By Jill Williams
After starting his career with two daylight wins at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs last year on GI Florida Derby Day and GI Kentucky Derby Day, respectively, 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) nearly pulled off victory in the GI Belmont Stakes in only his third career start, finishing just a half-length behind Dornoch (Good Magic), and then finishing second to that same rival in the GI Haskell Stakes. Sent to the sidelines with bone bruising after those four scintillating starts, the Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables runner made his much-anticipated 4-year-old debut Saturday in the GII Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes and delivered at 1-9, getting a visually emphatic win.
Mindframe left the gate smoothly from the one post, settling nicely behind last year's GIII Lexington Stakes winner Encino (Nyquist) in the third spot. Irad Ortiz, Jr. had the dark bay under a loose hold and the horse looked very much at ease and confident as he held his position behind Encino's :24.14 first quarter and :46.61 half. When Ortiz sent Mindframe at the top of the turn, he instantly assumed command by about three lengths under little more than a hand ride and looked as if he would draw clear as he pleased. Instead, he appeared to lose his concentration briefly in the stretch as he got a bit leg weary, allowing Steal Sunshine (Constitution) and Lightning Tones (Tonalist) to close his margin to 1 1/4 lengths but not truly threaten. Mindframe covered the mile in 1:36.25. In winning his first graded race, Mindframe's stretch run not only hinted at a horse who needed a start after seven months away and a light sophomore campaign, but also gave every indication of a horse who may be a force to be reckoned with in the older division this year.
“He's been training really well,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “He's a horse that breezes very impressively. You're always concerned when you're coming off a layoff and drawing the one hole at a one-turn mile. It's demanding, but Irad was able to maneuver himself into a good spot. He kind of opened up the race at the top of the stretch. He kind of got a little tired the last sixteenth but he got the job done.”
Bred in Maryland by R. Larry Johnson, who passed away last month, Mindframe was a $600,000 Keeneland September purchase in 2022 by Repole and St. Elias. Football star Tom Brady joined connections in the winner's circle.
Pedigree Notes:
WinStar's Constitution, sire of the Gulfstream Park Mile exacta and himself a two-time Grade I winner at Gulfstream Park, is responsible for Mindframe and 36 other graded winners. The Gulfstream Park Mile winner is one of three U.S. stakes winners to date in 2025 for the son of Tapit, including the highly regarded and undefeated Sam F. Davis Stakes winner John Hancock. Constitution's 73 black-type winners worldwide also include Classic winner and hot young sire Tiz the Law.
Darley's Street Sense is the broodmare sire of Mindframe and 40 other black-type winners, including five-for-five GSW Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro). Walk of Stars, dam of Mindframe and MSP Hollywood Walk (Animal Kingdom), won a sprint stakes at Charles Town in 2015 as a third-generation homebred for the late Johnson. More on the family, including Johnson's journey with Mindframe's fourth dam, was covered in TDN in 2024. Walk of Stars has a yearling colt by Jack Christopher and was bred back to Constitution for 2025.
MINDFRAME ($2.20) made it look easy in the $215,000 @GulfstreamPark Mile (G2). @PletcherRacing trains the son of Constitution (@WinStarFarm) for @RepoleStable and St. Elias Stables. @iradortiz gets another victory on the card.
More action 👉 https://t.co/mnxsqMII2X 👈 pic.twitter.com/5G47mOSuwk
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2025
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
GULFSTREAM PARK MILE S. PRESENTED BY DOMESTIC PRODUCT-GII, $202,100, Gulfstream, 3-1, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:36.25, ft.
1–MINDFRAME, 118, c, 4, by Constitution
1st Dam: Walk of Stars (SW, $154,944), by Street Sense
2nd Dam: Star Kell, by Star de Naskra
3rd Dam: Special Kell, by Parfaitement
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($600,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC;
B-R. Larry Johnson (MD); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$120,280. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record: MGISP,
5-3-2-0, $767,640. *1/2 to Hollywood Walk (Animal
Kingdom), MSP, $368,731. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Steal Sunshine, 122, h, 6, Constitution–Warm Sunshine, by
Unbridled's Song. O-Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Carrie
Brogden, Kevin J. Pollard, Ed Gorry, and David Menard;
B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Bobby S. Dibona. $38,800.
3–Lightning Tones, 122, g, 5, Tonalist–Rosesandlightning, by
Lightnin N Thunder. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-JC Racing
Stable (Jose Castro); B-H & A Stables LLC (FL); T-Carlos
Narvaez. $21,050.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.10, 7.60, 55.10.
Also Ran: Counterspy, Shaq Diesel, Secret Chat, Encino, Awesome Train. Scratched: Lure Him In.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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