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Midnight Bourbon on to Risen Star

Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) came out of his wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. in fine shape, Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, said Sunday. The Winchell Thoroughbreds runner is expected to start next in the Feb. 13 GII Risen Star S.

Mandaloun (Into Mischief), the beaten favorite when third in the Lecomte, may get a change of equipment for his next start, according to trainer Brad Cox.

“We still think he is a very good horse,” Cox said of the Juddmonte Farm homebred. “He raced wide around both turns. I thought it was a good experience. He showed up. He ran his race. I think we are going to add blinkers. I talked it over with the Juddmonte team and [jockey] Florent [Geroux]. We kind of thought that ever since his first race. He came out it [Lecomte], so far so good. We will definitely look at coming back in the Risen Star.”

Cox also saddled Sun Path (Munnings) to a fourth-place finish in Saturday's GIII Silverbulletday S.

“I was super disappointed with the outcome of the Silverbulletday,” Cox admitted. “We don't see any physical issue with Sun Path. She appears to have come out of it well as of now. Obviously, we will back up a little bit. We won't run back in four weeks. We'll just try to train up to either the [Mar. 6 GIII] Honeybee [at Oaklawn Park] or the [Mar. 20 GII] Fair Grounds Oaks. They would really be our only options moving forward. We need a little more time between races. She's going to be a little bit of a question mark until we run her again. She was doing so well leading up to this race [Silverbulletday].”

Silverbulletday winner Charlie's Penny (Race Day) will now likely target the Feb. 13 GII Rachel Alexandra S. at Fair Grounds.

“So far everything looks good,” trainer Chris Block said. “She ate up last night and this morning, walked real well and she seems bright and not too knocked out. The next logical plan would be to point towards the Rachel Alexandra. What has pushed her forward is her mind and her determination. She's not a very big filly, kind of average in size and a little bit on the narrow side, but all that is relative to what she can do herself. Yesterday she was helped by the [slow] pace, but so was everybody else, or so I would have thought. She rose to the occasion, now it's time to see if she can take the next step forward. It was really nice to win this race at Fair Grounds. My family used to send horses here for the winter with [the late] Richie Scherer, and management has been very kind to us.”

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The Week in Review: Will the Road to Louisville Run Through New Orleans?

After Saturday's GIII Lecomte S., one thing's for certain: the offspring of broodmare Catch the Moon have a strong affinity for that main track in New Orleans.

Three of the four graded stakes winners the Malibu Moon mare has produced are now a collective 5-for-6 over the Fair Grounds dirt after the one-length wire job by Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the first leg of the track's Road to the GI Kentucky Derby series.

Trainer Steve Asmussen's job will now involve trying to build upon that home-track advantage as Midnight Bourbon stretches out (likely in the next two sophomore preps at Fair Grounds) while making sure this $525,000 KEESEP colt saves a little something for Louisville on the first Saturday in May.

Midnight Bourbon's first stakes and two-turn win Jan. 16 came one year to the date that his older half-brother, Pirate's Punch (Shanghai Bobby), ran roughshod over a NW2X allowance field by 11 1/2 lengths at Fair Grounds prior to peaking as a two-time Grade III stakes winner deeper in the season.

And Midnight Bourbon's 7-2 win Saturday for Winchell Thoroughbreds has echoes of the 2017 Fair Grounds campaign of half-brother Girvin (Tale of Ekati), who for separate connections parlayed victories in the GII Risen Star S. and GII Louisiana Derby into a starting spot in the first leg of the Triple Crown. An untimely quarter crack two weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby and trip woes in the race itself contributed to a 13th-place finish, but Girvin rebounded smartly later in the season to win the GI Haskell Invitational S.

Trainers plan meticulous seasonal unveilings for their top-tier sophomores, but this doesn't stop fate from intervening on a routine basis. Last Saturday's 1 1/16-miles Lecomte is a prime example.

The race was initially drawn up on the overnight as being glutted with early speed, but three of the five projected pacemakers ended up scratching. Then Ricardo Santana, Jr., who is Asmussen's go-to rider, couldn't travel to New Orleans because of a family medical situation, so Joe Talamo picked up the mount on Midnight Bourbon. When the gates finally opened, Santa Cruiser (Dialed In), who figured to be the top remaining Lecomte speed threat, got bumped and shuffled back, leaving him last in the field of eight.

