Mo Plex back in action in $125K Gander

R and H Stable’s graded stakes-winner Mo Plex is set to make his sophomore debut in Saturday’s $125,000 Gander, a one-turn mile test for New York-bred sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
 
Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the son of Complexity was last seen finishing second in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow going the Gander distance on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A, finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind Sacrosanct, who finished eighth in Saturday’s Grade 3 Gotham here for trainer Brad Cox.
 
In the Sleepy Hollow, Mo Plex set the pace from the inside post under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and was met with a challenge from Sacrosanct in the turn before running on well down the lane to land place honors 3 1/2 lengths ahead of returning rival Soontobeking. The effort was awarded a career best 80 Beyer Speed Figure.
 
“Brad always seemed high on Sacrosanct and we got off a touch slow and our hand was forced coming from the inside,” Englehart said. “I was very pleased with the way Mo Plex ran that day.
 
“We sent him down to Travis Durr in South Carolina, and when he sent him back, he was very pleased with his progress and how he was working on the farm,” Englehart continued. “So far, it’s been pretty good. The idea was to start him back in New York-bred company. Brad was pointing Sacrosanct to the Gotham and Linda [Rice] was going there with Sand Devil [second], so we thought this was a good spot for his first start back.”
 
Mo Plex has been a model of consistency in five lifetime outings, winning his first three starts that included a 10-length romp sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on debut in June here, and a pacesetting score in the Grade 3 Sanford in July at Saratoga Race Course. He capped the win streak with a determined nose score over Soontobeking from off the pace in the state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in August at the Spa ahead of a third-place finish in the one-mile Grade 1 Champagne in October and his Sleepy Hollow effort.
 
Englehart said Mo Plex can be adaptable to any pace scenario.
 
“I don’t think anything really matters with him. In the mornings, I’ve had him come from off the pace up the rail and outside of horses, and obviously he’s run gate to wire,” Englehart said. “I think he enjoys doing what he’s doing and I think he’s going to be a very tactical horse that can use whatever tactics you want.”
 
Mo Plex has worked five times over the Belmont Park training track since returning from his vacation, most recently covering a half-mile in 50.61 seconds Saturday in company with New York-bred stakes-winner Whittington Park.
 
“He's grown up a little bit,” Englehart said of the colt’s progression. “He’s never been a very robust horse, but he’s very athletic and well put together, light on his feet. He’s seemed to continue that after the break. Sometimes you don’t know how they’ll come back, but he seems keen to get back to the track. I worked him with Whittington Park Saturday and I wanted to gauge where he was and pressure him these last few weeks, make sure he can handle the mile coming off the bench. He seems like he’s developing well.”
 
Bred by Everything’s Cricket Racing, Mo Plex was a $45,000 purchase at last year’s OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Mo Joy, a half-sister to dual stakes-placed Little Daddy.
 
Mo Plex, assigned a field-high 123 pounds, will exit post 3 in rein to Manny Franco.
 
Englehart will also send out maiden winner Sunday Gilt [post 10, Luis Rivera, Jr., 118 pounds] for the same ownership on the heels of a fourth-out graduation on January 4 here.
 
The son of Goldencents stalked 1 1/2 lengths off the early pace under regular pilot Eric Cancel and improved to take the lead at the three-quarters call of the one-mile state-bred maiden. He widened his advantage through the latter stages to cross the wire an easy eight-length winner, receiving a 57 Beyer for the effort.
 
“He’s a nice colt, he’s just taken a little bit to develop,” Englehart said. “Every race, he seems to get a little better. He’s been training well.”
 
Bred by Blissful Stable, Sunday Gilt is out of the winning Any Given Saturday mare Saturday Bliss. His other start at Saturday’s distance was a third two starts back on November 30 here.
 
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s National Identity [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche, 118 pounds] looks to avenge two narrow losses to the aforementioned Sacrosanct and Sand Devil in the NYSSS Great White Way and the state-bred Damon Runyon, respectively.
 
Trained by Danny Gargan, the Solomini bay enters from the seven-furlong Damon Runyon where he applied pressure to the pacesetting Sand Devil and stuck his head in front at the stretch call under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche. He battled his foe valiantly down the lane, but Sand Devil had more in the final sixteenth and held on by a neck.            
 
The Damon Runyon was the second of two close losses for National Identity to top contenders in this division and came on the heels of a head defeat to Sacrosanct in the NYSSS Great White Way against fellow eligible state-sired juveniles in December here. That effort saw him stalk in fourth through the early stages before putting in a strong outside rally to gain with every stride, but he came up just short of Sacrosanct as the pair finished 8 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place Soontobeking.
 
National Identity, who stretches out to one mile for the first time, is in search of his second career win after a second-out graduation on November 2 here. Bred by Hunter Valley Farm, the $150,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Indian Charlie mare Cheyenne Autumn, who also produced turf stakes-winner and Grade 3-placed Firecrow.
 
MyRacehorse and Donarra Thoroughbreds’ Givememythememusic [post 1, Romero Maragh, 118 pounds] makes his first start against winners after a debut graduation sprinting seven furlongs on January 25 here.
 
Trained by Christophe Clement, who saddled Pandagate to victory in this event last year, the son of Game Winner was in fourth-of-7 through the first quarter-mile and as far back as sixth through the half-mile, but improved when urged by Sahin Civaci and was within a half-length of the lead at the stretch call. Givememythememusic was game through the stretch and edged clear through the final eighth to notch the 2 1/4-length win in a final time of 1:27.06. The winning effort registed a 69 Beyer.
 
Bred by Jerry Bilinski, DVM, Givememythememusic was recently purchased by MyRacehorse for $140,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale. He is out of the winning Giant’s Causeway mare Jackpot Joanie and is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed Taxable, multiple stakes-placed Goddard and the stakes-placed trio of Totality, Charge Back and Synkros.
 
A competitive field includes the George Weaver-trained pair of multiple stakes-placed Soontobeking [post 4, Eric Cancel, 120 pounds] and maiden winner Swift Magic [post 9, Jose Lezcano, 118 pounds]; the Jose Jimenez-trained maiden winners Corvus [post 6, Sofia Vives, 118 pounds] and Resilient Hero [post 7, Carol Cedeno, 118 pounds]; recent maiden winner Skytown [post 2, Katie Davis, 118 pounds] for conditioner John Terranova, II; and maiden Grand Cash [post 8, Ruben Silvera, 118 pounds] for trainer Chetram Bhigroog.
 
The Gander is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which co-features the state-bred $125,000 Maddie May in Race 4. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
 
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