Mendelssohn Dials Back in Distance for Cigar Mile
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Photo: Patrick McCann/Racing Post
Mendelssohn in his stall at Ballydoyle
Globetrotting Mendelssohn will add another stamp to his passport with a visit to Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 1 for the $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
The Scat Daddy colt enters the Cigar Mile off a fifth in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, where he set a swift pace going 1 1/4 miles and stayed on strong at the end.
"We were delighted with his run in the Classic," trainer Aidan O'Brien said of the half brother to champion Beholder and leading sire Into Mischief . "And we're very happy with his work since."
Mendelssohn shipped to Belmont Park Nov. 27, and once he clears quarantine will be stabled at Aqueduct as he looks for his first grade 1 win on dirt.
"We always thought a mile would not be a problem to him," O'Brien said. "We have been very happy with the way he has developed from 2 to 3. He has usually been a good breaker and a good, strong traveler in his races."
Mendelssohn has traveled the world for Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith, posting wins in Ireland, Dubai, and the United States, highlighted by his November 2017 victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar and his 18 1/2-length romp in the UAE Derby Sponsored By Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2) at Meydan.
Following a troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), when he finished last of 20, the bay colt came in third in the Dwyer Stakes (G3), second in the Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1).
Trainer Chad Brown, who won the Cigar Mile in 2016 with Connect , will saddle a pair of strong contenders in this year's edition: grade 2 winner Patternrecognition and multiple grade 3 winner Timeline.
Patternrecognition, owned by Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, made his first graded start a winning one last time out with a powerful, frontrunning performance in the Sept. 22 Kelso Handicap (G2) and arrives on a two-race win streak after he took an Aug. 11 allowance/optional claimer going seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course. A $420,000 purchase from Ocala Stud's consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales 2015 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the Adios Charlie bay went unraced as a juvenile and a sophomore.
BALAN: Patternrecognition Wins Kelso in Stakes Debut
"It took him a while to develop, but he's turned into a nice horse," Brown said. "He just has to keep moving forward. It's a tough race, but he's a nice horse, and on his best day he's capable of being competitive in here. He does like Aqueduct, and it's part of the reason we pointed to this race."
A chestnut son of Hard Spun , Timeline has won five of 11 starts for Woodford Racing, including scores in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) and betfair.com Pegasus Stakes (G3) as part of a four-race win streak in 2017 as a 3-year-old.
The beaten favorite when fifth in the betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), Timeline closed his sophomore season with a seventh in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1). The Cigar Mile will mark his sixth start this year, a campaign highlighted by an allowance win in June at Belmont.
"He's had a couple of minor setbacks here and there, so we haven't raced him as much as we would have liked to, but he seems to be training well right now," Brown said. "At this stage of his career, it's a good test to see what we do going forward with him."
Copper Town, bred and co-owned by WinStar Farm, in partnership with China Horse Club, SF Racing, and Head of Plains Partners, arrives at the Cigar Mile on a three-race win streak for trainer Todd Pletcher.
The Speightstown bay hinted at potential stardom at third asking in October 2017 when he streaked to a 6 1/4-length score in a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Belmont. Following a one-year layoff, he showed no rust when he dusted a Keeneland optional-claiming allowance field by five lengths Oct. 13.
Pat On the Back carries local hopes for trainer Jeremiah Englehart and owners Harold Lerner, AWC Stables, and Nehoc Stables. The New York-bred boasts a 6-4-4 record from 21 starts and has $727,532 in earnings. He won a pair of restricted stakes this year, the Saginaw Stakes in July and the Empire Classic Handicap last time out.
"He's battled some foot issues all year long on both front feet, but this is probably the best he has been all year," Englehart said. "My blacksmith, Brad Dewey, has done a real nice job keeping him together."
The 4-year-old son of Congrats will step into grade 1 company for the first time Saturday but has kept good company in 2018, including a nose loss to grade 1 winner Diversify May 28 in the Commentator Stakes.
"I thought he really ran a tremendous race to lose against Diversify the way he did," Englehart said. "It showed he's more than just a horse that can race against New York-breds."
Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, December 01, 2018, Race 9Entries: Cigar Mile H. Presented by NYRA Bets (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Mendelssohn (KY)
Ryan L. Moore
118
Aidan P. O'Brien
2/1
2
2Sunny Ridge (NJ)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Jason Servis
9/2
3
3Pat On the Back (NY)
Dylan Davis
115
Jeremiah C. Englehart
15/1
4
4Stan the Man (KY)
Eric Cancel
113
John P. Terranova II
30/1
5
5Copper Town (KY)
Javier Castellano
116
Todd A. Pletcher
5/2
6
6True Timber (KY)
Joe Bravo
116
Kiaran P. McLaughlin
12/1
7
7Timeline (KY)
John R. Velazquez
117
Chad C. Brown
10/1
8
8Patternrecognition (FL)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Chad C. Brown
7/2
