Spa roundup: Mullikin, Society, Far Bridge win early Grade 1s

Post-time favorite Mullikin lived up to his 8-5 odds in a big way when drawing clear to an easy victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses at Saratoga.

Owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, the dark bay Violence 4-year-old provided conditioner Rodolphe Brisset with the first Grade 1 victory of his career that began in 2017. Mullikin also doubled up on graded scores after a tidy 1 1/2-length annexing of the John A. Nerud (G2) on July 6 at Belmont at the Big A.

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An emotional Brisset, who saddled World Record to finish a pacesetting sixth in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) in the following race, said he would withhold his celebrations until the day’s work was done.

“I can enjoy it, but I can only half enjoy it, because we still have another one,” Brisset said. “Everything went smooth. He was good in the gate. He broke like a rocket. Everything went our way, and he was pretty impressive. Obviously, if I let go, I am going to cry.”

Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm, said it is meaningful to share in the milestone with Brisset, who has worked alongside the farm for several years.

“It is really special,” Walden said. “Rudy has been a really big part of our team since he went out on his own. It is great for him. ... That was amazing. He’s a really unbelievable horse. He’s been great all year and he just keeps getting better.”

Mullikin, under the expert guidance of red-hot Flavien Prat, broke sharply from post 5 in the seven-horse field and rocketed to the front. Often prominent Cagliostro was unable to assume his usual position at the front after a bad stumble from the outer post, trailing in last of seven as Mullikin marked an opening quarter-mile in 22.46 seconds over the fast main track.

“He was good (in the gate). At that point, he jumped so well there was no overthinking, the way he broke,” Prat said. “He just took the lead and was traveling very well all the way around and kept going on.”

Irad Ortiz Jr.-piloted Angkor kept close watch from second up the backstretch while Twisted Ride raced in tandem with Gun Pilot three lengths back. Mullikin showed no signs of regression into the turn and lengthened his advantage as Twisted Ride was asked for his best and Gun Pilot got going under Cristian Torres after the half-mile elapsed in 44.88 seconds.

Prat said he was a touch surprised to find himself alone on the lead.

“I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. It felt like on paper there could have been some speed with me, but the way he broke, he got a half a length or a length on everybody out of the gate,” Prat said. “After that I just got myself in the clear, and he was traveling very well the whole way around.”

Mullikin kicked well clear at the top of the lane as Twisted Ride retreated, and Gun Pilot took second from Angkor. Prat needed only to shake his reins and give a few right-handed taps with the crop for Mullikin to put 4 1/2 lengths between him and Gun Pilot. There were no tense moments for Mullikin as he put an emphasis on his dominance by extending his margin to 5 3/4 lengths at the wire, stopping the clock in 1:21.75.

Gun Pilot finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Angkor, who tenaciously held show honors by three-quarters of a length over hard-luck Cagliostro. Full Screen, Baby Yoda and Twisted Ride completed the order of finish. Run Classic was scratched.

The win was the 13th stakes victory of the meet for Prat, who rode Mullikin to his last-out Nerud coup. The veteran rider said as impressive as Mullikin was last time, he was even more so today.

“I thought last time was good, but today was something else,” Prat said. “He’s got a great attitude, and he seems like he’s enjoying himself. He’s going in the right direction.”

Torres, who also guided Gun Pilot to victory in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) in May, said the colt trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen lost nothing in defeat.

“I had a great trip. Everything went the way we planned it. We broke from the one hole, just break and let him sit,” Torres said. “I knew there was going to be plenty of speed. (Mullikin) is a nice horse, and they were going to the lead pretty fast. I just wanted my horse to finish, and then he responded really well when I asked him to do so. He finished up really nice.”

Walden added a logical target for Mullikin is likely the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“I hope so,” he said. “We’ll see. We will talk to Rudy and figure it out.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich and John Fielding, Mullikin banked $275,000 in victory while improving his lifetime record to 9: 5-3-0. Mullikin was a $500,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale and is out of Grade 3-placed Congrats mare Tulira’s Star. He returned $5.30 on a $2 win ticket. 

Society pounces to take Ballerina

Kentucky homebred Society tracked Munnys Gold’s early speed and had plenty in reserve in the stretch, drawing away for an impressive 3 1/4-length score in the $500,000 Ballerina Handicap (G1), a seven-furlong, main-track race for fillies and mares, 3 and up.

Society, rated comfortably by jockey Tyler Gaffalione, earned Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his third Ballerina win overall and his second in a row while garnering an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Making just the second start of her 5-year-old campaign for owner Peter Blum following a third-place effort in the Chicago (G3) in June at Churchill Downs, Society broke alertly from post 4 and stayed in second position behind pacesetter Munnys Gold, who led the seven-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 22.65 seconds and the half in 44.82 over the fast track.

In the Chicago, Society finished 1 1/2 lengths behind even-money Ballerina favorite Vahva after setting the pace and exchanging bumps with the winner in the stretch. But Gaffalione helped ensure a similar trip would not play out, tipping out his charge on the backstretch, maintaining that running room and setting her down in the stretch, kicking clear of second-place finisher Scylla to complete the course with a 1:22.00 final time.

Vahva finished third, 1 1/2 lengths clear of Positano Sunset. Shidabhuti, Chi Town Lady and Munnys Gold completed the order of finish. Accede scratched.

