Mind Your Biscuits Wins the Malibu Stakes
Mind Your Biscuits, fresh off of his placing in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, came west again in his second straight start to secure his first Gr1 win today in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes. It was also the first Gr1 win for his 22-year-old trainer Robert Falcone Jr.
Since joining trainer Robert Falcone Jr. this season, Mind Your Biscuits has taken his game, and his trainer, to a new level. This New York-bred colt has risen the ranks this season that started in his seasonal bow where he broke his maiden in his fifth try. Then it was a 3rd place finish in allowance company at Belmont Park on Kentucky Derby day. From there he won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes and finished 5th in the Grade 1 Kings’ Bishop at Saratoga. In his race prior to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the son of Posse finished 2nd in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx.
A field of nine went postward today and Mind Your Biscuits, breaking from post position two, surprisingly was sent off as the lukewarm second choice at 7-2 behind Ten Blessings who was made the 8-5 favorite. The start was good for all, and away the best was Jazzy Times, with Sharp Azteca also away quickly but content to track the early pacesetter through the first quarter in 22.16. Mind You Biscuits saved ground along the rail in fourth, about two lengths back.
As the leaders passed the half mile pole it was Sharp Azteca grabbing the lead from Jazzy Times. Mind Your Biscuits moved into third as jockey Joel Rosario shook the reins and the pair started to cut into the three length deficit they faced nearing the turn for the wire. Sharp Azteca made the turn for home under left handed urging from jockey Edgard Zayas, but Joel Rosario and Mind Your Biscuits continued to narrow the gap and were bearing down on the outside and with a right handed reminder, Mind Your Biscuits grabbed the lead in the final 50 yards to win by a half-length. Sharp Azteca, off at 4-1, ran well in defeat, it was another 2 ¼ lengths back to the favorite, Ten Blessings, who was third.
For Mind Your Biscuits, this was his 4th win from 13 lifetime starts. His career record now stands at 13-4-4-3 and with the $180,000 winner’s check, his earnings ballooned to $675,366 for owners J Stables, Head of Plains Partners, LLC, or Summers, et al.
After the race Rosario talked about his trip out to California for the mount saying, “It’s worth the trip. Not a bad afternoon. It is always fun coming out here. I was a little concerned in the stretch. We were closer than we have ever been before. They were smoking up front. We got a little late kick and he took off.”
Trainer Robert Falcone Jr. understandably excited after the race, talked about his charge saying, “This is great for him. He bounced out of the Breeders’ Cup great, and he gets over the track so well. He just proved today, again, that he’s a great horse. He’s a real nice horse. It feels great.”
As for Mor Spirit – making his first start since his 10th place finish in the Kentucky Derby – he was third to last turning for home and ran on well, but was never a threat to the top three while finishing fourth, 1 ¾ lengths behind Ten Blessings. Mike Smith was aboard and felt the race will serve Mor Spirit well saying, “He got knocked around a little bit leaving the chute, then after that it was hard to catch them. He kept coming, but they didn’t stop. He’ll get a lot out of that.”
Final time for this seven-furlong test was 120.81. The winner paid a nice $9.40, $5.00, and $3.20. Sharp Azteca paid $5.00 and $3.40, while Ten Blessings returned $2.40 to show. The on-track crowd today at Santa Anita was a whopping 46,514.