp in the second race at odds of 3-1. New Mexico-bred Ghostly Who won the fourth race by 7 1/2 lengths at odds of 6-1, and Strike That took the eighth race by a head at 6-1.

Diodoro, whose main base of operations was Turf Paradise for 10 years before he relocated to Oaklawn Park, is a relative newcomer to the Kentucky circuit.

“A year or two ago, I tried to get more involved,” said Diodoro, who has ranked third in wins in North America the past two years. “You can't beat the facilities here, at Churchill and at Ellis and the purses are good.”

Diodoro began training in 1995 and has amassed more than 2,500 wins. However, things really began to take off in 2014 with Diodoro averaging more than 230 victories a year with a 23-26 percent win rate.

“I'm only one person,” Diodoro said. “I've got good owners and they are good guys and I've got good help with guys that have been with me for a while.”

Among the horses Diodoro has here is Southern Equine Stable's Keepmeinmind, runner-up in last Saturday's Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) who is pointing toward the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

“He is doing well,” said Diodoro, whose previous Breeders' Cup starter was Grade 3 winner Broadway Empire, who finished ninth in the Dirt Mile (G1) in 2013. “(Keepmeinmind) will work next weekend, but for now we are taking it day by day.”

During his banner day on Friday, Diodoro had two other runners for Heads Up Racing finish third in two races behind his runners. For the meet, he is 100 percent in the money with a 9-4-2-3 mark.

His 10th starter, Blacktop Legend, comes in this afternoon's fourth race.

“He is in a little deep,” Diodoro said. “It is his first time for us.”

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Essential Quality Nabs Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Spot With Dominant Breeders’ Futurity Score

Essential Quality entered the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland with the wind behind him after an electric debut score last month, and he lived up to the hype on Saturday with another powerful victory.

The Breeders' Futurity also earned the 2-year-old son of Tapit a “Win and You're In” berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which will be held next month at Keeneland.

Essential Quality got a clean start out of the gate and past the finish line for the first time, and he entered the first turn in second behind pace setter Upstriker. Those two led the proceedings through an opening quarter in :23.97, and they remained a relatively untested lead duo through the backstretch. Jockey Luis Saez pressed the leader aboard Essential Quality as they cleared the half-mile in :48.86, but Upstriker continued to hold off his adversary.

That changed as the backstretch turned into the bend, when Essential Quality drew even with Upstriker, then put a head in front on the outside, with the pacesetter fighting to hold off his rival. Essential Quality finally put away the early leader heading into the stretch, and he kicked clear to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

Keepmeinmind, a 52-1 longshot, staged a rally from the middle of the pack to finish second, ahead of third-place Super Stock. Upstriker carried on for fourth.

Essential Quality won the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.37 over a fast main track for owner Godolphin and trainer Brad Cox. He paid $5.80 to win as the favorite.

The colt is undefeated in two starts heading into this year's Breeders' Cup, after winning his debut at Churchill Downs by four lengths on Sept. 5. Saturday's race was his first around two turns.

Essential Quality is a Kentucky homebred for the Godolphin operation, out of the Grade 3-placed Elusive Quality mare Delightful Quality; herself a Godolphin homebred.

To view the race's chart, click here.

Quotes from the $400,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, courtesy of the Keeneland notes team

Brad Cox (winning trainer of Essential Quality)

“We've had some very nice 2-year-old fillies, but this is probably the best (2-year-old colt) I've had as far as talent goes. He's our first Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old colt. He means a lot to us. He showed us from Day 1 that he's special, very talented. Luis (Saez) did a good job of getting him to relax. He's a very green horse. That was my concern today – could he put it all together? And he did. He pulled up a bit on the backside. He's got some learning to do. If he can figure it out, he's a serious animal.”

Luis Saez (winning rider)

“I thought he was gonna be right there. Second start. I never rode him before. I was watching the replay when he ran last time, and he looked like 'Wow, what a horse.' And today he proved that he's a very good horse. He did it pretty easy. He was a little green when he came to the track – he was looking around a little bit, but he took off. He was running. What a horse. I'm so glad I'm on this horse.”

David Cohen (rider of runner-up Keepmeinmind)

“We had a little bit of trouble in the first turn with horses on the outside coming in, but I was happy I was able to maintain somewhat of a position. Down the backside, he got into a beautiful spot. He's still a bit green. I was very happy with his courage and his finish. His gallop-out was tremendous.”

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Selflessly Turns Tables On Sweet Melania In Lake George

Klaravich Stables' Selflessly finished well back of Sweet Melania when running fifth in the Grade 3 Wonder Again in June the previous time the two faced each other. But Friday, the Chad Brown trainee got the better of her rival, overtaking her in the final jumps for a victory by a nose in the Grade 3, $100,000 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After that effort in the one-mile Wonder Again at Belmont Park, Selflessly returned to the same distance at the Spa a fresh horse two months later. With David Cohen picking up the mount as Irad Ortiz, Jr. recovers from an injury, Selflessly tracked in fifth position as Windracer led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.92 seconds and the half in 48.48 on the inner turf course labeled good.

