Border Town looks to improve as gelding

ARCADIA, Calif. – Castration is never the first option for a royally bred underachiever, but when all else fails, something has to give.

Expectations were always high for 4-year-old allowance winner Border Town and 2-year-old maiden Petruchio, and why wouldn’t they be? After all, Border Town is a full sibling to a Grade 1 winner and Petruchio is by one of racing’s hottest stallions.

But trainer Richard Mandella saw enough shenanigans to finally recommend the ultimate equipment change for both. Petruchio, by Into Mischief, improved as a first-time gelding last Sunday at Santa Anita. He missed by a neck in the best effort of his three-start career.

Border Town aims to improve likewise in the featured eighth race Friday, a second-level allowance at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Sired by War Front and a full sibling to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner and stallion Hit It a Bomb, Border Town will be making his first start since he was gelded.

Well-bred horses are gelded when performance falls short and stallion potential is limited. Mandella listed reasons for castration.

“One, how bad do you want a good racehorse and do you think it can help?” he said. “Two, is there any real stallion value?”

This fall, neither Petruchio nor Border Town seemed stallion prospects. Petruchio finished third in two ordinary maiden sprints; Border Town scored sharp maiden and allowance wins, but his career stalled. As colts, both were easily distracted.

“It’s the hormone thing, the mental outlook,” Mandella said. “They both have funny thinking. So, you take a shot to make them better, because [gelding] can improve them.”

Petruchio and Border Town were gelded in early September. Mandella expects they will improve in the weeks ahead. “It’s too early to tell much. People think the first month it really changes them. I’d say it takes a couple months to really take effect.”

Mandella has been high on Border Town since winter, but his habit of breaking slowly and finding trouble were holding him back. The same could happen Friday, or not.

“He’s a pretty good horse,” Mandella said with hopeful conviction.

Border Town ran well enough in two starts at Del Mar to suggest he figures as a contender while returning to the Santa Anita course on which he scored both of his wins.

Border Town’s rider, Flavien Prat, enters Friday 16 for 48, double the win total of the next rider. On turf, Prat’s 23 mounts have produced 10 wins and seven seconds.

Border Town’s rivals Friday include Maestro Dearte, in the money in 5 of 10 at the class level. Peter Eurton trains Maestro Dearte and also Grade 2 Charles Whittingham winner Marckie’s Water, who is making his first start for Eurton while returning from a layoff of more than a year. He is entered for the optional $62,500 claim tag.

“He’s been off a long time,” Eurton said. “I think he’s fit. We’ll see about the rust.”

Other entrants include Kazan, likely pacesetter Zestful, North County Guy, Untamed Domain, and Musawaat.

BENOIT PHOTO Border Town will make his first start as a gelding in a secondlevel allowance race on Friday at Santa Anita.