Connections take time to figure out Jim Dandy runner Mo Plex

Some horses are harder to figure out than others. Mo Plex, a New York-bred son of Complexity, has been complex.

Although he has hit the board in all eight starts, winning five of them and amassing $745,000 in earnings, his preferred distance and his talent level have been unclear to trainer Jeremiah Englehart, primary owner R & H Stable and partner Geoff Cannon.

“A lot of times with the young horses, you can tell they have the ability,” Englehart said. “Now you’ve got to try to figure out what they want to do with it. We’re still doing that.”

Because of a bizarre set of circumstances, it looks as though Mo will finally will get a shot against the biggest of the big boys after making half of his starts against state-breds. Plans call for him to oppose Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy on July 26 at Saratoga.

The youngster’s prospects changed when a case of strangles led Englehart’s Saratoga barn to be placed under quarantine, scrapping a planned start in the seven-furlong Mike Lee Stakes for state-breds on June 4.

“Obviously, the strangles outbreak we had put a damper to that. We had to scratch and come up with a Plan B,” Englehart recalled. “From a timing standpoint, I thought the Ohio Derby worked well for what we wanted to do and it would allow me to test the waters on two turns. It’s funny how stuff works out.”

The $45,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training emphatically answered the distance question that had been debated for so long with a decisive two-length victory against Chunk of Gold in the 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby (G3) on June 21 at Thistledown. Chunk of Gold had run ninth in the Kentucky Derby.

Richard Higgins, who forms four-horse R & H Stable with long-time friend Howard Read, admitted he had been a doubter when it came to the 3-year-old’s ability to sustain his speed.

“Complexity was basically a miler, so we had that prejudice in our heads that really wasn’t dispelled until the Ohio Derby,” Higgins said. “Maybe Howard and I had a misconception. We always thought he was seven-eighths or a miler. Jeremiah always said, ‘No, I think he can go longer.’ ”

Higgins acknowledged that they always preferred to err on the side of caution in managing Mo Plex, even though he overpowered state-breds by 10 lengths in his debut last June at Belmont at the Big A and defeated open company in the Sanford (G3) on July 13 at Saratoga. Two more outings against state-breds were sandwiched around a third-place effort in the one-turn Champagne (G1) last October.

“We never really wanted to push him too much,” Higgins explained. “We love the New York stakes races.” Since Higgins is from Saratoga Springs and Read calls nearby Albany home, they are extremely familiar with the lucrative New York program and have enjoyed success there through approximately 25 years as owners.

Did the Champagne give the connections reason to consider placing Mo Plex on the Triple Crown trail? “For me, personally, there was,” Englehart said.

R & H Stable did not care to be so adventurous with the best horse it has ever owned. They were not all that interested in attempting one of the Derby prep races, knowing how rigorous the Triple Crown trail can be.

“I thought the owners did a really good job of mapping out what they wanted to do. At the time, it didn’t seem that it was of big importance to them,” Englehart said. “They stuck with their ideas, and I’m fine with the route he has taken so far.”

Despite interest from investors in Japan and Saudi Arabia in purchasing Mo Plex, the owners are steadfast in their desire to retain him.

“We’re not in this game for money,” Higgins said. “When you’ve got something this special, I don’t think there is a number we would consider.”