Coolmore's Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), who won last November's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, gained 100 points toward a start in the GI Kentucky Derby on May 5, with a front-running tour-de-force in the $2-million 1 3/16-mile G2 UAE Derby at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night. It was 18 1/4 lengths back to the Doug Watson-trained Rayya (Tiz Wonderful), who was a further three lengths in advance of Reride (Candy Ride {Arg}), trained by Steve Asmussen. The time for the 1 3/16 miles was a new track record of 1:55.18.
Urged to take command from stall four on a track that was playing kinder to speed for most of the day, Mendelssohn was shadowed by Yulong Warrior (Street Cry {Ire}), with Rayya just behind on the rail and main Godolphin hope and G3 2000 Guineas winner Gold Town (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}) in fourth. Allowed to cruise along one off the fence, Ryan Moore was a statue aboard the blinkered bay, who had already forged three lengths clear with 700 metres to travel. From there it was only a matter of how far, as Rayya fared best of the rest. Reride passed a tiring Gold Town for third.
“We are over the moon,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien, who was winning his third UAE Derby. “He came forward lovely from his run at Dundalk a few weeks ago. He is bred to handle the dirt, being by Scat Daddy. But that was an unbelievable performance. We weren't sure how he would handle the distance, but you have to say he saw it out pretty well.”
“To win by nearly 20 lengths in track record time is something that nobody could imagine,” said MV Magnier, representing the ownership group of the colt, by the late Scat Daddy who stood at Coolmore's American arm, Ashford Stud.
Moore, who was winning his second UAE Derby, was equally impressed, saying, “He's a high-class horse, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner, and now he's done it here. You'd have to go a long way to see a better performance than that. He's a horse with a lot of speed, he still feels like there's more physical improvement in him, there's more strengthening to come, he's going to get better. He's grown up a lot, but he's still learning and he's trained by a genius.”
Off the mark in his second start at The Curragh on Aut. 13, Mendelssohn was unplaced in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster on Sept. 16, but was only 2 1/2 lengths behind stablemate U S Navy Flag (War Front) in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at headquarters on Oct. 14 immediately prior to his Breeders' Cup win in November. Warming up for this race, the sophomore made a winning seasonal return in the Listed Patton S. over the Dundalk all-weather and connections are pointing toward the 1 1/4-mile GI Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.
“He is naturally quick and has a lot of tactical early speed,” O'Brien commented. “He did it the hard way, but he did it so easily. He is very well bred, he has a great physique and you can see why he cost the lads a lot of money at the sales. We will look forward to going to Kentucky with him now. He is a terrific horse, really very exciting.”
Moore also offered a cautious endorsement, adding, “He's got a beautiful pedigree, he's got the form, he races forward and there's plenty of experience now. But that's a different thing, a hard race with more runners, you can't compare it to today.”
Pedigree Notes…
Purchased for $3 million and the Keeneland September Yearling Sale topper, the half-brother to GISW and successful sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) and four-time champion and MGISW Beholder (Henny Hughes) was making the first start of his career on dirt. His dam, SW Leslie's Lady who was purchased for only $100,000 by Clarkland Farm in the Keeneland November sale in 2006, has a yearling colt by Medaglia d'Oro and was covered by American Pharoah last spring. In the extended family is GI Californian S. hero Roanoke (Pleasant Colony). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Meydan, Middle East
UAE DERBY (SPONSORED BY SAEED & MOHAMMED AL NABOODAH GROUP)-G2, $2,000,000, MEY, 3-31, NH3yo & SH3yo, 1900m, 1:55.18 (NTR), ft.
1–MENDELSSOHN, 126, c, 3, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: Leslie's Lady (SW-US, $187,014),
by Tricky Creek
2nd Dam: Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music
3rd Dam: One Last Bird, by One For All
($3,000,000 yrl '16 KEESEP) O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier &
Michael Tabor; B-Clarkland Farm (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan
Moore. $1,200,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-US, SW-Ire &
G1SP-Eng, 7-4-1-0, $1,961,137. *1/2 to Into Mischief (Harlan's
Holiday), GISW-US, $597,080; and Beholder (Henny Hughes),
Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly & Older Mare-US, MGISW-US, $6,156,600.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”clarkland-bredraisedsold”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]2–Rayya, 121, f, 3, Tiz Wonderful–Spread, by Coronado's Quest.
($19,000 RNA yrl '16 FTKJUL; $7,000 yrl '16 FTKOCT; $190,000
2yo '17 OBSAPR) O-Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi;
B-Mineola Farm II LLC, James W Hirschmann & Silent Grove
Farms LLC (KY); T-Doug Watson. $400,000.[bullet ad=”schumer-dam-purchased”][bullet ad=”shootingstarsales”][bullet ad=”eaton-sold”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-ft-grad”]3–Reride, 126, c, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)">Candy Ride (Arg)–Remit, by Tapit.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steve Asmussen.
$200,000.[bullet ad=”mersant-international”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]Margins: 18HF, 3, 1 3/4.
Also Ran: Gold Town (GB), Seahenge, Taiki Ferveur (Jpn), Yulong Warrior, Ruggero (Jpn), Threeandfourpence.
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
