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Malathaat Works for Shuvee

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat (Curlin), who came up just a head short of Clairiere (Curlin) when second in the June 11 GI Ogden Phipps S. last time out, tuned up for the July 24 GII Shuvee S. with a four-furlong work in :49.22 (44/113) in company Sunday at Saratoga.

Last year's GI Kentucky Oaks winner and champion 3-year-old filly, who has won seven of 10 lifetime starts, will be adding blinkers for her third start of the year next Sunday.

“She seems a little more locked in and a little more concentrated,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She's trained great up to this race and we're looking forward to seeing how she adapts to the equipment change.”

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After Sanford Win, Hopeful Likely Next for Mo Strike

Nasser Bin Omairah's Mo Strike (Uncle Mo), winner of Saturday's GIII Sanford S., will likely make his next start in the Sept. 5 GI Hopeful S., trainer Brad Cox confirmed Sunday.

“He's great and looks fantastic. I think the right thing to do, from a timing standpoint, is to look at the Hopeful and work our way back from there,” Cox said Sunday. “I think we'll skip the [Aug. 13 GII] Saratoga Special, because it's asking a lot of him and this gives him more time. We brought him back quick off of his maiden win, so he'll have all summer here. It's a great place to be, so there's no rush.”

Mo Strike was Cox's third winner of the three-day old Saratoga meeting. The trainer will look to add to his graded tally in the coming weeks with Caravel (Mizzen Mat) looking to repeat in July 23 GIII Caress S. and Arklow (Arch) making his 8-year-old debut off a nine-month layoff in the July 31 GII Bowling Green S.

Caravel and Arklow both breezed over the Oklahoma turf training track Sunday, the former working a half-mile in :49.60 (24/52) with jockey Tyler Gaffalione up and the latter drilling five furlongs in 1:01.72 (2/15).

Cox said he was particularly impressed with the way Caravel has trained since her win in the June 10 GIII Intercontinental S.

“She was amazing. She was amazing last week [:47.22 (1/29)] and this week she was too, but a little more steady–a maintenance move,” Cox said. “Tyler was on her; he's worked her several times in Kentucky and she looks like she's set up for a big race Saturday. I don't know if we need to see any improvement from her, just more of the same. She likes it up here and we're hoping she can duplicate her run from last year.”

Arklow has not raced since finishing fifth in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont last October.

“It's a tall task off the layoff, but he's shown the ability to run really well off layoffs,” Cox said. “Last year, his first race back was in the Louisville H. and he won that. I'm pretty happy with how he's doing.”

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Early Voting to Jim Dandy

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY- Klaravich Stables's GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) was shipped from Belmont Park to Saratoga Race Course Sunday and will run in the GII Jim Dandy July 30.

Trainer Chad Brown announced that Early Voting will go in the Jim Dandy with stablemate Zandon (Upstart), rather than face another stablemate, unbeaten Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the GI Haskell S. July 23. Brown is aiming all three of his graded stakes-winning 3-year-old colts for Saratoga's signature race, the $1.25-million GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27. He waited until after Early Voting's work Saturday at Belmont Park before deciding whether the colt would go to Monmouth Park with Jack Christopher in a Grade I contest or come to Saratoga and have a race over the track before the historic Travers.

“Jack Christopher looked great this morning, he looks ready to go for the Haskell and at the end of the day I'm going to run two horses in one race and one on the other,” Brown said. “I'd rather only run the one in the Haskell and I just didn't see the benefit of putting Early Voting in a larger field against a really fast horse, what it might do to him five weeks out from the Travers.”

In the Jim Dandy, for decades the local prep for the Travers, Jeff Drown's Zandon will be making his first start since finishing third in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7. He won the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. April 29.

Early Voting gave Brown his second Triple Crown race win in the Preakness May 21. In 2017, Brown brought his Preakness winner Cloud Computing back in the Jim Dandy.

Jack Christopher, co-owned by Jim Bakke, Gerald Ibister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant, extended his record to 4-0 with a smashing 10-length victory in the seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens June 11. The nine-furlong Haskell will be his first race beyond one mile and his first around two turns.

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Uncle Mo Colt ‘Strikes’ In the Sanford

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) was the second 8-1 shot to win a graded event at Saratoga Saturday, taking his record to two-for-two with a victory in the GII Sanford S.

