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Mind Control Snaps Losing Streak With Win In Nerud Stakes At Belmont

Mind Control had not seen the inside of a winner's circle since March 2020 when he won the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, N.Y. The 5-year-old horse had gotten close in his last eight starts, finishing second to Mischevious Alex in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct back in April. Sunday, Mind Control dueled with favorite Firenze Fire throughout the seven furlongs of the Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., never letting Firenze Fire get more than a half-length on him before battling back to win by a head and earn both a trip to the winner's circle and to the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 6.

From the break, it was all Firenze Fire and Mind Control, with American Power and Top Speed a length behind them. The two leaders battled through the first quarter in :23.05 and then the half-mile in :46.03, with Three Technique and Top Speed still within a length of the leaders until the stretch.

As they came out of the turn, Firenze Fire and Mind Control pulled away from the rest of the field, two lengths in front of the other four, but Firenze Fire on the rail could not shake Mind Control, who battled back for a head advantage. At the wire, the difference between a third straight victory for Firenze Fire and a long overdue trip to the winner's circle for Mind Control was a head. Three Technique, Top Seed, Wicked Trick, and American Power rounded out the field. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.94.

Find the race's chart here.

Mind Control paid $12.60, $3.40, and $2.80. Firenze Fire paid $2.30 and $2.10. Three Technique paid $3.10 to show.

The Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes is a Win and You're In event for the 2021 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. on Nov. 6. Winners received a guaranteed spot in the starting gate with all fees paid for the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

Winning rider John Velazquez knew that Mind Control could get the win today. “I told Todd that if he broke well, I was going to use him to get into a good position. I knew Irad [Ortiz, Jr. aboard Firenze Fire] had to be pushed coming out of there, and if someone else wanted to go crazy then I would sit off of them. I knew there was enough speed, so I used him well enough to put his head in front and then Irad come after me. It was a two-horse race. That's the way it turned out and my horse was better than the other one today.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher knew that the break was key to winning the Nerud. “The first quarter was reasonable. We weren't necessarily intent on getting the lead but we did want to make sure we got away cleanly. You can't let a horse like Firenze Fire get away with an easy lead, so we were happy to see him [Mind Control] break alertly. He ran a great race.”

Mind Control is a 5-year-old horse by Stay Thirsty out of the mare Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder. He was bred in Kentucky by Red Oak Stable and is owned by Red Oak and Madaket Stables. The G2 Nerud is his eighth victory in 21 starts for career earnings of $1,259,229.

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Classier Noses Out Defunded In Los Alamitos Derby

Even though several of the country's top 3 year olds call the West Coast home, Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif. had a challenging time trying to come up with enough starters for Sunday's Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby. With richer stakes elsewhere luring a number of possible entries away, the track postponed the race 24 hours to allow additional time for entries and came up with a field of five, including Bob Baffert trainees Classier and Defunded, who went two-three last time out in the Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Sunday, the Baffert horses improved on that performance, going one-two in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby.

The race was a straightforward one from the start. Classier took the lead from the break, striding out to a length and a quarter lead over It's My House and Defunded, with Ingest and Back Ring Luck a length and a half back. The field maintained their running positions through the backstretch, with Abel Cedillo on Defunded waiting for the final turn to start bidding for the lead.

After running on easy lead throughout, Mike Smith and Classier had plenty left for his stretch run and challenge from his stablemate. In the straightaway, Defunded closed the gap with Classier but was unable to pass his fellow Baffert trainee, coming within a nose of Classier at the wire. With this victory in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby, Classier earns his first stakes win of his career. Ingest, It's My House, and Back Ring Luck rounded out the field of five.

Find this race's chart here.

The short field meant no show wagering at Los Alamitos. Classier paid $4.60 and $2.20. Defunded paid $2.10.

Mike Smith knew Classier had plenty of potential in only his fourth start. “I waited until the eighth pole to ask him and when he saw (Defunded) he really dug in. This is a big colt with a lot to him and he is going to get even better.''

Baffert, who earned his fifth straight win in this race, was glad that he started Classier in the G3 Derby despite beating fellow trainee Defunded. “I wasn't going to run (Classier) in this race. I talked to the ownership group and told them I was going to work him and if he worked well I'd run him. He worked very well (:47 1/5 half-mile July 1 at Santa Anita), so we decided to go. I really thought and the rider (Abel Cedillo) thought Defunded had him the whole way. It was pretty exciting and I was really hoping for a dead heat because I've always wanted one of those in a stakes so you don't have to make that other call. We thought he'd be on the lead last time, but he stumbled leaving the gate and he really needed the race (the Grade 3 Affirmed June 13). He's going to improve off this. I can take my time with him now and figure out a spot because he is bred to be superstar.''

