Before Nyquist won the head to had matchup in the Florida Derby and became ‘the horse to beat’ in the Kentucky Derby he had been relegated to ‘second favorite’ status. The favorite was Kiaran McLaughlin trained Mohaymen, winner of his first five career races and beloved by the horse racing media. He finished fourth in the Florida Derby and fourth again in the Kentucky Derby.
Mohaymen hasn’t raced since the first Saturday in May but his connections are starting to train him up for a return at Saratoga. The tentative plan is for Mohaymen to run in the Jim Dandy followed by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on August 27. The Haskell Stakes is also a possibility. Trainer McLaughlin explains the plan for Mohaymen’s return to racing along with his post Kentucky Derby activities: “Mohaymen went home right after the Derby, just for a once over. He was fine; a clean bill of health. We were never going to go to the Belmont. He’s doing great and pointing for the Jim Dandy-Travers. We might look at the Haskell, we’ll see, but that’s the weekend we’re looking at.”
Mohaymen has returned to training, albiet slowly. He worked earlier this week with a three furlong breeze at the Greentree Training Facility near Saratoga. McLaughlin was happy with what he saw: “He worked great, galloped out in 49 (seconds) and wouldn’t have blown out a match. We’re on our way to working weekly leading up to his next start.”
Mohaymen is expected to work again when the Saratoga main track opens for training on July 1. Mohaymen likely needed a rest following the frenetic start to his career. He won his first five starts including the Grade II Nashua and Grade II Remsen Stakes as a two year old. His three year old campaign began with wins in the Grade II Holy Bull and Grade II Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. He then ran into Nyquist in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream which preceded his fourth place run in the Kentucky Derby. Assuming that McLaughlin is correct about his health, the son of Tapit could be a major contender in Saratoga’s marquee races.