Away in good order from the six-hole, the bay rushed up to contest the pace alongside Curly Jack (Good Magic) with 'TDN Rising Star' Andiamo A Firenze (Speightstown) to his outside through a :22.59 opening quarter. They ran three abreast on the backstretch run, registering a :45.94 half-mile. Great Navigator (Sea Wizard) tried to break through that trio in early stretch, but was forced to swing out for the overland route just as Curly Jack threw in the towel at the fence. Andiamo A Firenze, the half-brother to the speedy GISW Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior), continued to battle Mo Strike in the lane, but that foe found another gear at the eighth-pole, pulling away for a 3 1/2-length decision. Great Navigator made a bold late run for second at 18-1. Favored 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) ran in seventh most of the way, made a three-wide bid in the turn, but never got into gear, finishing fourth.

“I mean, I didn't really know how the pace would set up,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “He broke and put himself right there, I saw the :22 1/5, or whatever it was, and I thought if he was there and he was doing it, he would have something to finish up with. He galloped out really well in his first run and he's a pretty intelligent horse. I think he can stretch a bit–I'm not going to say he's going to go a mile and a quarter just yet, but he's a nice horse that I think his biggest asset is his mind. He definitely showed some ability and fought off a very good horse [Andiamo a Firenze]. That horse ran a big figure in his race at Belmont, I believe, and when Florent [Geroux] really asked [Mo Strike] at the eighth-pole, he was able to get away.”

On a potential next start in the GII Saratoga Special Aug. 13 and the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 5, Cox said, ” It would probably be a lot to ask him [to race] in the Special and the Hopeful, but we'll let him determine our plans, and once again how he comes out of it, and go from there. I think the Hopeful is more likely being he's an Uncle Mo, it's a Grade I, and it would take a lot of pressure off. He's a nice colt.”

“He broke super sharp,” Geroux said. “From there, I was in the clear right from the beginning. I let the inside horse [Curly Jack] go. I kept an eye on [Andiamo a Firenze]. We were able to slow it down a little bit the second quarter and when the horse came to me down the lane, my horse was able to give me another gear and fight all the way to the wire. I was very pleased with his effort. The last eighth of a mile, I felt the race was pretty much over and he was just keeping along nicely. If someone else was going to attack me, I felt I had another gear to fight them down.”

A $90,000 FTKOCT yearling buy, Mo Strike summoned $325,000 at OBS April after breezing in :10 flat for Gene Recio. He beat nine rivals when taking his debut at Churchill Downs June 19 as the lukewarm favorite, earning a 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

Pedigree Notes:

Mo Strike is the 45th graded winner and 83rd black-type winner for top sire Uncle Mo, whose son Sea Wizard sired runner-up Great Navigator. He is also the 60th graded winner and 148th black-type scorer out of a daughter of Smart Strike. Stakes winner and GISP Featherbed is also the dam of GIII Illinois Derby winner Dynamic Impact (Tiznow). Her recent produce includes a yearling colt by Vino Rosso and a 2022 filly by McKinzie.

Saturday, Saratoga
SANFORD S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-16, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.35, ft.
1–MO STRIKE, 120, c, 2, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Featherbed (SW & GISP, $227,904), by Smart Strike
                2nd Dam: Favorite Feather, by Capote
                3rd Dam: In My Cap, by Vice Regent
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000 Ylg
'21 FTKOCT; $325,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Nasser Bin
Omairah; B-Blue Heaven Farm & Ashford Stud (KY); T-Brad H.
Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$165,710. *1/2 to Dynamic Impact (Tiznow), GSW, $421,006.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+.
2–Great Navigator, 120, c, 2, Sea Wizard–All Even, by Stephen
Got Even. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Holly Crest Farm (NJ); T-Eddie Owens, Jr. $35,000.
3–Andiamo a Firenze, 120, c, 2, Speightstown–My Every Wish,
by Langfuhr. 'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED
BLACK TYPE. O/B-Mr Amore Stables (NY); T-Kelly J. Breen.
$21,000.
Margins: 3HF, NK, 2. Odds: 8.20, 18.50, 4.20.
Also Ran: Forte, Curly Jack, Major Dude, Roman Giant, Prove Right, Valenzan Day, Boppy O, I'm Wide Awake, Puttheblameonme.
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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