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Doug O’Neill Talks ‘Questionable’ Haskell DQ, Whip Rules On Writers’ Room

Trainer Doug O'Neill experienced the agony and ecstasy of racing early Saturday evening at Monmouth Park, all in the span of less than 10 minutes. First, his star 3-year-old Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) won a hard-fought stretch battle in the GI TVG.com Haskell S., which would have been the colt's first Grade I victory after a handful of near-misses.

But quickly after the race, in which Hot Rod Charlie came in on Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) and the latter soon stumbled and lost rider Paco Lopez, the red inquiry sign lit up on the toteboard. The stewards eventually disqualified 'Charlie', demoting him to last, a decision O'Neill expressed some issue with while sitting down with the crew from the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland for a wide-ranging discussion Wednesday morning. The podcast can be viewed here; the audio-only version can be found here or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

“Obviously, I'm so biased, but I thought the disqualification was a little questionable,” he said. “But that's part of the sport, right? It's part of all sports. Sometimes, you think you're safe at home and you're not. It's just a very unfortunate thing, but we're extremely fortunate that both Paco and Midnight Bourbon are OK.”

Debate has raged in the hours and days since the near-disaster in the Haskell about whether or not the whip ban instituted by the New Jersey Racing Commission at Monmouth took away a tool jockey Flavien Prat could have used to prevent the spill. O'Neill, the Green Group Guest of the Week, was cautious with his words, but made clear his disagreement with the new crop rules.

“It's interesting to me how a lot of people make rules who can't really relate to what's going on,” he said. “I wouldn't want to get too involved in the details because I've never been a jockey, but I know a lot of top riders [disagree with the ban]. The riding crop has evolved. It's so ridiculously subtle, and it really just serves as a reminder every now and then. These horses are big animals and the connection between horse and human is strong, but sometimes you need to encourage them to do something you want to do, which a lot of times is to separate from whoever they're running alongside. So yeah, I do wish they'd reconsider that.”

O'Neill, who got choked up on the NBC telecast of the Haskell, explained the roller coaster of emotions he felt from when the gates opened to the time the DQ was announced.

“I'm king of a big softie in that way,” he said. “I got a little emotional seeing Eddie, Hot Rod Charlie's groom, hand off Charlie to Lava Man leaving the paddock, because those two horses have been so amazing to me. I love them both. I watched the race on the apron and never saw anything happen. So I was just elated; I thought we won. All the hard work that Eddie and Johnny and the rest of the team had put in every day leading up to this, I was like, 'Wow, Charlie did it, man. Charlie did it.' Then when I got down there and they said a rider went down, I'm like, 'What?' So that added all kinds of craziness to it and it was a real unique experience. Again, I was just grateful when I heard Paco was going to be OK and that the horse was up running around. So that was all good.”

As for what's next for his current star as he continues to hunt that elusive Grade I, O'Neill was noncommittal, but indicated he was leaning towards either giving Hot Rod Charlie a slight break or running him against elders in the GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 21 at Del Mar.

“The beauty of Bill Strauss and Greg Helms and my nephew Patrick, who own him and are very connected with him, is they've been so patient along the way,” he said. “And I think that's why we're seeing a 3-year-old who ran in the Derby who seems like he's just getting better and better. A lot of that, I think, is due to spacing and patience. So under that mindset, I got a feeling that we might not run for a little bit. We'll just have to play it by ear. We're stabled here at beautiful Del Mar Racetrack and Del Mar management's been great. So the Pacific Classic is definitely circled on our calendar, but by no means will we force the issue if we feel we're not ready.”

Elsewhere on Wednesday's podcast, which is also sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds, the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers broke down a stellar opening week of racing at Saratoga and the injunctive relief Bob Baffert received last week to be able to race in New York.

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Mandaloun ‘Sound, Happy’ After Eventful Haskell Win

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–Shortly after GI TVG.com Haskell S. winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) arrived at his barn at 10 a.m. Sunday morning following his trip north from Monmouth Park, trainer Brad Cox said it was too early to say what will be the next test for the Juddmonte homebred.

