Making the Grade: Mohaymen

Mohaymen remained undefeated with his win in the Jan. 30 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Making the Grade, which will run through the 2016 Belmont Stakes, focuses on the winners of the big races, usually from the previous weekend, who could impact the next Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey) and pedigree.
This week we take a closer look at Mohaymen, winner of the Grade 2, $350,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 30 at Gulfstream Park. 

Mohaymen

Gray or Roan ColtSire (Father): TapitDam (Mother): Justwhistledixie, by Dixie UnionOwner: Shadwell StableBreeder: Clearsky Farms (Ky.)Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlinKentucky Derby points: 20 (Ranked No. 3)

With four wins in as many starts, Mohaymen looks every bit the standout colt he appeared to have the potential to be when purchased for $2.2-million at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale. Back-to-back Grade 2 wins in the Nashua and Remsen Stakes followed by an eye-catching runaway win the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes to open his 3-year-old season stamped him the early front-runner for the 2016 Kentucky Derby.
Ability: In order to bring a purchase price of $2.2-million at a yearling sale, a horse must have both a solid pedigree and outstanding physical conformation. The co-sale topper at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale, Mohaymen ticked both boxes and was purchased by Shadwell Estate Co. He won his debut as the favorite by a half-length in a three-quarter mile race in September at Belmont Park and returned 6 ½ weeks later for test in class in the Nashua Stakes. He was even better than his debut, winning the Nashua by 1 ¾ length and improving his Equibase Speed Figure from an 88 to a 99 in the one-mile race. The 1 1/16-mile Remsen Stakes marked another hurdle cleared and another step in the right direction as he won by 1 ½ lengths as the 1.55-to-1 favorite and earned a new career-best speed figure of 105. Steady improvement from a well-bred colt is a very positive sign and with only three races under the saddle he seemed to be just scratching the surface. 
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin entered Mohaymen in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes for his debut race at three against a field that included highly regarded Grade 1 winner Greenpointcrusader. He made short work of five opponents and coasted to a 3 ½-length romp at 3-to-10 odds. The most striking aspect of the Holy Bull was how much better Mohaymen was than Greenpointcrusader while never being asked to turn on the afterburners.
ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
Running style: It’s tough after four races to peg a specific running style for Mohaymen other than: fast. Mohaymen has shown some versatility. He set a solid pace through a half-mile in :45.92 in his debut, was passed briefly by another horse and then battled back to prevail. He dropped back to sixth early in the one-mile Nashua and then used his speed to move up to within 1 ½ lengths after a half-mile. In the Remsen, Mohaymen raced just a couple of lengths off an easy pace and proved much the best, and in the Holy Bull he was never farther than a length back. He can adapt to the pace scenario and appears to have plenty of speed to position himself in ideal striking range for the stretch run. 
MOHAYMEN BEFORE HIS HOLY BULL WIN

Connections: Shadwell Stable is the racing operation of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum. Sheikh Hamdan is Dubai’s deputy ruler and the minister of finance and industry for the United Arab Emirates. His bother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai and one of the most important owners/breeders in the Thoroughbred industry globally as the head of Godolphin Racing and Darley in America.
Sheikh Hamdan also has a long list of accomplishments as an owner-breeder, most notably in the U.S. as the owner of 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Invasor and 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil. Shadwell Stable was honored with an Eclipse Award as outstanding owner in 2007. Sheikh Hamdan earned his first group or graded stakes win in 1982, won the Epsom Derby twice with Nashwan (1989) and Erhaab (1994) and won the Dubai World Cup in 2007 with the aforementioned Invasor.
Mohaymen’s trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, trains horses for both Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Mohammed. He finished second in the 2015 Belmont Stakes with Godolphin’s Frosted, and McLaughlin trained Invasor and Jazil as well as 2007 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Lahudood for Shadwell.
McLaughlin worked for trainers James Burchell, John Hennig, Mark Casse, Dave Kassen and Tim Muckler before serving as an assistant to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. He later became the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed in Dubai and split time between Dubai and New York until 2003, when he returned to the United States full time. While training in Dubai, McLaughlin trained for both Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan and led the trainer standings by wins four times at Dubai’s premier race meet. McLaughlin’s best finish in the Kentucky Derby was a runner-up finish with Closing Argument in 2005.
Mohaymen’s regular jockey, Junior Alvarado, got his start riding in his native Venezuela and earned his first win in the U.S. on Feb. 17, 2007, aboard Satira. He has amassed more than 1,180 career wins and finished in the top 10 among North American riders by purse earnings in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Alvarado has never had a mount for the Kentucky Derby. His top victories to date include the $1.5-million Whitney Stakes in 2014 aboard Moreno and Grade 1 wins aboard Eclaire de Lune, Emma’s Encore, Strapping Groom, Flat Out and Princess Violet.  
MOHAYMEN AND ALVARADO AFTER THE REMSEN

Pedigree: Tapit led all sires by progeny earnings in both 2014 and 2015. Tapit’s runners earned $18,307,469 in 2015, establishing a new record for progeny earnings in a season and finishing just a few hundred dollars shy of $5-million more than his nearest competitor $5-million more than his closest competitor, Medaglia d’Oro. The Gainesway stallion also is by far the leading commercial sire standing in the United States, which means his weanlings, yearlings and 2-year-olds are extremely popular with buyers at auctions.

Previous Making the Grades
Nyquist
Exaggerator
Airoforce
Mor Spirit
Flexibility
Collected
Mo Tom

By Pulpit, the 2004 Wood Memorial Stakes winner stood his first season for a relatively modest fee of $15,000 and it dropped down to $12,500 by the time his first runners were ready to race. He got off to a very fast start with 2008 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and champion 2-year-old filly Stardom Bound from his first crop and he has continued to excel. Hansen won the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile en route to an Eclipse Award as outstanding 2-year-old male and Untapable won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on her way to champion 3-year-old filly honors. Tonalist won the 2014 Belmont Stakes to become Tapit’s first winner of a U.S. Triple Crown race. Tapit has six champions and 16 Grade/Group 1 winners among 46 career graded stakes winners from only eight crops of runners 3 years old and older. So … Mohaymen has that going for him.
The bottom half of Mohaymen’s pedigree is likewise special. His dam (mother) is Justwhistledixie, by Dixie Union. She won the Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes at a mile and the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss Stakes at 1 1/8 miles as a 3-year-old in 2009 and her very first foal to hit the racetrack was New Year’s Day, winner of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Mohaymen’s grandam (maternal grandmother), General Jeanne, was a winner at one mile who produced a pair of graded stakes winners and two other stakes-placed runners. His third dam (maternal great-grandmother), Ahpo Hel, produced five stakes winners, including Grade 2 winner Penny’s Reshoot and is responsible for graded stakes winners Smooth Air and Overdriven. This also is the family of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Shared Account.
Mohaymen’s pedigree figures to be a valuable asset as the tests become more difficult and longer on the road to the Kentucky Derby, he’s in very capable hands in McLaughlin and he appears to be improving with every race. What’s not to like?
2016 HOLY BULL STAKES

Video courtesy of Gulfstream Park