Mendelssohn

[Chief Stipe]

MENDELSSOHN (c, Scat Daddy—Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek)
O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith.
B-Clarkland Farm (KY). T-Aiden O’Brien. Sales history: $3,000,000 yrl KEESEP ’16. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-4-1-0, $1,961,137.
Mar. 27 TDN Top 12: N/A
Last Start: 1st, G2 UAE Derby, MEY, Mar.31
Accomplishments: 1st, GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, DMR, Nov.3; 2nd, G1 Darley Dewhurst S., NEW, Oct. 14
Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 5
Equineline PPs. Kentucky Derby Points: 100.

On the superlatives side, on Saturday we witnessed an 18 1/2- length blowout win in track-record time by a $3 million KEESEP Scat Daddy colt who is a half-brother to four-time champion Beholder (Henny Hughes). But the field for the G2 UAE Derby was not overly deep in terms of competition, and the Meydan races on Saturday generously rewarded forwardly placed runners, so it’s wise to temper Mendelssohn’s front-running blowout with those caveats so it doesn’t have such a too-good to-be-true aura. Yet even with that reality check under advisement, the performance resonates strongly, because this May 17 foal was attempting both his first start on dirt and his first go beyond a mile. He responded assertively to being asked to establish a prominent position straight from the starting stalls, was able to relax a bit in the middle stages of the race, then opened up at will in the home straight once the outcome had already been decided in his favor. “He is bred to handle the dirt, being by Scat Daddy,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien. “But that was an unbelievable performance. We weren’t sure how he would handle the distance, but you have to say he saw it out pretty well…. He is naturally quick and has a lot of tactical early speed. He did it the hard way, but he did it so easily. He is very well bred, he has a great physique, and you can see why he cost the lads a lot of money at the sales. We will look forward to going to Kentucky with him now.”

VIDEO PPS

FINISH	RACE
1st	GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

 

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