Sweet Melania, the 3-5 favorite conditioned by Todd Pletcher, powered through an opening along the rail out of the final turn and was urged home by jockey Jose Ortiz. But the two-time graded stakes winner couldn't repel Selflessly, who Cohen angled out slightly to Sweet Melania's outside, gaining ground in the final sixteenth before getting up just ahead of hitting the wire in a final time of 1:36.06.

“We were happy to get a good trip behind the horse [Sweet Melania] I thought would take us the whole way,” said Cohen, who won his first graded stakes since 2018 and first at Saratoga since the 2012 Travers when he piloted Golden Ticket to a dead heat for first with Alpha. “You never really want to get stuck behind a horse that's going to back up into you. My filly really finished up strong and showed a lot of heart.

“Chad and I had the same idea,” Cohen added. “We thought there would be two or three to go and we really wanted to get her out aggressively and not get shuffled back into the first turn and played it by ear. If Sweet Melania was on the lead and I was fortunate to get behind her then great she would take me the rest of the way and if not just figure it out from there. We went to Plan B and Plan C real quick. Everything got bottled up into that first turn and as Chad requested, if we didn't send her out of there strong, we would have been shuffled seven eight back and probably never have the chance to get up for the win.”

The stretch drive featured a duel between the charges of the top-two leading trainers of the summer meet. With the win, Brown tied Pletcher for the top mark with 24 victories apiece. The 40-day meet has eight days remaining before closing on Labor Day, September 7.

Selflessly won her second graded stakes and first since capturing the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in September at Belmont. That preceded her fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita to cap her 2-year-old year. After a seven-month break, the More Than Ready filly made her sophomore bow in the Wonder Again before returning to Saratoga for the first time since her runner-up debut effort a year to the date of the Lake George.

“The first race of the year I was a little disappointed watching the race unfold and when we got her back to the barn, she had some cuts on the backs of her legs. She missed some training after that race to heal up, so she probably had an excuse in there,” Brown said. “My team at Belmont has had this horse all meet getting her ready and they really did a great job. David stepped in today when Irad couldn't ride and I'm really proud of him. He rode a great race and we were happy to put him on the horse. I use him occasionally and we certainly ride against him a lot. He rides particularly well on the turf saving ground.”

Off at 14-1, Selflessly returned $30.60 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $219,000.

“Some loyal Chad Brown fans made money today, for sure,” Brown said about winning with a rare longshot at the Spa.

Sweet Melania, owned by Robert and Lawana Low, finished a half-length in front of Witez for second. The daughter of 2015 Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah has never finished off the board in eight starts, moving to 3-2-3.

“Todd handicapped the race really well and he thought the two outside horses had more speed than we did,” Ortiz said. “In my mind, I was going to save when I break and those two went fast at the break, so it was easy for me to sit there. I sat very controlled the whole way around and had a good spot on the rail. She gave me a good run. The last couple of jumps, the other horse came to me, but she dug in and fought hard. It was a good race. Tough beat.”

Micheline, Sugar Fix, American Giant, My Sassy Sarah, Windracer, Velvet Crush and Cat's Pajamas completed the order of finish. Miss Peppina, entered for the main track only, was scratched.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with an action packed 11-race card which will feature four graded stakes races, including the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing at seven furlongs over the main track, the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer going 1 ½ miles over the inner turf, the Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds going one mile over the inner turf and the Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds going six furlongs over the main track. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Ny Traffic Has ‘Very Good Chance’ After Successful Final Breeze

John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing and Paul Braverman's multiple graded-stakes placed New York-bred Ny Traffic breezed five-eighths in company on the Saratoga main track Friday in preparation for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

The Cross Traffic grey, bred in the Empire State by Brian Culnan, went to the track with jockey David Cohen aboard and tracked a stablemate before taking command to cover five furlongs in 59.45 seconds over the just-harrowed track at 8:45 a.m.

“I thought he went super. It's what we wanted,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “I got him in 59 and change and out in 1:12 (for six furlongs). I just wanted to see him cool out good and scope good. With our fingers crossed and with a good eight days (before the Derby), we have a very good chance. Today was important. I just wanted to see him come out of the work good.”

Since winning a Gulfstream Park allowance race in January by a sharp 6 3/4 lengths, Ny Traffic has finished second or third in all four stakes races, including a narrow nose defeat to Authentic in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 18, which garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

While Ny Traffic continues to show improvement, Joseph said Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Grade 1 Runhappy Travers winner Tiz the Law – who is stabled across from him – is the horse to beat.

“He's earned that. He's the champ right now and everyone is trying to beat him,” Joseph said. “We're going to give it a try.”

Joseph, Jr. will be well represented at Charles Town on Saturday when he sends out Tonalist's Shape in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks and Math Wizard in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. He will also saddle Overdeliver in the Russell Road and Queen Nekia in the Dance to Bristol on the undercard.

Ny Traffic, along with Tiz the Law, is expected to fly from Albany to Louisville on Monday for the Kentucky Derby.

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