Midnight Bourbon and Talamo took advantage of this unexpected pace vacuum, popping right on top from the rail and assuming command through moderate splits of :24.68 and :48.99.

The two horses closest in pursuit–the 8-1 Proxy (Tapit) and 4-5 favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief)–are no slouches, ranked at numbers five and nine, respectively, in the most recent edition of the TDN Derby Top 12. Proxy loomed boldly and got first run five-sixteenths out while Mandaloun appeared primed to pounce past them both at the quarter pole after going three wide on both turns.

Yet neither colt unleashed enough next-gear torque to seal the deal in the upper stretch, and Proxy and Mandaloun sparred back and forth for second while the freewheeling Midnight Bourbon cruised home in businesslike fashion.

His final time of 1:44.41 (0.14 seconds shy of the same-distance clocking by older horses in the GIII Louisiana S. three races earlier) translates to a very respectable 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

Midnight Bourbon's win also indirectly buoyed the stock of Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), another top sophomore in the Asmussen barn who was announced Saturday as an Eclipse Award finalist for the 2-year-old male award. The Lecomte was Midnight Bourbon's first start since Oct. 10, when he ran a distant third in the GI Champagne S. behind Jackie's Warrior.

Although both of those colts are wintering at Fair Grounds, Asmussen is targeting the 1 1/16-mile GIII Southwest S. Feb. 15 at Oaklawn for Jackie's Warrior's 2021 debut. He indicated post-race Saturday that Midnight Bourbon would remain on a separate path, taking aim at the nine-furlong GII Risen Star S. Feb. 13 and then probably the 1 3/16-mile GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20, both at Fair Grounds.

Those latter two preps mirror the path taken by half-brother Girvin four years ago. Although Midnight Bourbon belongs to the foal crop known for coming of age during the COVID-19 pandemic, Girvin's sophomore season was also affected by a disease outbreak.

Girvin broke his maiden sprinting at Fair Grounds in December 2016, then shipped out to train at the Evangeline Downs training center. A quarantine to try and contain equine herpesvirus prevented Girvin from returning to New Orleans to run in the January 2017 Lecomte S., although he was able to make it back to win both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby later that spring.

Girvin had the benefit of cuffing around fairly weak fields in both of his Fair Grounds prep victories. But one trait that became more apparent the more he raced for trainer Joe Sharp and owner Brad Grady was his rounding into an unflappable, professional sort of racehorse who could handle varying pace scenarios and multiple levels of in-race pressure.

After his 13th place Derby effort (that necessitated the wearing of a bar shoe to help his quarter crack), I wrote in a TDN Derby recap that, “Despite being caught in tight at the break and losing all momentum on the far turn when boxed and blocked, one thing about Girvin's Derby that was true to his earlier efforts was that he maintained his composure despite those multiple adversities.”

If the ability to keep a level head under duress also runs in the family, that would be a powerful attribute for Midnight Bourbon to share with his older brother as the Derby pressure intensifies.

The distances of the Fair Grounds preps have been elongated since Girvin's campaign, but seeing two-time GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow parked atop Midnight Bourbon's pedigree suggests that the added sixteenth of a mile in both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby shouldn't be outside of his scope.

Remember, last year was the first season that Fair Grounds extended the distances within the prep series, but because of the pandemic-necessitated switch of the Kentucky Derby from May to September, we never got a chance to see what impact those longer preps had on the rescheduled Triple Crown.

In addition to Midnight Bourbon, Girvin and Pirate's Punch, Catch the Moon also produced Grade III winner Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John). She is also the dam of a now 2-year-old Curlin colt that fetched $500,000 at KEESEP and a yearling colt by Quality Road. Perhaps those two unraced prospects will one day surface in New Orleans to further solidify the family tradition of excelling over the Fair Grounds main track.

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Midnight Bourbon Holds Off Proxy, Mandaloun In Lecomte

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon took the lead from the start in Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots' $200,000 Lecomte (G3) for 3-year-olds and held that position to the wire en route to a one-length win over Proxy, who headed out heavily favored Mandaloun for the place spot. The winner amassed 10 qualifying points for Churchill Downs' May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

Midnight Bourbon, the second-choice at 3.70-1, and Joe Talamo broke running and took the initiative immediately in the eight-horse field, while allowed to set leisurely fractions of 24.68 and 48.99 over a stalking Proxy at 8.90-1, and three-wide Mandaloun, who was odds-on at 4-5. Little changed off the far turn, as Talamo asked Midnight Bourbon, and the pair increased their advantage to two lengths, and held sway to the line, with Proxy proving a game second over Mandaloun. It was a large gap of 8 ¾ lengths back to fourth-place finisher Santa Cruiser, at 7.30-1. Midnight Bourbon covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.41 while defeating seven rivals. He boosted his career record to 5-2-1-2 with earnings of $221,420.