Off at 7-2, Society returned $9.40 on a $2 win bet and improved her career earnings to $1,839,535. The daughter of the Asmussen-trained Hall of Famer Gun Runner registered her second career Grade 1 win to join her 2022 Cotillion effort. She also earned the right for a return Breeders’ Cup appearance, which includes a seventh-place effort in the 2022 Distaff at Keeneland and last year’s fourth-place result in the Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

“The filly I think that we’ve relaxed with who she is. Been very direct with what races we are going to run her in, and I think that gives her just a little bit more confidence,” said Asmussen, who first won this race with Lady Tak in 2004 before Echo Zulu won it last year. “I think age and patience and stuff (improved her). She’s just a beautiful filly that we are very fortunate to have to race.”

Society has faced top-flight competition most of her career, taking on 2022 and 2023 champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive, 2022 champion 3-Year-Old filly Nest and 2021 and 2022 dual champion female Malathaat. But Gaffalione helped lead her to the winner’s circle for the first time since that Pink Ribbon effort almost one year later to the day.

“This is a free-running filly. I just try to stay out of her way and get along with her,” Gaffalione said. “Steve knows her best, and that’s kind of been the plan all along with her, so just try and get along. She’s always had this kind of effort in her. Just got a little unlucky last year, but we’ve always maintained confidence in her, and she proved us right today.”

Juddmonte homebred Scylla, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, never has finished off the board, moving to 9: 5-3-1. She won the first three starts of her 4-year-old campaign before running second in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) this month at Del Mar. Scylla made another strong account of herself in the Ballerina with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano back in the irons.

“I really liked the ways she did it,” Castellano said. “She’s a come-from-behind horse and they went in 22 and 44, but they never came back to me. She fought hard. I’m very proud, very satisfied with her. You can see the fractions. I thought the race set up for her, but unfortunately, she was second-best today.”

Vahva, a 4-year-old Gun Runner bay, had won four of her last five starts for trainer Cherie DeVaux including the Derby City Distaff (G1) in May and the Chicago. Her sophomore campaign ended with wins in last August’s Charles Town Oaks (G3) and October’s Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland.

“She ran good. It was hard to make up ground today,” Vahva’s rider Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “I was following the winner. I could never get out of there and ended up on the rail. I don’t think there was any excuse today.”

Far Bridge upsets Godolphin in Sword Dancer

Far Bridge, under a masterful ride from Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, made every pole a winning one to capture the $750,000 Sword Dancer (G1)

The 1 1/2-mile, inner-turf test for older horses provided the Christophe Clément-trained English Channel colt a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Four-year-old Far Bridge utilized a front-running approach for the first time in his 12th career start as Rosario returned to the irons aboard the talented bay for the first time since a runner-up effort in June 2023 in the Pennine Ridge (G2) at Belmont Park.

Rosario said he felt comfortable on the lead in front of the well-backed Godolphin duo Measured Time and Silver Knott.

“It looked like one of the two Godolphin horses would go to the lead. I broke good and just took advantage of that, let him be happy there, and he did all the work. It worked out,” Rosario said. “He was going very nice, very relaxed. He set his own pace, and when I called on him to go, he was there for me. He ran a big race.”

Far Bridge broke alertly from post 2 of five and showed the way through splits of 24.86, 50.92 and 1:17.21 over the firm footing in front of the Charlie Appleby-trained pair of Silver Knott in second and ground-saving Measured Time in third.

Flavien Prat asked Silver Knott to take on the leader into the final turn as William Buick angled Measured Time off the rail to launch his bid to get within a head through 1 1/4 miles in 2:06.39, but Rosario still had plenty of horse and continued to find more down the lane.

Measured Time, last-out winner of the Manhattan (G1) at Saratoga, spun wide into the stretch run but quickly was straightened and took dead aim at Far Bridge as Silver Knott, who entered with three straight Grade 2 wins, stayed on.

But neither could threaten game and determined Far Bridge, who crossed the wire a one-length winner over Measured Time with a final time of 2:29.51. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to Silver Knott in third with Pioneering Spirit and Grand Sonata rounding out the order of finish. Clément-trained Solider Rising was scratched.

The victory provided Clément a record-extending fifth Sword Dancer score following past success with Gufo in 2021 and 2022 with Rosario aboard, Winchester in 2011 and Honor Glide in 1999.

Clement said Far Bridge can be a tricky horse to ride but appeared to thrive while dictating terms on the hedge.

“At the end of the day he has always worked well when he is on the rail. He never does anything wrong,” Clément said. “Every time he comes off the rail, he is a little bit all over the place. On paper we didn't think there was much pace. The idea was to break in front or right behind Godolphin. He took the lead, and nobody bothered him. He rode a great race.”

Buick said Measured Time was hampered by the moderate tempo set by Far Bridge.

"The winner got the run of the race up front,” Buick said. “My horse was probably doing a little bit too much. He might just be a mile-and-a-quarter horse, my horse.”

Far Bridge, bred and initially campaigned by Calumet Farm, launched his career with Clément with a pair of wins at Gulfstream Park early last year before being purchased privately and transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. He made five starts for Pletcher, including a victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) in July 2023 before re-joining the Clément stable for his current campaign.

“I am thrilled, and it is a great story,” Clément said. “That horse I trained him early on, he left us, and he came back, and I am thrilled that he is back in the barn. I love that race. I have been lucky in that race with Gufo. It is great. Let’s enjoy it and go from there.”

Far Bridge won his seasonal debut in March at Gulfstream Park but was winless in three starts since, including a third to Measured Time in the Manhattan.

Kentucky-bred Far Bridge banked $412,500 while improving his record to 12: 5-3-2. He returned $18.40 for a $2 win bet. In victory he maintained a perfect in-the-money record of 3: 1-0-2 over the Spa turf, all in Grade 1 events.