Tacitus and Yoshida breeze towards Saratoga summer targets
Never one to rest on his laurels, Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott was a busy man one day following an impressive maiden victory on Friday’s card with 2-year-old filly Vast, for owners and breeders Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider.
On Saturday morning, Mott sent multiple graded stakes winners Tacitus and Yoshida in tandem to breeze over the Oklahoma training track.
Working in company, Tacitus completed the fivefurlong breeze in 1:01 flat and Yoshida in 1:00.90.
Targeting a start in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy presented by NYRA Bets, Tacitus posted his third breeze since finishing second in the Grade Stakes.
Mott said he was pleased with the work from the homebred son of Tapit for Juddmonte Farms.
“Real good work,” said Mott on horseback. “I thought they both went well. We just want to keep them happy, healthy and stay on their respective courses.”
Tacitus broke his maiden in his second start at Aqueduct Racetrack and emerged on the Kentucky Derby trail by winning the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in March in his next start. He secured the top spot on the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard with a victory in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets at the Big A, and placed third in the Derby following the disqualification of Maximum 1 Belmont Security.
Mott said Tacitus has kept his good form following the Belmont Stakes.
“He’s pretty much about the same as we had him for the Belmont,” said Mott. “He was going good into that race and he’s continued to do so.”
Yoshida, a multiple graded stakes winner in his own right for owners China Horse Club International, Winstar Farm, and Head of Plains Partners is looking to make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Saturday, August 3.
The 5-year-old Japanese bred son of Heart’s Cry has yet to hit the board in three starts this year. Yoshida finished sixth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 26 at Gulfstream, the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse, and last out in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill.
“He’s continued to stay on course,” said Mott. “If we continue to be pleased with how he’s doing we’ll give him a shot in the Whitney.”
Vast, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Sower and also to Mott’s stable pony Round, won her debut by a half-length at odds of 12-1.
Mott said he was pleased with the daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Lea, who he also trained.
“You have to be pleased first time out of the box to have her run that way,” said Mott. “It’s exciting and we’re keeping it in the family with the victory also being from her brother to my stable pony.”