Mandaloun reached the wire second in a Haskell, beaten a nose by Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow). Within minutes, though, the stewards awarded him the victory by disqualifying Hot Rod Charlie for causing Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to stumble in the stretch, unseating jockey Paco Lopez. Midnight Bourbon clipped heels with Hot Rod Charlie, who had drifted into his path under jockey Flavien Prat.

Technically, the Haskell is Mandaloun's first Grade I victory. However, it is quite possible that he may be placed first in the GI Kentucky Derby. Mandaloun finished second in the Derby to Medina Spirit, who could be disqualified for testing positive for a medication that must be out of a horse's system on race day. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to hold a hearing on Medina Spirit's Derby post-race positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone.

Cox said he liked what he saw of Mandaloun following his approximately four-hour van ride from the Jersey Shore to upstate New York.

“He looks good. Looks happy. Sound, so far,” Cox said.

Cox has Godolphin's GI Belmont S. winner Essential Quality (Tapit) pointed to Saratoga's marquee race, the $1.25-million GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 28. Essential Quality is scheduled run in the GII Jim Dandy S., the local Travers prep, on July 31. While Cox said that it is possible that Mandaloun could be in the Travers, too, the colt's schedule will be shaped in discussions with Garrett O'Rourke, manager of Juddmonte's U.S. division. The GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 25 at Parx is another option.

“We already decided that we were going to ship him up here,” Cox said. “Let him kind of catch his breath. Let us catch our breath. More importantly, him, and just kind of watch him over the next few weeks and then come up with a plan. Moving forward, I think we've just kind of decided the two logical spots would be the Travers and the PA Derby.”

Mandaloun will follow Cox's typical pattern for horses between races. His first work back will be easy, regardless of what race is next. Meanwhile, Cox and O'Rourke will monitor what is taking place in the 3-year-old male division.

“We'll see how he trains and if he moves forward off this Haskell and what unfolds in the Jim Dandy. How that plays out. How that race looks,” Cox said. “They have the Curlin that weekend, as well. That could play a role in what happens in the Travers. We'll watch what everyone else is doing and what Essential Quality is doing, how each horse is training and make a decision down the road.”

Under Florent Geroux, Mandaloun sat an inside trip a bit off the pace in the Haskell and moved into contention on the second turn. In the stretch, Geroux took Mandaloun between tiring pacesetter Following Sea (Runhappy) on the rail and Midnight Bourbon. Hot Rod Charlie and Flavien Prat came wide to get to the lead before drifting in front of Midnight Bourbon. Lopez and the colt escaped serious injury.

Mandaloun battled on through the stretch with Hot Rod Charlie, who managed to prevail by inches at the wire.

“Watching the race live, I thought he ran a fantastic race. He got a great trip,” Cox said. “I thought he got a very similar trip to what he got into Kentucky Derby. We talked about that. We thought that might be the trip we need in order to win the race. Once again, two horses came to the wire together. Both of them ran winning races. I thought, turning for home, we had a big shot. Hot Rod Charlie got away from us a little bit. Then we were battling back.”

Cox acknowledged that he was a bit frustrated that Mandaloun's victory in the Haskell and, perhaps a Derby win, will be via the disqualification of another horse.

“This was a little better, obviously, than the Derby thing, because it's not been resolved yet,” Cox said. “You'd like to cross the wire first, but yesterday he was right there, so it was a little different story.”

Cox reiterated the point that Mandaloun turned in a strong performance in the Haskell.

“It's an odd way to win a race, but he ran a winning race,” Cox said. “It wasn't as if he was fading. It wasn't as if he was well-beaten. He ran a big race and we're proud of the effort.”

