Intricate Spirit and Big Destroyer give Clement strong hand in G3 Mahony

Trainer Miguel Clement will hold a strong hand with Intricate Spirit and Big Destroyer in Sunday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Mahony, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

West Point Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, Kenneth Beitz and Gail Beitz’s Intricate Spirit [post 4, Manny Franco] looks to rebound from a late-running fifth in the Grade 3 Quick Call presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation over course and distance on July 19. There, the Complexity gelding broke slowly, was cut off by the speedy Monster and then was rank in 11th-of-12. He responded willingly in the lane before being blocked and running on again to finish 3 1/4 lengths behind victorious returning rival Learntodiscover. 

“That was horrendous racing luck,” Clement said. “Slow out of the gate. Boxed in, trapped, and sometimes you are just the victim of a trip in turf racing. We just have to try again.” 

The dark bay previously added blinkers to win gate-to-wire by 3 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong Paradise Creek in May at Belmont at the Big A. Before that, last year’s Grade 3 Futurity-winning Intricate Spirit was third when launching his sophomore season as a gelding in the five-furlong Texas Glitter over the all-weather surface in March at Gulfstream Park ahead of a troubled ninth when steadying late in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Palisades in April at Keeneland.

“He actually ran a very good race last time. If you watched him gallop out, he came from far back and galloped out really strong,” Clement said. “It was just that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong that day. Draw a line through it. He’s a better horse than that.

“I’m adamant that you are going to see a good race,” Clement added. 

LJSS Thoroughbreds’ lightly-raced Big Destroyer [post 5, Flavien Prat] was an oncoming 1 1/4-length second to returning rival Rebel With a Cause last out in the 5 1/2-furlong My Frenchman on July 11 at Monmouth Park. The Midshipman gelding, out of the dual stakes-placed Motivator mare Peru, was making his second start following a debut graduation over elders sprinting six furlongs in June at Belmont at the Big A.  

“He was unlucky to get beat in that stakes in New Jersey,” Clement said. “Nevertheless, that was just his second start. He has every reason to continue to improve. He’s lightly raced and training great.”

AMO Racing USA, Jayson Werth and trainer Wesley Ward’s Outfielder [post 2, John Velazquez] enters from a 10th in the six-furlong Group 1 Commonwealth Cup on June 19 at Royal Ascot. The Speightstown bay entered that race on a 2-for-2 start to the year, including the 5 1/2-furlong Listed William Walker in May at Churchill Downs as well as a dominant score in the six-furlong Animal Kingdom in March over the Turfway Park synthetic.

“A Group 1 race last time, probably, and hopefully, will be a little different than this here,” said Ward. “He’s trained outstanding as of late on the dirt, and I’m excited to get him on the grass.” 

Outfielder also went overseas last year to land fourth in the six-furlong Group 1 Prix Morny second-out at Deauville. He returned to win an allowance on dirt at Keeneland ahead of setting the pace and tiring in the one-mile Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in October at Del Mar. 

“I ran him in the Juvenile Turf [over the Juvenile Turf Sprint] because he’s such a big, huge horse,” Ward said. “With how much speed he’s shown in his career, I’d say at 5 1/2 [furlongs], he’s going to be lethal. He ran a good race in France in a Group 1 that included Gstaad, who is one of the best horses in the world. He ran a real credible race there, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, so I’m excited about this.” 

The $850,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase is out of the stakes-winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Notte d’Oro – a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Red Rifle. His multiple graded stakes-placed third dam, May Night, won the 2005 P. G. Johnson at the Spa.

Mark Dobbin’s British-bred Learntodiscover [post 6, Tyler Gaffalione] rallied from last-of-12 to win the Quick Call by a neck over Throckmorton. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Havana Grey gelding went off at odds of 23-1 following off-the-board efforts in his first three stateside outings earlier this year. 

Learntodiscover kept good company last year when making his first four starts in Ireland, including a fourth to True Love in the Group 2 Railway and a third to Mission Central in the Group 3 Round Tower, both at The Curragh while trained by Ger Lyons. 

Tristar Farm’s Rebel With a Cause [post 1, Javier Castellano] posted a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure when rallying up the rail to capture the My Frenchman over Big Destroyer. That was the first stakes victory for trainer Lauren Robson, who now seeks her first graded stakes score. 

The Leinster gelding was making his fifth career start last out, entering off a fourth to Outfielder in the Listed William Walker. Rebel With a Cause has ascended nicely in class, graduating second-out in a February maiden optional claimer at Gulfstream Park ahead of a Florida-bred allowance win in March there before his stakes efforts. 

Rebel With a Cause, out of the Mizzen Mast mare Glenwood Pines, was a $10,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale. His second dam is stakes-winner Cayuga’s Waters. 

An interesting newcomer to the turf scene is Michael McLoughlin’s dual stakes-winner Oscar’s Hope [post 3, Junior Alvarado]. Trained by Kinnon LaRose, the Twirling Candy bay has made all 10 career starts on dirt, including a pair of stakes wins. He was a last-out unmenacing sixth in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Maxfield on June 28 at Churchill Downs. 

“Every stakes up here is tough, but we think turf could be good for him,” LaRose said. “We think that he’s run some good numbers on the dirt, but a little change in scenery wouldn’t hurt.”

Oscar's Hope's dam, the winning Not This Time mare Hopeful Princess, is a full-sister to two-time turf winner Johanny, who was second in last year's Autumn Days over the Belmont at the Big A green. His third dam produced Past as Prelude, the dam of multiple graded stakes-winning turf sprinter Future Is Now.

Rounding out the field is Quick Call fourth-place finisher Stradale [post 7, Jose Ortiz] for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. The dual stakes-placed Yaupon bay is 9-2-2-2 overall and made his turf debut in the Quick Call. 

The Mahony is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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