Quality Road’s Spiced Up Flies Late to Take Mahony

[Wandering Eyes]

Juddmonte's Spiced Up took advantage of a quick early pace to close from well off of it and take Sunday's Saratoga feature, the GIII Mahony Stakes.

Given a 9-2 chance with Junior Alvarado in the saddle, the sophomore was settled back early as Ortley Avenue (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) and Gabaldon (Gone Astray) exchanged blows up front, carving out a crisp opening quarter in :21.15. Still several lengths to make up through a half in :43.71, the bay seemingly had a lot left to do straightening for home. Rallying with purpose down the lane, the son of Quality Road got up in the final strides to best 1-2 favorite Governor Sam by two lengths. No Evidence rounded out the trifecta.

“The horse broke very well,” said Alvarado. “I was thinking to be a little more forwardly placed, but I guess they went very quick. I thought I was a little farther back than I wanted to be, but they were moving along pretty quick.”

He added, “When I hit the five-sixteenths pole, I thought that I could feel the horses coming back to me, and my horse was picking it up at that time. I knew I had a good chance, so I had to make sure to tip out all the way to the clear to give him a clear run, and he finished up very strong.”

Fifth in his career debut going 5 1/2 panels over the Churchill dirt last September, the bay returned to finish fourth sprinting in the slop there Nov. 14. Shelved for the remainder of the season, the homebred kicked off his 3-year-old campaign with a confident score going six furlongs over the Big A turf June 20.

“We were thinking about that last year,” said winning trainer Bill Mott. “Most of the babies, I went through a stage last year where I wanted to try everything on the dirt. We got a couple races on the dirt and then we had to stop on him–forced to stop on him, to give him a little time and the decision was made to bring him back on the turf this year. He's halfway bred for it.”

He added, “Visually, for me, he finished good [on turf] where on the dirt he was showing a lot of speed, and he wasn't finishing. Going six furlongs on the dirt, at the eighth pole he was kind of folding it up. But, if they like the grass, it will carry them.”

Asked what's next for the Lightly-raced colt, Mott said, “The plan is to go to Kentucky Downs. The reason we jumped over a condition race is to see if we could get him eligible to go to Kentucky Downs –there's a $2 million race.”

 

Pedigree Notes:

Spiced Up, the 47th group/graded winner for sire Quality Road, boasts a deep female family, courtesy of her dam Cardamon (Pioneer of the Mile), also bred and raced by Juddmonte and trained by Bill Mott. Herself a daughter of Juddmonte's Soothing Touch, Cardamon is a half-sister to Juddmonte's MGISW Emollient (Empire Maker)–dam of Group 2 scorer Raclette (GB) (Frankel {GB})–and MGISP Hofburg (Tapit). Also under the second dam, Calm Water (Empire Maker) is responsible for G1 Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River (Into Mischief).

This represents the extended family of French highweights Coup de Genie (Mr. Prospector) (fourth dam) and her daughter Denebola (Storm Cat).

Cardamon has an unraced juvenile full-sister to Spiced Up and a yearling 1/2-sister by Into Mischief. Earlier this season, she produced a colt by Flightline and was bred back to that Horse of the Year.

 

Sunday, Saratoga
MAHONY S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 8-10, 3yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.22, fm.
1–SPICED UP, 118, c, 3, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Cardamon, by Pioneerof the Nile
                2nd Dam: Soothing Touch, by Touch Gold
                3rd Dam: Glia, by A.P. Indy
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $152,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Governor Sam, 122, c, 3, Improbable–I'm Betty G, by Into Mischief. ($50,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT; $275,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and Swinbank Stables, LLC; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-George Weaver. $35,000.
3–No Evidence, 118, c, 3, Vekoma–Hidden Facts, by The Factor. ($100,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $225,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $325,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, R. Hill Stable and Brandon M. Dalinka; B-Haymarket Farm LLC (KY); T-Miguel Clement. $21,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.50, 0.55, 23.40.
Also Ran: Innovator, Gabaldon, Ancient World, Ortley Avenue (Ire), Jet Sweep Joe. Scratched: Saturday Flirt.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

Spiced Up passes the graded stakes test in the G3 Mahony at Saratoga! @juniorandkellya piloted the 3YO colt for trainer Bill Mott and @JuddmonteFarms! pic.twitter.com/xMqBYVUT4d

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 10, 2025

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