Subsanador, Smith Utilize Quick Move to Take Iselin

Argentine champion Subsanador  scored his first victory in the United States with a 1 1/2-length win Aug. 17 in the $248,500 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park.

Owned by Wathnan Racing and trained by Richard Mandella, the Southern California shipper cut back in distance to 1 1/16 miles off a pair of 1 1/4-mile races at Santa Anita Park.

Ridden by Mike Smith Saturday, Subsanador stalked from fourth place early then made a quick move on the far turn to catch and blow past pacesetters Il Miracolo  and Everso Mischievous . The Southern Hemisphere-bred 5-year-old son of Fortify (Distorted Humor ) went from 3 1/2 lengths behind to two lengths ahead.

Smith's aggressive move worked, although Subsanador did have to hang on to win over a staying-on Il Miracolo, who carried 124 pounds to the winner's 118. It was 15 1/4 lengths back to Antigravity  in third place. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles on a dirt track rated fast despite a post-time rain shower was 1:42.63.

Smith said the plan was to go to the lead, but Subsanador did not break well.

"It turned into Plan B immediately. He slipped coming out of the gate and kind of kept slipping. It took him a while to get his footing on the backside," Smith said. "Once he dropped in, he grabbed hold of me, and I said to myself, 'Oh, the light bulb just went on.' I knew then, with those two horses hooking each other in front of me, that when I hit the second turn I was going to gun him.

"He has been running a mile and a quarter ... so I know he's fit. I was able to be a little brave with him because of that. I might have moved him just a little too soon but I didn't want to give (Il Miracolo) a chance to get into the bridle and then have my horse hang. He's been training lights out."

As part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, the Iselin awarded $15,000 to the winner, $7,500 to the runner-up, and $3,750 to the third-place finisher to apply toward entry fees for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Following a fourth-place finish in his U.S. debut in the San Antonio Stakes (G2) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, Subsanador nearly made all the running in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), when Newgate  beat him by a head.

He was then sold and transferred from trainer John Sadler to Mandella after the Santa Anita Handicap. In his first race for Mandella, he ran a tiring fourth in the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G2). Champion 2-year-old colt of 2022 and a multiple group 1 winner going a mile in Argentina, Saturday's move to 1 1/16 miles seemed to fit him.

"I'm liking him better and better. We're starting to see some of that Argentina form," Mandella said. "We'll take him home and think about what to do next. There's a race at Santa Anita on Sept. 28 (California Crown, G1) that we'll take a look at." 

Subsanador, who is Breeders' Cup nominated, improved his record to eight wins from 16 starts, with earnings of $403,124. He paid $5 to win.

Video: Philip H. Iselin S. (G3)