Horses to Watch: Mutamakina one to follow after nightmare trip
In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson will share promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.
New to the Watch List
Luck Money
It can be difficult for 3-year-olds to step up and beat older rivals running long on turf, yet that’s exactly what Luck Money did in Saturday’s 1 1/2-mile Zagora Stakes at Belmont Park.
An improving daughter of Lookin At Lucky trained by Arnaud Delacour, Luck Money has shown steady improvement in recent months. After finishing third behind Grade 1 performers Micheline and Harvey’s Lil Goil in the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Oaks, Luck Money posted a sharp allowance win racing 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland, settling in mid-pack before finishing fast to win by three-quarters of a length.
But Luck Money elevated her game to a new level in the Zagora. Racing over a yielding turf course, Luck Money settled about 2 1/2 lengths behind the early tempo, gradually edging closer while racing outside of rivals. Turning for home, she pounced to the lead and opened up a clear advantage before digging deep to defeat the talented 4-year-old Hungry Kitten by a neck.
Luck Money clearly enjoyed stretching out in distance, and now that she’s proven her worth against older rivals, there’s no telling how high she might ascend. I’m optimistic Luck Money will enjoy a productive 2021 campaign, with a graded stakes triumph (or multiple!) in her future.
As much as I liked Luck Money’s effort in the Zagora, I believe Mutamakina was the best horse on the day and an unlucky loser. A British-bred 4-year-old, Mutamakina was making her U.S. debut for trainer Christophe Clement after competing admirable against tough company in France. Last year, Mutamakina finished a game second against males in the 1 1/2-mile Prix Niel (G2), beaten only by future Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner Sottsass.
That promising form line stamped Mutamakina as a 5-2 favorite to prevail in the Zagora, but unfortunately she endured a nightmare trip. At first, her journey was perfect — Mutamakina settled comfortably along the rail in third place, saving ground over the yielding course. But rounding the final turn, Mutamakina became trapped behind the tiring pacesetter and was forced to take up hard, dropping all the way back to eighth place at the top of the stretch.
Such a disheartening turn of events would have discouraged many horses, but Mutamakina refused to concede, re-rallying relentlessly to finish third by just half a length. She was flying at the finish and surely would have won in a few more strides; had she gotten a clean run around the far turn, she might have dominated the race.
Suffice to say, this was a promising stateside debut for Mutamakina, and I’m excited to see how she progresses in 2021. Though she failed to win at the group stakes level in France, I suspect Mutamakina will find the task easier here on the other side of the pond. If she gets back to the form of her 2019 Prix Niel effort, Mutamakina can emerge as North America’s dominant mare running long on turf.
Worth Another Try
Parnelli
The third time wasn’t quite the charm for Parnelli. After finishing second in his first two starts, the 2-year-old son of Quality Road claimed the runner-up spot yet again in a 1-mile maiden special weight on Sunday at Del Mar.
But although he was beaten, it’s hard to knock Parnelli’s performance. On a day when the track was slow, Parnelli carved out solid splits of :22.57, :47.27, and 1:12.06 while closely pursued by Spielberg, a Bob Baffert trainee exiting placed efforts in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and American Pharoah (G1). While Spielberg ultimately prevailed as the 9-10 favorite, Parnelli was game to the finish line, finishing just a neck behind while pulling 8 1/4 lengths clear of the rest.
Trained by John Shirreffs, Parnelli hasn’t developed a winning instinct yet, but he’s slowly progressing in the right direction. He’s bred to improve with maturity, so I’ll keep Parnelli on my watch list and assume his best efforts are still to come.
Here is my complete, updated Watch List.