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Mandaloun Outslugs Midnight Bourbon in Louisiana

They engaged in as good a battle on the infield tote as they did on the track, but at the end of the 8 1/2 furlongs of Satuday's GIII Louisiana S. at the Fair Grounds, and in what looked to be a two-horse race proved exactly that, as 9-10 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun outbattled an alibi-free 6-5 second choice Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to make a victorious return to the races.

Midnight Bourbon, last seen finishing third as the favorite to Maxfield (Street Sense) in the GI Clark S. at Churchill in November, hit the ground running and had the superior early foot, as Mandaloun–whose last trip to the races resulted in a promoted victory in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. last July–was content to take a trail and skim the rail from third after the scratch of the GI Pegasus World Cup-bound Chess Chief (Into Mischief) left him with the inside stall.

The pace was moderate for horses of this quality–the quarter was in :24.39 and the half in :48.25–and Mandaloun edged into second as they raced into the final 3 1/2 furlongs. Poised to strike at the five-sixteenths, Mandaloun was floated a bit wide by Joel Rosario and Midnight Bourbon, but the Juddmonte homebred was in for the fight. He engaged the pacesetter in earnest at the eighth pole and methodically wore that one down to take it by a measured 3/4 of a length. It was a distance back to Warrant (Constitution) in third.

It was on this program a year ago that Midnight Bourbon defeated Mandaloun into third in the GIII Lecomte S. before reversing form with a 1 1/4-length conquest in the GII Risen Star S. An inexplicable sixth–with Midnight Bourbon second to Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in the GII Louisiana Derby, Mandaloun ran an enormous race to miss by a half-length in the GI Kentucky Derby. Connections elected to give the rest of the Triple Crown a miss and Mandaloun narrowly won the June 13 Pegasus S. before being put up to the win in the Haskell in the incident which saw Midnight Bourbon nearly go down when interfered with by Hot Rod Charlie.

Winning trainer Brad Cox confirmed that a start in next month's G1 Saudi Cup over a one-turn mile and an eighth would be under serious consideration for Mandaloun.

Pedigree Notes:

Mandaloun is one of 46 graded winners for his leading stallion and is bred on the cross over Unbridled or Unbridled-line mares responsible for the likes of dual Eclipse Award and multiple Grade I winner Covfefe, other graded winners Private Mission, Largent, fellow 'Rising Star' Maximus Mischief and recent GIII Sugar Swirl S. winner Center Aisle and the ill-fated 'Rising Star' Taraz.

Mandaloun is one of two winners from as many to race from his dam, a winner at Group 2 and Group 3 level in Ireland for Dermot Weld and a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Caponata (Selkirk) and MGSP Raymonda (Lonhro {Aus}).

Mandaloun is one of 29 'Rising Stars' for the outstanding Into Mischief, a number that also includes New York stallion Honest Mischief, who–interestingly–is out of Empire Maker's GISW half-sister Honest Lady (Seattle Slew).

Brooch is the dam of Mandaloun's 2-year-old full-brother Mullion, a yearling colt by War Front and was most recently covered once again by Into Mischief.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
LOUISIANA S.-GIII, $145,500, Fair Grounds, 1-22, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:42.52, ft.
1–MANDALOUN, 118, c, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Brooch (MGSW-Ire, $217,059), by Empire Maker
2nd Dam: Daring Diva (GB), by Dansili (GB)
3rd Dam: Aspiring Diva, by Distant View
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Florent Geroux. $90,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 9-6-1-1,
$1,741,252. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 118, c, 4, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $30,000.
3–Warrant, 124, c, 4, Constitution–Whisper Number, by
First Samurai. O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC;
B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $15,000.
Margins: 3/4, 8 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 0.90, 1.20, 7.00.
Also Ran: Spa City, Sprawl, Pirate's Punch. Scratched: Chess Chief. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Half To Clairiere, La Crete Re-Rallies To Win Silverbulletday

The half-sister to Clairiere out of top racemare Cavorting, Stonestreet homebred La Crete proved her mettle on the track this Saturday afternoon. The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro set the pace in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds, but was passed in the stretch by Fannie and Freddie (3-1). Jockey Joel Rosario refused to give up aboard La Crete, driving her to the finish until she re-rallied in the shadow of the wire to score a one-length victory. The even-money favorite, La Crete completed a mile and 70 yards over the fast main track in 1:43.93 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

It was the third win on the card for Rosario and Asmussen. La Crete earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with her victory.

La Crete was not the quickest out of the gate, but she picked up the pace heading into the clubhouse turn and took command before the first quarter mile. Rosario kept her pace measured through fractions of 24.50 and 48.79 seconds, leading Fannie and Freddie by two lengths up the backstretch.

Fannie and Freddie ranged up alongside La Crete around the far turn, and the two raced head-and-head at the top of the stretch. The pair drifted out to the center of the track as they battled toward the wire, and Fannie and Freddie got her neck in front nearing the eighth pole.

Rosario switched his stick from left-to-right for one reminder, then went right back to his left hand to encourage the royally-bred La Crete to dig in. La Crete responded willingly and burst away from her rival in the final strides, crossing the wire a length in front of Fannie and Freddie. It was several lengths back to Bernabreezy in third, and Candy Raid rounded out the superfecta.

Bred in Kentucky by her owner, La Crete is out of the three time Grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, who earned over $2 million on the track for Stonestreet. La Crete's half-sister, Clairiere (Curlin) earned over $1.2 million with the G1 Cotillion her biggest score.

La Crete won on debut at Churchill Downs in November, and remains undefeated after her Silverbulletday victory. Her two-for-two record has compiled earnings of $159,460.

