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McLaughlin, Mohaymen in Position to Win Kentucky Derby 142

Reinier Macatangay
On March 16, 2016

McLaughlin, Mohaymen in Position to Win Kentucky Derby 142: Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin never won the Kentucky Derby (GI) before in his life. He came close once in 2005 with Closing Argument and a moderate pace hindered his chances last year when he entered Frosted. In another instance, an injury stopped his leading contender Cairo Prince in 2014. The race is schedule for May 7 this year.

Shadwell Stable’s regally bred Mohaymen kept his undefeated record intact with an confident 1 ½-length victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Remsen at Aqueduct Racetrack on Nov. 28, 2015, stamping himself as an early Kentucky Derby contender and taking home 10 points towards a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Photo: Coglianese/NYRA

Can stable star and top 3-year-old colt Mohaymen give McLaughlin his first Derby win?

Owned by Shadwell Stable, Mohaymen compiled a 5 for 5 record in his short career, winning Grade 2 races in four of those races. Furthermore, on speed figures he runs faster than nearly all male 3-year-old dirt horses in training.

Mohaymen’s most recent win came in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream Park. He won impressively, overcoming a wide trip and moving early into a fast pace before putting away the talented Zulu in the stretch. TimeformUS awarded Mohaymen an excellent 116 Speed Figure for the win.

Of course, 10 furlongs remains a question mark, as it does for the entire Kentucky Derby field. Thankfully, nothing in Mohaymen’s pedigree suggests the extra distance will be a problem.

McLaughlin’s previous Derby contenders were not on Mohaymen’s level.

When McLaughlin finished second 11 years ago with Closing Argument, the public dismissed him at 71-1.

Closing Argument ran remarkably well in the Derby, positioning himself in sixth place before the pace collapsed and allowed late-closer Giacomo to pick up the pieces and win. While not an extraordinarily talented colt, McLaughlin had Closing Argument specifically primed for the first Saturday in May and he fired his best shot.

Shadwell Stable’s Mohaymen opened his 3-year-old campaign in impressive fashion enhancing his reputation as the top Triple Crown contender on the East Coast with a powerful 3 ½-length victory in the $350,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 30, 2016. Photo: Lauren King, NYRA Coglianese

In 2006, McLaughlin tried again with the Shadwell Stable-owned Jazil, a closing plodder who owned a spotty record before the Derby, and West Point Thoroughbred’s Flashy Bull.

Jazil finished second in the Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct, but failed to make an impact one race before in the Fountain of Youth by finishing seventh. McLaughlin went ahead and readied Jazil for the Kentucky Derby. His fourth-place finish to Barbaro, despite losing by nine lengths, represented arguably the best race of his career.

Flashy Bull’s record appeared no better, as he showed a runner-up Fountain of Youth (GII) placing, before finishing seventh in the Florida Derby (GI) won by Barbaro. In all likelihood, Flashy Bull just did not possess the talent required to win the Kentucky Derby and this deficiency showed when he ended up 14th.

McLaughlin tried again in 2011. Soldat won the Fountain Of Youth and headed into the Florida Derby as the heavy favorite at odds of less than 2-1. He finished fifth. Most bettors forgave him and sent off Soldat at 11-1 in the Kentucky Derby, where he turned another clunker and ran 11th.

Before the Florida Derby, Soldat had never run worse the second, which made his form reversal strange.

In 2012, the Bernardini-sired Alpha gave McLaughlin another shot. He won the Withers (GIII) in February and finished second in the Wood Memorial to Gemologist, marking yet another loss in the last prep race. Unfortunately, Alpha then went against ultra-talented runners in the Derby (I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister) and finished 12th.

Shadwell Stable’s Mohaymen continued his impressive march toward the Triple Crown late Saturday afternoon (March. 27, 2016), keeping his perfect record intact by defeating previously unbeaten Zulu and Awesome Banner in the $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Photo: Coglianese

Two years later, McLaughlin’s Cairo Prince appeared to be on a similar pattern as Closing Argument after winning the Holy Bull and throwing in a subpar final prep race where he finished fourth in the Florida Derby.

An injury knocked Cairo Prince off the trail after the race.

Last year, Frosted finally gave McLaughlin a win in a late-March/April Derby prep, when he won the Wood Memorial in dominating fashion. Then he ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby. As pointed out though, the pace possibly hindered Frosted in the Kentucky Derby because the horses who started out 1-2-3 finished 1-2-3.

Now, it is Mohaymen’s turn if he stays healthy. Will McLaughlin tune him up for the final Derby prep race, or wait to crank the gears in the Kentucky Derby? It is an interesting question to consider.

One year ago, he commented on his desire to win the Derby.

“The race is priceless,” McLaughlin said, as seen in The National. “You can’t put a price on winning the Kentucky Derby.”

Winning this race is a lifetime goal for trainers, owners and jockeys. Those three groups spend their entire careers searching for the right Derby horse. For McLaughlin, the right one is possibly Mohaymen.