Cavorting to Distaff, Mohaymen Gets Time Off

The morning after Cavorting added another impressive Saratoga Race Course victory to her résumé in the Aug. 27 Personal Ensign (gr. I), trainer Kiaran McLaughlin lavished praise on the 4-year-old filly.

Stonestreet Stables' Cavorting rallied from last to first to win the 1 1/8-mile test by a half-length over favored Curalina, to keep her perfect Saratoga record intact. She won the Adirondack (gr. II) in 2014 and Test (gr. I) and Prioress (gr. II) in 2015.

"She's a top filly. She's definitely one of the best fillies I've ever trained, if not the best filly," said McLaughlin, whose three filly champions include Lahudood, the top turf female of 2007, and Questing, the top 3-year-old filly of 2012. "To win graded stakes at 2, 3, and 4 is quite impressive."

MITCHELL: Cavorting on Top in Personal Ensign

McLaughlin credited jockey Javier Castellano for his ride on the daughter of Bernardini  . Castellano rode her only once before, a win in the Ruffian (gr. II) May 14, and was able to settle her into a comfortable rhythm before swinging outside for the winning stretch drive.

"She broke on the lead, and he grabbed her and got her back, and saved ground around the first turn. It was an excellent ride," the trainer said. "He helped us from the beginning taking her back in the Ruffian. It was a great race."

The Personal Ensign was a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Distaff (gr. I, and gave Cavorting an all-fees-paid trip to Santa Anita Park in November. McLaughlin said the Beldame Invitational (gr. I) Oct. 1 at Belmont Park and the Spinster (gr. I) Oct. 9 at Keeneland are among the options in between.

"We'll probably just go to the Breeders' Cup. We're not sure," he said. "The Beldame is there and the Spinster is there, but probably just to the Breeders' Cup."

McLaughlin continues to be mystified by Shadwell Stable's multiple grade II winner Mohaymen, who finished 11th of 12 as the second choice in the Ketel One King's Bishop (gr. I). The seven-furlong King's Bishop represented a cutback in distance for the 3-year-old Tapit   colt, who has lost four straight starts after opening his career with five consecutive victories.

"I really feel bad for the horse, because he's a top horse and one of my favorites. Since the Florida Derby, it just seems like it's gone not so well," McLaughlin said. "He can't talk, but I feel a burden on my shoulders, as I really love the horse. He's a quality animal—great pedigree, great mind. He can't talk to me, but he's always not looked like I want him to look, like something isn't quite 100%. All of our horses carry more weight than that."

Mohaymen will be sent to Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Farm near Lexington and likely get the rest of the year off before returning as a 4-year-old.

"Many times, from 3 to 4, stopping on them—we've seen a different horse come back to us," McLaughlin said. "So, (Shadwell vice president and general manger) Rick Nichols asked me to send him home as soon as we could. I think that'll be huge, to just give him a break. We'll go over him good and then the break will help him a lot."