The victory in the 'Win and You're In' Haskell provided Mandaloun with a guaranteed berth in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic as well as all-important Grade I victory. Cox said that success at Monmouth will allow the colt's connections the opportunity to try to pick the best route to Del Mar and the Breeders' Cup.

“Hot Rod Charlie is one of the top contenders in the division. It would be nice to run in a Grade I before the Breeders' Cup and maybe not have to tackle him again,” Cox said. “You just want to put them in where they could possibly have a nice race prior to the Breeders' Cup, without it being extremely taxing on them. I'm not saying give them a race, but where they're not really laying it down.”

Midnight Bourbon Escapes Major Injury From Spill

Trainer Steve Asmussen reported that Midnight Bourbon appears to have sustained only minor injuries from his near fall.

“Everything X-rayed well on Midnight Bourbon today,” Asmussen said. “Hoping all is superficial.”

“They did X-rays rays on him and jogged him this morning,” added David Fiske, the stable's longtime general manager. “The X-rays were no different than what they showed before the race and he seems to be jogging better today than he was yesterday. Everybody's got their fingers crossed that nothing pops up in the next few days or so. We'll watch him and wait and see. It's a little early to make any kind of plans for him.”

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Mandaloun Put Up In Haskell, Hot Rod Charlie DQd

After a heart-stopping incident in the stretch, and heated battle to the wire between Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) in Saturday's GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth, the former crossed the line a nose to the good, only to be taken all the way down to last and Juddmonte's Mandaloun crowned the official winner. With the win, Mandaloun earned an automatic berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic later this year.

Stretching-out 'Rising Star' Following Sea (Runhappy) seized the early lead entering the first turn as Hot Rod Charlie pressed in second with Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) glued to his outside. Mandaloun saved ground just in behind. The field spread out down the backside, with Hot Rod Charlie showing a bit more rateability than he had when second in the GI Belmont S. to drop back and relax in third as Midnight Bourbon took over prompting duties. Mandaloun began to pick up the bit and travel strongly after a :47.32 half, and pilot Florent Geroux still had his mount under a tight hold as Midnight Bourbon struck the front following six panels in 1:10.64. Hot Rod Charlie quickly swarmed the new lead, and Mandaloun came off the fence to pass the tiring Following Sea. It was clear by midstretch that Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun were going to decide the outcome, but as they came together to begin their tussle, Midnight Bourbon was squeezed out from in between them and nearly went down, flinging rider Paco Lopez to the ground. The top two continued their battle to the end, with Midnight Bourbon picking himself up and galloping out apparently uninjured. Following Sea was more than 18 lengths back in third, but benefitted from the DQ himself, as he almost certainly would've finished fourth in a cleanly run race.

Lopez, removed from the track on a stretcher, escaped with just a soft tissue injury to his knee and ankle.

“I had my sights on Hot Rod Charlie,” said Geroux. “When Hot Rod Charlie tipped out I decided to go inside. It was a very hard battle. Hot Rod Charlie was going to win by a neck and right at the end my horse came back and made it really close. Unfortunately for Hot Rod Charlie he came in and Midnight Bourbon clipped his heels and he got disqualified. I feel bad for the connections of Hot Rod Charlie because he ran a hard race and [jockey] Flavien Prat is a good friend of mine. I kind of feel bad for him. Honestly, I didn't know what happened until I came back and looked at the TV. It is not the best way to win by Mandaloun ran a winning race and deserves this.”

Prat, who issued an apology to Lopez, said, “I am really proud of [Hot Road Charlie's] effort. He just clipped my heels. That's it.”

