Mutasaabeq Goes Last to First in Bourbon Stakes
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Photo: Rick Samuels
Mutasaabeq wins the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland
After winning first time out on dirt and placing third in the Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1), Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq switched to the turf Oct. 4 and won the $200,000 Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland with a last-to-first rally.
"He's always been a very happy horse," said Amelia Green, an assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. "If you ask him, he thinks he's 17 hands and a big stud. We don't tell him otherwise—we let him think that. He showed it today."
The 2-year-old Into Mischief colt was last of 11 through most of the 1 1/16-mile Bourbon. He hesitated at the start and trailed the field in the three path under Luis Saez. Up front, Into the Sunrise showed the way through fractions of :22.62, :47.09, and 1:12.24 for six furlongs, at which point Mutasaabeq was still last with seven lengths to make up.
Pletcher said he was a little concerned with the race setup after Mutasaabeq's start.
"He didn't break well, and that has historically been him. He's a horse that has speed and he has a tremendous turn of foot as you saw today, but he's notoriously not been great the first jump or two away from the gate," Pletcher said. "So I wasn't surprised when he didn't get away well, and then he kind of got shuffled back and then a horse kind of came over and he had to steady a bit."
Mutasaabeq circled the field eight wide when turning for home and accelerated down the lane to pick off his rivals. He propelled to the front and kept going for a 2 1/4-length victory in a final time of 1:43.13 on firm turf.
"The first 100 yards didn't go very well, but he was able to save a little bit of ground around the first turn and it looked like Luis was biding his time and trying to figure out whether he should find a seam to go through or ultimately he just decided to circle the field and kind of sling-shotted them," Pletcher added. "He delivered an explosive turn of foot. Great to see and great for the Shadwell team."
Abarta got up from 10th to finish second, and Nathan Detroit came running for third. Into the Sunrise tired to fourth. Mutasaabeq paid $6 as the favorite.
"We broke a little slow. Last time he did the same thing, but I knew I had a lot of horse. The distance was great for him," Saez said. "He was working so good on the turf. We knew what we had. When we came to the half-mile, I was trying to (decide) where we were going to go—inside or out—but inside we had so many horses. I felt like I had the horse to go out and let him roll. When he came to the straight, he just took off. He did it easy."
With the victory in the Breeders' Cup Challenge event, Mutasaabeq secured a spot in the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) back at Keeneland.
Shadwell purchased Mutasaabeq for $425,000 as a weanling from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment to the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The bay colt has earned $189,600.
Bred in Kentucky by BlackRidge Stables, Mutasaabeq is the first foal out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario, who has since produced a yearling filly by California Chrome and a March colt by Uncle Mo . Downside Scenario was reported bred this year to Into Mischief's son Audible .