Classier is a 3-year-old colt owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, and Robert Masterson. He was sired by Empire Maker out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell. Bred in Kentucky by Mary Sullivan, Classier was consigned by Lantern Hill Farm and purchased for $775,000 by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables at the Keeneland September 2019 Yearling Sale. Sunday's win improves Classier to two wins in four lifetime starts for total winnings of $155,000.

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Knicks Go Dominates Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap

After two consecutive fourth-place finishes, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go regained his winning ways on Friday night at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, crushing his five rivals with a 10 1/4-length front-end score under Joel Rosario in the Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Last Judgment, who tried to keep up with Knicks Go in the early stages of the race, held second, with 8-year-old veteran Rated R Superstar a half-length back in third. Tenfold finished fourth, Dinar fifth and Modernist trailed the field. Drifting West was scratched.

Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Knicks Go paid $3.20 to win after running the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:47.33. He set fractional times of :23.33, :47.02, 1:10.77 and 1:35.06. Knicks Go is trained by 2020 Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox. He was bred in Maryland by Angie Moore.

Under the handicap conditions of the Cornhusker, Knicks Go carried 126 pounds, conceding six pounds to the runner-up and 10 pounds to Rated R Superstar.

Rosario sat motionless on Knicks Go for most of the Cornhusker and the 5-year-old son of Payner was geared down even further approaching the wire.

A G1 winner of the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in 2018, Knicks Go went winless in his next 10 starts until returning to the winner's circle after a February 2020 allowance race at Oaklawn Park. That began a four-race win streak culminating in victories in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November and G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January.

But Knicks Go tired to be fourth in the Group 1 Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia, run less than a month after the Pegasus, then set the pace and wound up fourth again in the G1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap on June 5.

The Cornhusker was Knicks Go's seventh career win from 21 lifetime starts.

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Army Wife Marches To Iowa Oaks Victory; Stilleto Boy Tiptoes On Lead For Derby Upset

Coming off an impressive victory in the Grade 2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 14, Army Wife invaded Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, to take Friday night's Grade 3, $225,000 Iowa Derby by 3 3/4 lengths as the even-money favorite.

The Oaks was one of two graded stakes on the night, along with the G3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap. The third big race of the evening was the $250,000 Iowa Derby

Trained by Mike Maker and racing for W. Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, Army Wife was ridden to victory by Joel Rosario, who was aboard the Declaration of War filly for the first time in the Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico. She covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.10 and paid $4 to win, It was her fourth victory from nine career starts.

Shesa Mystery finished second, with 8-5 second choice Pauline's Pearl 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third and The Grass Is Blue fourth in the field of six 3-year-old fillies. Sister Annie finished fifth, with Windmill trailing the field. Oliviaofthedesert was scratched.

Rosario was content to secure a cozy spot on the rail aboard Army Wife, who raced in fourth position early and in the run down the backstretch. Sister Annie hung up fractions of :24.27, :48.18 and 1:12.06 for the first six furlongs, with Shesa Mystery putting pressure on her going into the far turn.

Sister Annie and Shesa Mystery battled for the lead on the turn for home, but Rosario had them both measured, swinging Army Wife off the rail three wide into the stretch, hitting the front nearing the eighth pole and drawing off for the victory.

In the $250,000 Iowa Derby, New York-based jockey Jose Ortiz gunned Stilleto Boy to the lead at the start and the Kentucky-bred gelding by Shackleford relaxed on the front end, repelled a challenge from Flash of Mischief around the far turn, then cruised to victory by 4 1/2 lengths.

Trained by Doug Anderson and bred by John and Iveta Kerber, the Iowa Derby winner is owned by the Kerbers, Michael Coleman, Aaron Kennedy and trainer Anderson. Stilleto Boy was winning for the second time in seven career starts, having earned his maiden diploma in his fifth start, going wire to wire at Oaklawn Park on April 17. In his most recent start, Stilleto Boy finished fourth after never getting the lead in the Prairie Mile Stakes at Prairie Meadows on June 4.

Sent off the longest shot in the field of six (following scratches of Proxy, Bourbon Thunder and Snow House), Stilleto Boy paid $35.40 for the win. He ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.64 after setting fractions of :23.79, :47.73, 1:11.48 and 1:36.12.

“We wanted him on the front end and Jose did a fantastic job of getting him there,” said Andersen.

Flash of Mischief, who chased Stilleto Boy throughout, held second as a 12-1 outsider for trainer Karl Broberg, with Gagetown2 1/2 lengths back in third and 2-1 second choice Super Stock a neck back in fourth. Nova Rags, the 9-5 favorite, finished fifth, with Rightandjust trailing the field.

Jose Ortiz and Stilleto Boy upset the Iowa Derby

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