Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Mind Control, Sombeyay rematched in Futurity
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The five graded stakes for juvenile males in Kentucky and New York so far this year have produced five different winners. The Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity on Saturday at Keeneland could help clear up the divisional picture as two of those stakes winners, Mind Control and Sombeyay, meet for a second time.
The 1 1/16-mile race could just as easily continue to muddle the juvenile picture, as the full field of 14 also includes stakes winners Tobacco Road and Unionizer, plus several well-regarded maiden winners.
The Futurity awards its winner an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs. The top finishers also pick up Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 basis.
Mind Control, trained by Greg Sacco, and Sombeyay, trained by Todd Pletcher, have already met once, with Mind Control winning the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on closing day of the Saratoga meet as Sombeyay finished fourth.
Mind Control began his career by finishing second at Delaware Park to Call Paul, who subsequently won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and is back in action in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. Mind Control won his second start over next-out winner Invigorous at Monmouth. He stepped up to win the Hopeful by three-quarters of a length over Mucho.
“He has gears,” Sacco said. “He ran a great race against Call Paul and then at Monmouth, but then you have to do it on the big show.”
Sombeyay had trouble at the break in his first two starts, including in his second-place finish in the Tremont Stakes in June at Belmont Park. He broke cleanly in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes in July at Saratoga to put himself just back of the leaders and rallied to win by a neck.
“I was pleased with the way he did everything,” Pletcher said. “The thing that pleased me was having him as close to the pace as he was . . . . He actually put himself in a good spot.”
Sombeyay finished a grinding fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths, in the Hopeful.
Also emerging from the Hopeful are Dream Maker, who was fifth, and the maiden Derby Date, who was eighth.
Unionizer, trained by Bill Mott, won a maiden race going seven furlongs at Saratoga in his second start. He then won the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth – making him the only horse in the field to win going a mile beyond the maiden level. Moonster and Borracho are the two others who have won going a mile, each having won a maiden race at the distance at Churchill Downs.
Tobacco Road, one of two in this race for trainer Steve Asmussen, finished fifth on debut at Churchill Downs in a race won by stablemate Tight Ten, who is now multiple graded stakes placed. Tobacco Road won his next outing when stretched out from six to seven furlongs, then won the Ellis Park Juvenile at the same distance. He most recently finished fifth in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill after being bumped at the start.
Tobacco Road has a familiar foe Saturday in Mr. Ankeny, who finished third and second in Tobacco Road’s two maiden races before winning last out at Ellis. Mr.Ankeny is one of three in this race for trainer Dale Romans.
Knicks Go, an Ellis debut winner, finished fifth in the Sanford at Saratoga and third in the Arlington-Washington Futurity on Polytrack. Fluminese, a maiden winner in June at Churchill Downs, was third in the Soaring Free Stakes on the Woodbine turf. Rounding out the field are Everfast, an Ellis Park debut winner who was fifth in the Iroquois; Signalman, a maiden winner over seven furlongs at Saratoga; and Standard Deviation, winner of an offthe-turf maiden at Saratoga.
KEY CONTENDERS
Sombeyay, by Into Mischief Last 3 Beyers: 77-71-71
◗ One of two in this field by leading juvenile sire Into Mischief, who also is the sire of Mr. Ankeny.
◗ Luis Saez, who rode the colt to a runner-up finish in the Tremont, gets back aboard here. Javier Castellano, who was in the irons for the Sanford, sticks with Standard Deviation.
Mind Control, by Stay Thirsty Last 3 Beyers: 84-79-74
◗ His Beyer Speed Figure of 84 for the Hopeful is the top number in this field. The nexthighest number is the 81 earned by Mr. Ankeny in his maiden win.
◗ This is the first try beyond seven furlongs for the colt, who has sat first or second throughout in each of his starts.
◗ He drew post 13 under John Velazquez, who keeps the mount after the Hopeful victory.