Group 1 Winners Vettori Kin, Mekhtaal Meet in Nijinsky
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Photo: Coady Photography
Vettori Kin wins the Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs
Group 1 winner Mekhtaal will get his 2018 campaign underway July 22 when he starts in the $175,000 Nijinsky Stakes (G2T), facing seven foes in the 1 1/2-mile task over Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Owned by Al Shaqab Racing, the 5-year-old son of Sea The Stars was a multiple group winner in France, most notably taking the Prix d'Ispahan (G1) at Chantilly in May 2017. After shipping to North America last season, he finished 10th in both the Arlington Million XXXV Stakes (G1T) and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T).
"He came to me after the Arlington Million and I ran him the one time, and we ended up giving him the winter off so this would be his first start back since then," trainer Graham Motion said. "It's a little ambitious coming back and going a mile and a half in a stakes race, but this is obviously what he wants to do.
"I do worry a little bit from a fitness point of view. It's always tough coming back and running that kind of distance, but he's a classy horse and I think he's had about 10 pieces of work—two of which were on the Fair Hill steeplechase course. It's a pretty good workout where they have to travel uphill the last part of the work."
Mekhtaal has three wins from 11 starts, with $375,811 in earnings.
Among the contenders he will face is Vettori Kin, another international group 1 winner. Hailing from Brazil, the 5-year-old son of Vettori won the group 1 Grande Premio Derby Paulista at Cidade Jardim over the same surface and distance as the Nijinsky during his 3-year-old season. In his stateside campaign this year, he captured the May 19 Louisville Handicap (G3T) at Churchill Downs and ran fourth in the United Nations Stakes (G1T) at Monmouth Park for trainer Kenny McPeek.
The field also includes last year's Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T) winner Johnny Bear for the connections of Colebrook Farms and Bear Stables and Pumpkin Rumble, who was third in last year's Nijinsky. Pumpkin Rumble enters this year's edition off a runner-up performance in the June 23 Singspiel Stakes (G3T), which was won by the Motion-trained Shahroze.
Woodbine, Sunday, July 22, 2018, Race 8Entries: Nijinsky S. (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Final Copy (ON)
Rafael Manuel Hernandez
117
Roger L. Attfield
8/1
2
2Johnny Bear (ON)
Luis Contreras
123
Ashlee Brnjas
10/1
3
3Bangkok (ON)
Jerome Lermyte
117
W. Phillip Gracey
20/1
4
4Mekhtaal (GB)
Alan Garcia
123
H. Graham Motion
5/2
5
5Pumpkin Rumble (PA)
Eurico Rosa Da Silva
117
Kevin Attard
9/2
6
6Tiz a Slam (ON)
Steven Ronald Bahen
121
Roger L. Attfield
6/1
7
7Seeking Albert (ON)
David Moran
117
Michael P. De Paulo
20/1
8
8Vettori Kin (BRZ)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
121
Kenneth G. McPeek
2/1