Midnight Bourbon was making his 3-year-old debut for trainer Steve Asmussen after an encouraging 2-year-old season that saw him hit the board in a pair of graded stakes. The son of Tiznow broke his maiden going one mile in his second start at Ellis Park in August, and ran a good second in Churchill's Iroquois (G3) on Kentucky Derby Day in September before finishing his season running third in Belmont Park's October 10 Champagne (G1). Asmussen, who won the Lecomte for the third time, was pleased with Midnight Bourbon's freshman campaign but he was confident the best was yet to come.

“Lovely horse, he's a beautiful individual,” Asmussen said. “Obviously he had run some solid races (at 2), but we were very much looking forward to getting him into two-turn races. His pedigree, we think that going further will help him. He's got a beautiful stride to him. He was away nice and cleanly and Joe (jockey Talamo) gave him a nice trip.”

Midnight Bourbon began his preparation for the Lecomte in November and showed a quartet of five-furlong works leading up to the race. The Lecomte was clearly just the starting off point to what Asmussen hopes is a big campaign, with races like the local February 13 Risen Star (G2) on Louisiana Derby Preview Day and March 20 TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) on the agenda.

“He's going to develop into an excellent 3-year-old,” Asmussen said. “Absolutely (when asked about the Risen Star). We were very excited to get him down here (to New Orleans) and get him in this series and stuff. With him being capable of what he is away from there, the ground that he covers, I think it's a natural fit.”

Talamo was a late replacement for jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who took off all his Saturday mounts “because his girlfriend and baby are sick and he didn't feel comfortable leaving Louisville for various reasons,” according to his agent Ruben Munoz.

The veteran Talamo, who was born in Marrero, just 13 miles away from Fair Grounds, was ecstatic over the ultimate catch ride.

“It felt really good (to get the mount),” Talamo said. “Just really grateful to Steve for giving me the opportunity on him. Very, very classy horse. He broke like a rocket out of there and I just tried to be a good passenger from there. He settled like a champ and when those horses came to him down the lane, he fought (them) off, and he really galloped out very, very nice.”

Godolphin's homebred Proxy earned 4 Derby qualifying points and ran big in defeat for trainer Mike Stidham, as he was stepping up into his first stakes off a pair of local wins. The regally-bred son of Tapit broke his maiden here in November in his second career start and entered off a win in an optional-claimer December 18. Proxy won on the lead while setting slow splits in both starts, while showing some inexperience in the process, but showed a rating gear in the Lecomte, which has Stidham also looking forward to his colt's future.

“Very, very happy with that (run),” Stidham said. “He was a little green last time and both of his wins were on the lead so he didn't really learn a lot. But the way he dug in and held off the favorite (Mandaloun) in the end, and was getting to the winner, I couldn't have been happier. I think the farther the better; the mile and an eighth, and the mile and three-sixteenths of the Louisiana Derby is only going to help him. We needed him to do what he did today (to keep going on) and he did it.”

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Mandaloun, who earned 2 Derby qualifying points, was a strong favorite off a pair of sprint wins in Kentucky to start his career for trainer Brad Cox. The son of Into Mischief won on debut at Keeneland in October then won an optional-claimer at Churchill November 28, but he didn't finish as strongly while stretching out to two turns for the first time. Mandaloun sat an outside trip from a wide post under Florent Geroux but didn't kick in as expected through the stretch.

“I was in a good stalking position, two or three wide,” Geroux said. “My options were limited. The winner just kept going. It was very close for second. The way we started, that's the way we finished. Maybe it was the slow pace, but the horses in front of me had a better kick at the end.”

Calumet Farm's homebred Santa Cruiser, who dueled through hot fractions when breaking his maiden in his last start November 19 at Churchill, surprisingly lagged far behind in last but did run on nicely late for trainer Keith Desormeaux. The son of Dialed In earned 1 Derby qualifying point for his effort and is another who figures to move on to the Risen Star.

Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

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Tiznow’s Midnight Bourbon Coast-To-Coast in the Lecomte

Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) put himself on the GI Kentucky Derby trail with a tenacious, one-length front-running score in Saturday’s GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds. Proxy (Tapit) was second; 4-5 favorite and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mandaloun (Into Mischief) was third after a wide trip in his two-turn debut.

The 7-2 shot left the gate running from his rail draw and led the scratched-down field of eight into the clubhouse turn. Midnight Bourbon cruised along on the front end beneath Joe Talamo through fractions of :24.68 and :48.99, while Proxy, a winner of two straight at Fair Grounds, and Juddmonte’s highly regarded unbeaten Mandaloun, began to swarm in as they approached the quarter pole. Midnight Bourbon still had plenty left, however, and kept finding in the stretch as Proxy outgamed Mandaloun for second.

Midnight Bourbon, a $525,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for Winchell Thoroughbreds, meant business at second asking for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, winning for fun going a mile at Ellis Park Aug. 22. Second after leading in the stretch in Churchill’s GIII Iroquois S. Sept. 5, he was last seen finishing a distant third behind stablemate and Eclipse Award finalist Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Oct. 10.

“Lovely horse, he’s a beautiful individual,” Asmussen said. “Obviously, he had run some solid races, but we were very much looking forward to getting him into two-turn races. His pedigree, we think that going further will help him. He’s got a beautiful stride to him. He was away nice and cleanly and Joe gave him a nice trip. He’s going to develop into an excellent 3-year-old.”

The GII Risen Star S. Feb 13 will be next for Midnight Bourbon.

“We were very excited to get him down here and get him in this series,” Asmussen continued. “With him being capable of what he is away from there, the ground that he covers, I think it’s a natural fit.”

Pedigree Notes:

Midnight Bourbon became the 46th graded winner and 82nd black-type winner for his recently pensioned and leading 24-year-old WinStar sire, Tiznow. Other spring sophomore winners by Tiznow have included GI Santa Anita Derby and GIII Sham S. winner Colonel John, GI Wood Memorial S. victor Gemologist, GII Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Irap, and GI Belmont S. upsetter Da’ Tara.

The unraced dam of Midnight Bourbon, Catch the Moon, has an unblemished record, with all four of her foals to race–or 100%–now graded stakes winners, making her singlehandedly responsible for four of Malibu Moon’s 48 black-type winners out of his daughters. Girvin (Tale of Ekati), winner of the 2018 GI Haskell Invitational S., GII Louisiana Derby, and GII Risen Star S., is the best, followed by additional graded winners Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John) and Pirate’s Punch (Shanghai Bobby). The mare also has a 2-year-old colt by Curlin, who hammered for $500,000 last September at Keeneland, plus a yearling colt by Quality Road and she was bred back to Curlin for 2021.

Catch the Moon’s first two dams were Florida-breds for John Franks and her fifth through seventh dams were California-breds for Rex Ellsworth. She last sold for $240,000 carrying Pirate’s Punch in 2015 at Keeneland November and is now part of the powerful Stonestreet broodmare band. Catch the Moon’s dam, Catch My Fancy, is inbred 3×2 to Louisiana star Monique Rene (Prince of Ascot), whose descendants of the last 25 years include Canadian champion Kiss a Native (Kissin Kris), GISWs Yes It’s True (Is It True) and Silver Max (Badge of Silver), as well as recently retired GSW & MGISP Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby).

Saturday, Fair Grounds
LECOMTE S.-GIII, $200,000, Fair Grounds, 1-16, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.41, ft.
1–MIDNIGHT BOURBON, 122, c, 3, by Tiznow
1st Dam: Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Catch My Fancy, by Yes It’s True
3rd Dam: Walk Away Rene, by Gold Alert
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($525,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen; J-Joseph Talamo. $122,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-2, $221,420. *1/2 to Girvin (Tale of Ekati), GISW, $1,624,392; Pirate’s Punch (Shanghai Bobby), GSW, $332,751; and Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John), GSW, $497,660. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Proxy, 122, c, 3, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include. O-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael Stidham. $40,000.
3–Mandaloun, 122, c, 3, Into Mischief–Brooch, by Empire Maker. O-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $20,000.
Margins: 1, HD, 8 3/4. Odds: 3.70, 8.90, 0.80.
Also Ran: Santa Cruiser, Arabian Prince, Game Day Play, Regular Guy, Red N Wild. Scratched: Beep Beep, Dyn O Mite, Manor House. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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