Now that’s how you exit the maiden ranks! The speedy Laoban (Uncle Mo), winless in his first seven career attempts, including five in graded company, forgot to stop at odds of 27-1 after setting an easy pace in Saturday’s GII Jim Dandy Stakes at the ‘Graveyard of Favorites.’
It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Governor Malibu (Malibu Moon) in second, and another neck to GI Belmont S. runner-up Destin (Giant’s Causeway) in third.Mohaymen (Tapit), favored at 7-5, could do no better than fourth after stumbling at the start. Belmont hero Creator (Tapit) trailed the field of six throughout. Winning trainer Eric Guillot was in his typical good form after getting his picture taken.
“I’m here, he’s doing great,” he said of the decision to enter the longshot. “Why not take a chance? My partner and I, we don’t dance to elevator music. We dance to Zydeco. Who wants to run in a maiden?” Guillot, of course, trained Southern Equine’s Moreno (Ghostzapper) to a memorable 10-1 upset in the 2014 GI Whitney S. at the Spa.
Sent straight to the front by Jose Ortiz from his inside draw, the longest shot on the board led by a length over the narrow Belmont S. runner-up Destin through leisurely splits of :24.56 and :49.07. Destin and Governor Malibu looked ready to pounce on the far turn, but Laoban had other ideas, and just kept on finding more down the stretch to break his maiden in stunning fashion. Governor Malibu snatched second from Destin right on the line.
“I’m trying to create value with this horse,” Guillot said. “When they called me and told me it was going to be five–it wound up being six, but they told me five, and who they were–I thought, ‘All the speed’s across town tomorrow, in the Haskell. I’m going to take a shot.’”
Laoban stayed on to finish a strong second behind Shagaf (Bernardini) in the GIII Gotham S. at the Big A Mar. 5, then was fourth after setting a blistering pace in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 9. He ran a dull sixth in the slop after having his blinkers removed in the GI Preakness S., then dueled and tired to fifth with blinkers back on when last seen in Belmont’s one-turn mile GIII Dwyer S. July 9.
“I’ve always known the horse had talent, from Day 1,” Guillot said. “And he was very, very phsyically immature. He’s a monster, he’s 17.1 hands. I’ve been shipping him across the country the last six, seven races, and when he got to the Preakness, he really didn’t like the mud, he stumbled in the gate, and didn’t like it in his face. That was kind of a throw out. I freshened him up, but he was too fresh for the Dywer. Running him out of his stall, like in the Blue Grass, made all the difference in the world.”
Ortiz, dropped by Laoban en route to the winner’s circle, added, “The trainer had a lot of faith in the horse. I’d never previously ridden the horse, but he broke great and they let me go easy enough. He was relaxed, pulling me a little bit with his ears pricked and when I asked him to go by the quarter-pole he really took off. I was really confident by the half-mile pole.”
Pedigree Notes…
Laoban’s stakes-placed dam Chattertown, purchased by Don Alberto Corp. for $240,000 at the 2013 KEENOV sale, has also produced the 2-year-old filly Charlatana (Harlan’s Holiday); a yearling filly by Scat Daddy and a Pioneerof the Nile colt in 2016. She was bred back to Empire Maker. Laoban’s second dam Chatter Chatter was a two-time stakes winner at Calder and
MGISW I’m a Chatterbox (Munnings) can be found under his third dam. Laoban was bred by Dr. Michael Cavey’s Respite Farm, who also bred his champion sire Uncle Mo.
Say What?…
Christophe Clement, trainer of runner-up Governor Malibu: “I thought he ran well, but he was second-best. As long as he comes back in good order, we will most likely go for the [Aug. 27 GI Travers S.]”
Todd Pletcher, trainer of third-place finisher Destin: “We got the trip we wanted. Javier [Castellano] said he just feels like he’s still a little unfocused, just kind of eye-balling that horse in front of him and when Governor Malibu came, then he dug back in. He saw the [tire] tracks, then he went back to his left lead, like he’s still figuring it out a little bit. I think we came here to win today, but we also hopefully learned something about him and hopefully can improve for having the run into the Travers.”
Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of fourth-place finisher Mohaymen: “Obviously, he didn’t run his race. It looked like he [jockey Junior Alvarado] was out of horse at the half-mile pole. It’s a big concern, we’ll scope him and look him over. He looked like he was having to ask him way early, so we’re concerned.”
Saturday, Saratoga
JIM DANDY S.-GII, $600,000, SAR, 7-30, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.39, ft.
1–#@LAOBAN, 117, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Chattertown (SP, $104,332), by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Chatter Chatter, by Lost Soldier
3rd Dam: Bedroom Chatter, by Cure the Blues
($40,000 Wlg ’13 KEENOV; $260,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP).
O-McCormick Racing LLC and Southern Equine Stable LLC;
B-Respite Farm (KY); T-Eric J. Guillot; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $360,000.
Lifetime Record: 8-1-2-1, $526,250. *17th stakes winner for
second crop sire (by Indian Charlie). Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Governor Malibu, 117, c, 3, Malibu Moon–Akilina, by
Langfuhr. ($175,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP; $135,000 2yo ’15
FTFMAR). O-Jump Sucker Stable & Oak Bluff Stables; B-Richard
Leahy Oak Bluff Stables (NY); T-Christophe Clement. $120,000.
3–Destin, 121, c, 3, Giant’s Causeway–Dream of Summer, by
Siberian Summer. ($400,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-Twin Creeks
Racing Stables, LLC & Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-James
C. Weigel & Taylor Made Stallions Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$60,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 4 1/4. Odds: 27.00, 4.00, 2.10.
Also Ran: Mohaymen, Race Me Home (Ire), Creator.