Saturday, Monmouth Park
TVG.COM HASKELL S.-GI, $1,005,000, Monmouth, 7-17, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:47.38, ft.
1–MANDALOUN, 119, c, 3, 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
   1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Juddmonte;
B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux.
$600,000. Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-1, $1,651,252. Click for
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
   *Triple Plus*.
2–Following Sea, 119, c, 3, Runhappy–Quick Flip, by
Speightstown. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Spendthrift Farm LLC
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $200,000.
3–Antigravity, 119, c, 3, First Samurai–Port Charlotte, by Blame.
($4,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-Hollendorfer, LLC & Dennis
January; B-Glen Oak Farm & Two Stamps Stables (KY); T-Jerry
Hollendorfer. $100,000.
Margins: 18 1/4, 4HF, 13 1/4. Odds: 3.10, 3.60, 56.50.
Also Ran: Pickin' Time, Basso, Midnight Bourbon, Hot Rod Charlie. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

This was Mandaloun's first official Grade I victory, but he may earn a second–via a different kind of DQ–if current GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico) is ultimately stripped of his title due to a betamethasone positive.

A winner of his first two tries, Mandaloun was third on the stretch out behind Midnight Bourbon in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds in January before breakout win with blinkers added in the GII Risen Star S. a month later. He was a head-scratching sixth when Hot Rod Charlie invaded from California to take the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20, but belied nearly 27-1 odds to finish a half-length behind Medina Spirit–and ahead of Hot Rod Charlie by the same margin–in the Derby. Mandaloun prepped for the Haskell with a neck success in the June 13 Pegasus S.

“We got a really good trip,” Mandaloun's trainer Brad Cox said. “I thought it was a lot like our Kentucky Derby trip. He was saving ground. Florent did a good job of getting on the outside of Following Sea. Turning for home I thought we had a big shot at winning the race. I thought we ran a winning race. Didn't have our nose down at the wire, but all and all it worked out. I'm proud of the effort and the performance. He's always been a good colt, he has always been highly thought of. He deserves a Grade I victory. He's a Grade I horse and I'm glad it worked out today.”

As for the incident and subsequent DQ, last year's Eclipse-winning conditioner said, “Someone watching the race next to me said Hot Rod Charlie may come down. I was so focused watching Mandoloun I didn't see the horse go down. It looked like he clipped heels, but I was not sure what happened. I was not sure if that horse ducked in behind Hot Rod Charlie or if Hot Rod Charlie came over on him. Once I saw the head-on and the replay I saw it. It didn't take them long to change it and it was pretty obvious they would make a change.”

Cox also trains GI Belmont S. winner Essential Quality (Tapit), who is expected to make his next start in the GII Jim Dandy S. in two weeks.

“Both [Essential Quality and Mandaloun] have obviously been campaigned since last fall and all of 2021,” Cox said. “We're going to ship Mandaloun up to Saratoga and let him catch his breath. We'll catch our breath. Myself and Garrett [O'Rourke, manager of Juddmonte's U.S. division] will come up with a game plan in the near future. No need to make a decision now.”

O'Rourke said, “Ultimately I think Brad followed a very good plan. We got one over the track. He trained up here as well and we're sitting here today so we have to consider it a success.

“I know he's a genuine Grade I horse. There's no fluke to the way the horse runs. It's good that the horse justified how good a runner he is. He's a beautifully bred horse and he was extremely well prepared. We're extremely proud. It was an unusual race but we still feel like he ran a winning race and it tastes the same.”

Juddmonte founder Khalid Abdullah passed away this January at 84.

Pedigree Notes:

Mandaloun is the 10th Grade I winner for Into Mischief, who also has 98 stakes winners and 43 graded winners. The Spendthrift super sire had another stellar week in the sales ring as well–he was responsible for three of the four priciest yearlings at Fasig-Tipton July, including the $800,000 topper.

Former Juddmonte colorbearer Empire Maker has now produced the dams of seven Grade I winners, including three this year (Silver State {Hard Spun} and Rock Your World {Candy Ride [Arg]}).

Mandaloun is a fourth-generation homebred for his powerhouse operation. Juddmonte purchased his fourth dam Queen of Song (His Majesty) for $700,000 in foal to Seattle Slew at Keeneland November back in 1989. Mandaloun's dam Brooch is a two-time group winner in Europe and a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Caponata (Selkirk). He is her second foal and the 10-year-old mare has since produced a pair of colts by Into Mischief and a War Front colt this April. This is also the family of Irish Highweight Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Group victor First Sitting (GB) (Dansili {GB}).

