Strong Mandate Works Five-Eighths at Churchill
The headliner was Robert Baker and William Mack’s Strong Mandate, the winner of Saratoga’s Hopeful (GI) who breezed five furlongs for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in 1:01. The work by the son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Tiznow ranked as the fourth-fastest on 45 at distance on the busy Sunday beneath the Twin Spires.
Strong Mandate worked in company with 2-year-old stablemate Tall Boy, a 2-year-old maiden, and finished well clear of his workmate. Internal fractions for the work over a fast track were :12:60, :24.40 and :36.20 and Lukas was especially pleased by Strong Mandate’s strong finish.
“I let him run a little bit through the stretch,” Lukas said. “The first part was pretty easy and he actually went 5 ½ (furlongs). I let him gallop out a little bit. It was very nice – very impressive. He’s a very talented colt and I’m very excited about him – I’m really excited about him.”
Tall Boy completed his five furlong breeze in 1:02.60.
Lukas has set one objective for Strong Mandate prior to his trip to Santa Anita: the Foxwoods Champagne (GI) at Belmont Park on Oct. 5.
“He’ll have one more little breeze here and will ship either Sunday or Monday of next week,” Lukas said.
He has saddled four winners of the Kentucky Derby (GI) and the Kentucky Oaks, a record 14 winners of Triple Crown races, a record 19 winners of Breeders’ Cup races and 24 champion Thoroughbreds during his career, so Lukas clearly knows a good horse when he sees one. And the 78-year-old racing legend believes Strong Mandate is s special talent.
“It’s deceiving how efficient he is at getting over the ground,” he said. “You don’t think he’s going anywhere and he’s just waltzing away from horses. It’s very deceiving how light he is for a big horse.”
The Hopeful
victory came in Strong Mandate’s third start, all during the Saratoga
meet. After a fifth-place finish in his debut, he won his next outing
and then romped by 9 ¾ lengths in the Hopeful.
Donegal Racing’s 1-2 finishers in Churchill Downs’ Iroquois (GIII) on Sept. 7 – Cleburne and Smart Cover – also were out Sunday morning and each worked a half-mile for trainer Dale
Romans.
Unbeaten Iroquois winner Cleburne covered the distance in :47.80, which ranked fourth among 89 training moves at the distance. Cleburne’s work included internal fractions of :11.60 and :35 and the son of Dixie Union galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.
Smart Cover, a son of Any Given Saturday who finished a neck behind his stablemate in the Iroquois, covered his four furlongs in :48.60. Churchill Downs clockers recorded his internal fractions at :11:40 and :35.60 with a five-furlong gallop-out of 1:02.
“They’re both doing great,” Romans said. “There have been no problems (since the Iroquois). They’ve just been galloping and doing good.”
Cleburne earned a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile starting gate with his win in the Iroquois, which is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge series. Smart Cover is being pointed toward Keeneland’s $400,000-added Breeders’ Futurity (GI) over synthetic Polytrack on Oct. 5. The winner of that race also will secure a “Win and You’re In” berth in the Juvenile.