The post Half To Clairiere, La Crete Re-Rallies To Win Silverbulletday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Millionaires Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon Square Off In Louisiana

Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Winchell Thoroughbreds' hard-knocking Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) face each other for the fifth time in their career, each using Saturday's GIII Louisiana S. at a possible steppingstone to the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh Feb. 26.

Mandaloun makes his first start since a late-season injury derailed any hopes of making the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Winner of half of his six starts at three, the bay was upset by Midnight Bourbon in the GIII Lecomte S. on this program last year before turning the tables in the GII Risen Star S. the following month. A dull sixth behind Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and Midnight Bourbon in the GII Louisiana Derby, the strapping bay ran Medina Spirit (Protonico) to a half-length at odds of 26-1 in the GI Kentucky Derby and may yet be declared that race's official winner. Having passed on the rest of the Triple Crown, Mandaloun was the narrow winner of the June 13 Pegasus S. at Monmouth and was the chief beneficiary when Midnight Bourbon was interfered with in the GI TVG.com Haskell S., crossing the line a nose behind Hot Rod Charlie before being put up.

“Listen, I'm not going to tell you that he's working better than ever because he's always a very, very good work horse to begin with,” said trainer Brad Cox. “I think anybody that watched him train up to the Kentucky Derby could believe the way he ran the way he was training. He's definitely working as well as he was leading up to the Derby, or the Haskell, so we're in a good spot with him. I think this is a race that makes a lot of sense as far as getting back racing and seeing how it goes.”

Midnight Bourbon failed to recover from a slow start in the Run for the Roses, but finished a creditable sixth ahead of a runner-up effort in the GI Preakness S. Nailed by Essential Quality (Tapit) in the final strides of the GI Runhappy Travers S. in August, the bay was second to Hot Rod Charlie in the GI Pennsylvania Derby after some more stretch shenanigans and closed the season with a third as the favorite behind Maxfield (Street Sense) in the GI Clark S. back in Louisville Nov. 26. Blinkers go on for the first time this weekend.

“As good as he's been, I think there is more there,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “It doesn't look like he's finishing [his races] off. He's not exhausted when he comes back. I think we can get a little more out of him. There is the possibility that it makes him more aggressive and that he gets in too big of a hurry. The Louisiana S. is the perfect time to try it.”

Brad Cox also sends out the progressive Warrant (Constitution), last-start winner of the GIII Oklahoma Derby Sept. 26, while Chess Chief (Into Mischief) will be scratched in favor of a start in next weekend's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

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Pappacap Brings Strongest Juvenile Form Into Lecomte

Much to the delight of owner/breeder Rustlewood Farm and trainer Mark Casse, Pappacap (Gun Runner) will face nothing of the quality of the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' and likely Eclipse Award winner Corniche (Quality Road) when he makes his sophomore debut in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at the Fair Grounds.

The homebred was off the board just once from five runs in 2021, winning the GII Best Pal S. by open lengths at second asking before completing the exacta underneath the OBS April topper when beaten 3 1/4 lengths in the GI American Pharoah S. Oct. 1 and again in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar Nov. 5, where he sat a perfect trip, but could not quite match strides late and was 1 3/4 lengths adrift at the wire.

Casse is a two-time Lecomte winner, having unsaddled future Classic winner War of Will (War Front) in 2019 and Enforceable (Tapit) the following January.

“I never questioned where I wanted to go after the Breeders' Cup,” Casse said. “I feel really comfortable at Fair Grounds. We had a lot of success over that track. I think it's a great atmosphere and I have a lot of confidence in [assistant trainer] David Carroll. I think the track there suits him. He's a horse that wants to settle a little bit and not have to hustle a whole lot. He gets over the ground really well there.”

Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), who runs one race prior to the Lecomte this weekend (see below), won last year's event for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Steve Asmussen and that formidable duo will be represented here by Epicenter (Not This Time). A speed-and-fade sixth in his seven-furlong debut at Churchill Sept. 18, he overcame the widest gate in a field of 10 to graduate by 3 1/2 lengths going the one-turn mile Nov. 13. The second choice to the dramatically overbet Rocket Dawg (Classic Empire) in the first running of the Gun Runner S. Dec. 26, the bay prompted the pace of Surfer Dude (Curlin) to the outside and powered home to take it by 6 1/2 lengths. Joel Rosario, who broke the colt's maiden, is back aboard this weekend.

Trafalgar (Lord Nelson) is an interesting new shooter for trainer Al Stall, Jr. and Andrea Pollack's Columbine Stable. The $100,000 FTKSEL yearling turned $310,000 OBS April breezer was a distant runner-up to the impressive and subsequently GISP Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) sprinting on Saratoga debut Sept. 4, then rallied stoutly–albeit with a strong pace to chase–to don cap and gown by 2 1/4 lengths in a one-mile test at Churchill Oct. 2. Conservatively spotted in a first-level allowance over course and distance Dec. 2, Trafalgar attended a much softer pace, looked in all sorts of trouble as first-out winner Naval Aviator (Tapit) rolled up to him late, but turned back that bid to score by a hard-fought head.

“He clearly waited on horses from the three-sixteenths to the sixteenth [pole],” Stall, Jr. said. “Here comes a Brad Cox horse [Naval Aviator] with a full head of steam, and I'm thinking, 'well there goes a 3-5 shot down the drain,' but he just re-engaged when he saw him and had to run hard the last part. I like the fact that he went from lollygagging around straight to fighting.”

Cyberknife (Gun Runner) is another with a two-turn victory to his credit, having idled in the final stages before clinging on for a half-length maiden breaker over track and trip on Dec. 26. Trainer Brad Cox adds blinkers to try to sharpen to colt's focus.

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