Imperial Hint Sets Track Record with Vanderbilt Win
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Joe Labozzetta
Imperial Hint repeats in the Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga Race Course
Raymond Mamone's Imperial Hint entered the July 27 $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course with two goals: to defend his title in the six-furlong sprint and to earn his first victory in just shy of ten months.
Winless in his first two starts of the season, it seemed somewhat unlikely that the 6-year-old son of Imperialism would be able to repeat in the same kind of dominating performance that earned him his 2018 Vanderbilt laurels. Saturday's field, though short, was talented-packed.
But Imperial Hint was playing to win.
In what was quite possibly the best performance in an already impressive career, the dark bay left the New York crowd in awe when he made a three-wide surge on the turn that sent him sailing across the wire in a blistering final time of 1:07.92—a new track record for six furlongs at the Spa.
"When I looked at the times, my hairs stood up," said trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. "Last year, he gave me my first grade 1, and this year he breaks the track record. It's an amazing feeling, especially with (my) family here. He has a lot of heart, every time he works he has bullet works. It's not like I want to work bullet works, but he does it himself."
Champion sprinter Speightstown had tied for the previous track record of 1:08.04 when winning the 2004 Vanderbilt. The original record had been set 32 years earlier by Spanish Riddle in 1972.
"He's an amazing horse. He did it again," said jockey Javier Castellano. "It's very impressive. He did this last year in the same race. It's unbelievable. He's a very good horse and I always have a lot of confidence in him. He's a little horse with a big heart. He's not a huge horse, but he has a lot of talent."
Strike Power broke on top and was pressed early by Mitole, who made brief contact with the side stall before moving up to challenge the leader on the rail. Imperial Hint settled just off the leaders in third, biding his time while Mitole and Strike Power battled for control.
Under light coaxing from Castellano, Imperial Hint advanced steadily on the leaders through the turn and kicked it into high gear at the five-sixteenths pole. Swinging out four wide at the top of the stretch, Imperial Hint drew clear of the frontrunners by 3 1/2 lengths. Last-out Smile Sprint Stakes (G3) winner Diamond Oops made his own wide move from the rear of the pack to challenge a hard-running Mitole who weakened in the final strides and dropped back to third.
Imperial Hint crossed the wire unchallenged, four lengths clear of Diamond Oops. Mitole took third, a loss that a snapped the Steve Asmussen-trainee's seven-race win streak.
"The track inside wasn't too good for us with the post and the weight," said jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. of Mitole. "My horse ran hard. He's a hard-trying horse. I just took my chance, but we'll see him in the next race."
"I knew they were going pretty quick early in the first part of the race," said Castellano. "I had a perfect position in the race tracking them. Turning for home, the way he did it was very impressive. He wanted to go. He was feeling good and gave me everything he had today."
Firenze Fire, Strike Power, and Do Share completed the order of finish.
"We were worried a little bit. Mitole is a very nice horse," said Carvajal Jr. "He won all of those races in a row (seven). It's an amazing feeling. I couldn't believe what was going on around the turn, but he's a really good horse. He has a lot of heart. He doesn't have a big body, but he has a lot of heart.
"I've got to give credit to owner Raymond Mamone. He had a feeling that he was going to do well in this race, even though we thought he was a little short because we lost a week of training with the weather back in New Jersey, but he was right. This horse keeps surprising me and surprising everybody."
Bred in Florida by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Imperial Hint was the fifth and final foal produced by the winning Lahint mare Royal Hint. He holds a 13-2-3 record from 22 starts and total purse earnings of $2,034,155.