Saratoga: Mythical is 3-for-3 after winning Adirondack Stakes

Mythical, the last-out winner of the listed Tremont vs. males, validated that performance with an impressive win vs. her own kind Sunday. She remained undefeated by winning by 3 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3, $175,000 Adirondack Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for five 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga.

Arindel’s Florida homebred trained by Jorge Delgado, the St Patrick’s Day bay wired the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont on June 5 by 3 1/2 lengths over Blinging It Back after a dominant pacesetting debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden tilt in April at Gulfstream Park.

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Mythical showed she was the real deal when adding another furlong Sunday, and she may target seven furlongs next in the Spinaway (G1) on Aug. 30 at the Spa. That race offers a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31 at Del Mar. 

"Most likely, 99%,” Delgado said. “God willing, knocking on wood, everything goes good after this race, and she comes back sound. ... I think she will adjust to whatever you want her to do. Today was 6 1/2. We knew she needed to go from the very beginning. Maybe for the seven furlongs we can restrict her and try to stretch out a little more and find a way to relax her in the beginning. It’s going to be a tough task, but I think she’s smart enough to learn everything you want to teach her.”

Piloted by regular rider Emisael Jaramillo, Mythical exited the inside post smoothly to take command while pressured mildly by stutter-stepping New York-bred Angel Gift and Spa Prospector through an opening quarter-mile in 21.99 seconds on the fast main track.

“No problem in the gate. She is very good,” Jaramillo said. “This filly is very good. She is very classy.”

Mythical widened the gap back to Angel Gift and Spa Prospector in the turn and was all alone at the top of the lane after posting a sharp half-mile in 44.86 seconds. Meringue, who was last early, jostled for position between rivals when straightened for home as Spa Prospector drifted out, all while Mythical built a 5 1/2-length advantage by the stretch call.

Flavien Prat-piloted Meringue found clear sailing in the final furlong, but Mythical’s lead was far too great after three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.20. She cruised home a much-the-best winner with a final time of 1:17.20. 

Meringue was second with Spa Prospector and Tiz in Sight completing the superfecta. Angel Gift rounded out the order of finish. Iron Orchard was scratched.

Mythical’s final time was faster than Ewing’s winning 1:18.03 in Saturday’s Saratoga Special (G2) as well as Ted Noffey’s 1:17.56 in the Whitney day opener, both turned in by well-regarded juvenile colts. 

“They tried to go for it in the beginning, but when you see the fractions going 22 and 44 compared to the horses yesterday, two good horses, she went a second less than the boys,” Delgado said. “I would say the track is a little bit heavier today than yesterday after the first few races. She did really good.”

Delgado added that Mythical showed talent from day 1. 

“Before she won the first race, she breezed one day at Gulfstream, and I knew she was special,” Delgado said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to train a few good horses in the past years, and she showed me right away, ‘I’m one.’ ”

Arindel’s Brian Cohen said the connections will do right by the horse and make sure all is well before committing to the Spinaway. 

“She ran so hard today, in the back of our heads we’re thinking Spinaway, but we’ll see how she comes out of it,” Cohen said. “I’m not putting that for sure, because she went pretty fast early, and we’ll see how she comes back, and we’ll do what’s best for her. We go up in caliber of horses we’re going to face at this point.”

Prat said it did not help when Rudy Brisset-trained Meringue, making her dirt debut after winning a turf, maiden sprint in her lone outing June 19 at Churchill Downs, bobbled at the start and broke outwardly. 

“When she got on the inside, she took the dirt well and made a good run,” Prat said. “I would imagine more distance would be better for her, and she’ll stretch out well.”

Mythical, out of winning Brethren mare Lailoni, banked $96,250 in victory while improving her record to 3-for-3 and returning $3.80 for a $2 win bet as the post-time favorite. Her second dam, New York-bred Dat You Miz Blue, won the 2001 Vagrancy Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park, part of a 33: 14-9-4 record.