Making turf debut, Mutasaabeq overpowers the field in Bourbon
Shadwell Stable’s Mutasaabeq, last at the top of the stretch in the field of 11, rocketed to the front at the sixteenth pole and cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory in the 30th running of the $200,000 Bourbon (G2) for 2-year-olds and earn a spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run at a mile at Keeneland Nov. 6.
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Luis Saez, Mutasaabeq covered the 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:43.13 in his grass debut. It is the fifth victory in the Bourbon for Pletcher, whose other winners are Twilight Meteor (2006), Bittel Road (2008), Interactif (2009) and Current (2018).
Into the Sunrise emerged with the lead in the run to the first turn and set fractions of :22.62, :47.09 and 1:12.24 while Saez waited at the back.
Mutasaabeq shifted to the outside on the far turn, entered the stretch eight wide and quickly picked off rivals before overtaking Into the Sunrise inside the sixteenth pole and drawing off.
A Keeneland November Breeding StockSale graduate, Mutasaabeq is a Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario. The victory was worth $120,000 and increased his earnings to $189,600 with a record of 3-2-0-1.
Mutasaabeq made his two previous starts sprinting on the dirt. After a debut win at Saratoga going 5 1/2 furlongs, he came back to be a well-beaten third in the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) won by Jackie's Warrior.
“His maiden win was very impressive and his gate work prior to his maiden win was as good as any 2-year-old we’ve had at Saratoga ever," Pletcher said. "We felt that the Hopeful (G1), they kind of ran away from him and he couldn’t really close the way we hoped he would. Kind of looking into his pedigree, the Into Mischief’s run on anything.”
Sent off as the favorite, Mutasaabeq paid $6, $3.80 and $3.60. Abarta rallied for second under Umberto Rispoli to return $10.60 and $7.60. Nathan Detroit finished another three-quarters of a length back in third under Julien Leparoux and paid $7.60 to show.
It was another head back to Into the Sunrise, who was followed in order by Arrest Me Red, Private Island, Spyglass, Barrister Tom, Blame the Booze, Indy Tourist and Really Slow.