Mister Mardi Gras Works to Defend Mystic Lake Mile

Lothenbach Stable’s veteran campaigner and Arlington International Racecourse favorite Mister Marti Gras indicated his fitness with a sharp :48 bullet half (best of 28) on Friday morning.  The 7-year-old gelding is exiting a superb runner-up performance in the May 24 Grade III Hanshin Cup at a flat mile, the same race in which he finished second in 2013.  The work Friday morning was the second consecutive sharp move since that race, as he also worked in :48 on June 7 – good for fourth-best of 61 works.

Trainer Chris Block indicated that the long-striding, tall chestnut will be aimed toward a similar campaign in 2014.  Next up will be a defense of the $100,000 Mystic Lake Mile on July 12 at Canterbury Park – a race he won with aplomb at 3-5 in 2013.  The Mystic Lake Mile is contested over the turf, though it was rained off that surface last year.  The goal after the Minnesota trip is to return to Arlington and take aim on a second victory and fourth attempt in the Grade III $150,000 Washington Park Handicap on Aug. 30.

In 2011, the son of Belong to Me won the local main track event by a neck over Workin For Hops before finishing second in the 2012 edition to Middie and fourth in 2013 behind fellow Arlington veteran Willcox Inn.  This year, after two subpar performances in Louisiana, the veteran showed his old self in the Hanshin, posting a solid 110 Equibase Speed Figure.  In a 38-race career, Mister Marti Gras has finished in the top three 24 times, including nine wins – four of which have been stakes – for earnings of $1,033,044.