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Haskell: O’Neill Hoping Removal Of Blinkers Makes The Difference For Hot Rod Charlie

He was third in the Kentucky Derby, then second in the Belmont Stakes. On Saturday, exactly six weeks after Hot Rod Charlie made his last start, the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park could be the breakout race where he crosses the wire in front the other six talented 3-year-old colts and notches his first Grade 1 victory.

“I sure hope so,” said Doug O'Neill, who trains the colt for the partnership of Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing and William Strauss. O'Neill was at the barn on the Monmouth Park backside with Strauss, the founder and CEO of Pro-Flowers.com, overseeing final preparations Friday morning after jetting in from his Southern California base.

Hot Rod Charlie is by 2013 Preakness winner Oxbow out of Indian Miss, making him a half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole. His pedigree is blessed with speed and the stamina to stay the 1 1/8 miles of the Haskell.

To give him an extra edge for this trip, O'Neill decided that an equipment change was in order.

The winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby has worn blinkers in six of his last nine efforts, but will not race with them Saturday when he and jockey Flavien Prat depart from post 4 as the 6-5 morning line favorite in the field that includes Kentucky Derby runner-up Madaloun, the 2-1 second choice on the morning line; 3-1 Following Sea; 9-2 Midnight Bourbon, the Preakness runner-up; and three locally-based horses in the New Jersey-bred Pickin' Time at 20-1 and co-longshots Antigravity and Basso at 30-1.

“This time we're pulling the blinkers off, which is kind of a chancy thing since his form is so strong and he's heading the right way and now we're tweaking his equipment,” said O'Neill. “We've been breezing him without blinkers and Flavien is real excited about what we could see without them. He's got that (Derby) third, and then the (Belmont) second, and hopefully, a win is right around the corner.”

In addition to pulling down a seven-figure purse and earning a Grade 1 victory, the Haskell winner is guaranteed an all-expenses-paid spot in the starting gate for the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic as part of the “Win and You're In” Breeders' Cup Challenge Series presented by America's Best Racing. The 2021 Breeders' Cup on the first weekend in November is being contested at Del Mar, which is home for the O'Neill stable.

“That's a huge bonus as well. I hate to get too far ahead of us. It's a big day tomorrow and I couldn't be happier with the way he's coming into it,” he said.

Spendthrift Farm's homebred Following Sea was transferred to Todd Pletcher in May and he has turned heads by winning the last two of his three career efforts by a combined 12¼ lengths with Joel Rosario at the reins.

But the son of champion sprinter Runhappy is stretching out from 6½ furlongs and has never negotiated two turns. Moreover, he's taking a huge class jump from a first level allowance race all the way to this Grade 1 stakes.

“The rail horse (Following Sea) is a huge `X' factor,” said O'Neill. “It's his first time going this distance. He's been brilliant in his wins, and he's got Joel, who is a brilliant rider. I would think he'll make the pace and then it will be up to Flavien to judge where he wants to have Charlie.

“Midnight Bourbon is kind of an `X' factor, too, with Paco (Lopez) on him. I assume he'll be sent pretty hard, too. Even though it's a short field it's an interesting jockey race.”

While Hot Rod Charlie is looking for his first Grade 1 win, his trainer hopes to garner his first Haskell trophy in his fourth try. 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist was fourth in 2016, Handsome Mike finished fourth in 2012, and Excessivepleasure was seventh in 2003 for O'Neill.

“At this stage Charlie does seem like he's getting better and better and with a little bit of luck there are a lot of chapters left to be written in his book,” O'Neill said. “We're excited for the second half of the 3-year-old season, and the Haskell is a big test for us. It's an honor to be here, and I feel grateful that I'm here with this horse.”

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