Already considered the early favorite by many for this year's GI Kentucky Derby, Shadwell's undefeated Mohaymen (Tapit) picked up right where he left with an effortless tally in Gulfstream's GII Holy Bull S. Saturday. The $2.2-million KEESEP kicked off his career with a six-panel success at Belmont Sept. 19, and handled the stretch-out with aplomb in taking the GII Nashua S. at the Big A Nov. 4. He added the nine-panel GII Remsen S. over subsequent GIII Jerome S. scorer Flexibility (Bluegrass Cat) in Ozone Park 24 days later, and was installed as the 1-5 chalk to keep his perfect record intact.
Mohaymen tucked into a perfect pocket spot as chief market rival and GISW Greenpointcrusader (Bernardini) applied token pressure to the longshot leader. Asked by rider Junior Alvarado to split the top two as the field hit the far turn following a :49.06 half, the grey was traveling well within himself with a narrow advantage approaching the top of the straight. Alvarado took a peek back to see what kind of fight Greenpointcrusader might put up and, confident that his mount had it in the bag, left the stick in its holster and was simply a passenger in the run to the line. Greenpointcrusader was 3 1/2 lengths back in second, with a similar margin to Fellowship (Awesome of Course) in third.
“He took my breath away,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin offered. “Today was pretty special. It looked like on paper that he might break and be on the lead because there wasn't much pace. When that didn't happen, I was a little nervous into the first turn and around the turn. But all went great. He's just a special horse. It makes it easy for us to train and to ride.”
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
LAMBHOLM SOUTH HOLY BULL S.-GII, $350,000, GP, 1-30, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.07, ft.
1–MOHAYMEN, 120, c, 3, by Tapit
1st Dam: Justwhistledixie (MGSW & GISP, $449,427), by Dixie Union
2nd Dam: General Jeanne, by Honour and Glory
3rd Dam: Ahpo Hel, by Mr. Leader
($2,200,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Shadwell Stable; B-Clearsky
Farms (KY); T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin; J-Junior Alvarado.
$214,830. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $559,830. *1/2 to New
Year's Day (Street Cry {Ire}), GISW, $1,154,000. Werk Nick
Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”voutesales-consultant”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]
2–Greenpointcrusader, 122, c, 3, Bernardini–Ava
Knowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance. ($575,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP).
O-St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing Stables LLC & Brooklyn Boyz
Stables; B-Oakbrook Farm (KY); T-Dominick Schettino. $69,300.[bullet ad=”crupi-trained”][bullet ad=”valkyre-stud-foaled-raised-sold”]
3–Fellowship, 118, c, 3, Awesome of Course–Go Girlfriend Go,
by Demidoff. O/B-Jacks or Better Farm Inc. (FL); T-Stanley I.
Gold. $34,650.
Margins: 3HF, 2HF, 3. Odds: 0.30, 3.60, 40.30.
Also Ran: Conquest Big E, Frontier Ranger, Perfect Saint.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
“He didn't break as well as I wanted him to, but I knew it wasn't going to be a problem,” Alvarado said. “Mentally, he's so mature. He does whatever I want. I just waited and waited to see what Johnny [Velazquez aboard Greenpointcrusader] was going to do. He left me a little room, but sometimes that can be a little trap. I just waited and waited and then it got to a point where he didn't come inside and the horse in front was backing up, so I said, 'I've got the best horse. It's time to making my own move.' After that it was pretty much over. I could have gone around [again] easily with him. I still had plenty of horse. You can feel the acceleration he has, and it's not me asking him.”
Shadwell's U.S. general manager Rick Nichols, who signed the $2.2-million ticket for Mohaymen at the 2014 Keeneland September sale, was on hand for the victory.
“Just chills up and down the back,” he said. “He's just really good. We know he's been good, but this really proves he's that kind of horse. He beat a Grade I winner and it looked to me like he was doing it pretty easy. He had his ears pricked. He was happy. Kiaran and his team have done a fantastic job with him. We'll see how he comes out, talk to Kiaran and talk to Sheikh Hamdan. Our original plan was if he liked this track and ran well we'd probably leave him here, maybe the [Feb. 27 GII] Fountain of Youth and [Apr. 2 GI] Florida Derby. We'll see how he comes out and see what the boss thinks.”
McLaughlin annexed this race in 2005 with Closing Argument and in 2014 with Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). He finished second last year with Frosted (Tapit), who went on to take the GI Wood Memorial S. The veteran conditioner also trained Mohaymen's dam to a pair of local Grade II wins on behalf of West Point Thoroughbreds.
“It's just a real pleasure to have such a star in the barn for Sheikh Hamdan and Shadwell,” McLaughlin added. “I've trained for them for 23 years, and I trained the mother, so it's pretty special.”
After producing 2011 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner New Year's Day, Justwhistledixie foaled a Distorted Humor colt who brought $600,000 at KEESEP '13. She was bred back to Tapit in 2015.
Sheikh Hamdan's operation also campaigns Shagaf (Bernardini), who earned 'TDN Rising Star' status while upping his career record to two-for-two for conditioner Chad Brown in Hallandale Friday.
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