Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Mendelssohn gets on track
Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 5 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space.
After travel complications to Louisville, then two more days in quarantine at Churchill Downs, Mendelssohn’s head traveling lad — as they call them in Europe — joked that the 2018 Kentucky Derby contender “handled it a lot better than I did.”
Mendelssohn and his Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemates finally made it to the track, going out together at 7:45 a.m. Thursday, just as the training window exclusive to Derby and Kentucky Oaks horses ended. They walked the track in reverse, then came back around counter clockwise in a jog.
Early reviews were positive.
“I just wanted to get him out there and stretch his legs. We’re very happy,” said Keating, adding that, “He’s very good — a straightforward horse with no problems.”
But the dominant UAE Derby and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner sports quite a personality. He bucked and, a few times, let out a shriek of sorts that’s typical for the son of Scat Daddy.
Were he not a $3 million purchase, perhaps Mendelssohn would have already been gelded.
“My wife and I said we’d never go to the Derby unless we bred something or raced something capable of running,” said Clarkland Farm’s Fred Mitchell, who was on hand Thursday.
Mitchell bred Mendelssohn. He was at Churchill Downs with Matt Ernst, who foaled the star colt, made the 5-1 second morning line choice for the Kentucky Derby.
Out of the mare Leslie’s Lady, Mendelssohn is a half brother to the champion Beholder. His dam also in recent days foaled a new filly by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
“He had such a gorgeous eye on him that he was unbelievable,” Mitchell remembered of Mendelssohn. “He looked like a classy horse, but who knows?”
After winning the Juvenile Turf, Mendelssohn made his 2018 debut on synthetic. But when given the chance to run on dirt — he’s bred for it, after all — the Coolmore charge broke a Meydan track record for 1 3/16 miles and won the UAE Derby by 18 1/2 lengths.
“When they put him on the dirt, he explodes,” Mitchell said. “He looked like he just skipped over it this morning.”
While the “Apollo Curse” and Derby favorite Justify’s quest to end it has stolen Derby headlines, Mendelssohn stands to become the first European-based contender to wear roses.
Mendelssohn arrived to Churchill Downs late Monday, about four hours behind schedule. A paperwork issue forced his flight to reroute from Louisville to Indianapolis, with a van ride South the final leg of the trip.
Otherwise, to see the track for the same time so close to a race is par for the course.
“It’s traditional for him,” Ernst said. “It’s non-traditional for everyone else.”
O’Brien is expected at Churchill Downs on Friday, opting to attend the Kentucky Derby rather than the Qipco 2,000 Guineas, a Derby sort of equivalent on the European turf.
Derby links
Savvas Lopez, an overseas racing researcher with a penchant for handicapping Dubai’s races, went in depth on Mendelssohn’s UAE Derby victory, showing why it may measure up to the biggest American preps.
Want the latest on the other 19 Kentucky Derby contenders? Churchill Downs sends out an exhaustive update on morning training activity with thoughts from connections. Here’s Wednesday’s edition.
HRN pace expert Reinier Macatangay — given the Derby draw to work with — predicted the Derby’s 1-20 finishers in his latest piece, reasoning how post positions and early fractions may influence the order.
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