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Al Gold hoping to get back to the Kentucky Derby with G2 Wood Memorial contender Slip Mahoney

by NYRA Press Office

•  Al Gold hoping to get back to the Kentucky Derby with G2 Wood Memorial contender Slip Mahoney
• Repole chasing Derby dreams with maidens Crupi, Dreamlike in G2 Wood Memorial
• White Abarrio to scratch from G1 Carter H. 

As a longtime racing fan and thoroughbred owner, Al Gold dreamed of having a horse good enough to compete in the Kentucky Derby. After making his dream a reality last year with multiple Grade 1-winner Cyberknife, who finished 18th, Gold will hope to go back to Louisville for seconds when Slip Mahoney tries to earn his way into the Derby starting gate in Saturday’s 98th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Brad Cox-trained Slip Mahoney, who picked up 20 points for his last-out runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Gotham here, is 30th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard entering Saturday’s nine-furlong test which offers 100-40-30-20-10 qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Gold, a native of New Jersey and resident of Saratoga Springs, New York, has been a horseplayer and fan for over 50 years and has owned thoroughbreds since 2004. Last year, Cyberknife provided Gold with his first Grade 1 triumph when the son of Gun Runner won the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

Although Gold did not get the result he wanted in the “Run for the Roses,” he said he thoroughly enjoyed the moment.

“We didn’t fare very well, but it was a great experience to enjoy it with my friends and family. It was great to do the walkover with my wife and kids,” Gold said. “A couple friends walked over with us too, which was very nice. We spent three or four days with them in Louisville going to different restaurants, going to the races. It was everything you would expect from an experience like that, and hopefully we can do it again this year.”

Gold also campaigns the Cox-trained Instant Coffee, who won the Grade 3 Lecomte in January at Fair Grounds Race Course before finishing a disappointing sixth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby two weeks ago at Fair Grounds.

To qualify for the Derby, Slip Mahoney will need to hit the board in a talented field led by stablemate Hit Show, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, who enters from a 5 1/2-length romp in the Grade 3 Withers on February 11 at the Big A.

“This year, we had a couple quality 3-year-olds. One of them didn’t run very well in New Orleans, but we’re looking forward to Slip hopefully running well in New York,” Gold said. “We have a lot of tough horses coming into this race, some that had bad trips in the Gotham. Hit Show will be back in there and he’ll probably be the favorite. I’m confident but hopefully we’ll do well. I’m looking forward to the race.”

Slip Mahoney, who has made all four of his starts at the Big A, displayed tactical speed in his two outings entering the Gotham. Following a runner up to Kentucky Derby hopeful Tapit Trice going a one-turn mile on December 17, he battled gamely down the lane to defeat fellow Wood Memorial contestant Crupi in a January 21 maiden event. But he was taken out of his element in the Gotham after stumbling out of the gate and was forced to make up nearly a dozen lengths from 13th-of-14 down the backstretch.

Despite the rough start, Slip Mahoney advanced with a wide run and went from eighth-to-second in the last two points of call to finish 7 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Raise Cain.

“We weren’t expecting him to break that badly and be so far behind the field,” Gold recalled. “Hopefully, this time we break sharper and stay with the field and he makes a good account for himself. He did run well and pass all except the winner from the top of the lane home. He’s training well and we expect good things from him.”

Boasting regal bloodlines, Slip Mahoney is by 2016 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Arrogate and out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Got Lucky. He is a close relative to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver as well as Grade 1-winner Girolamo and graded stakes winner and producer Daydreaming. He is a direct descendant of the prolific broodmare Numbered Account as well as influential matriarch La Troienne.

But despite his blue blooded status, Gold only had to spend $150,000 to purchase Slip Mahoney at the 2021 Keeneland Yearling Sale.

“At the time, Arrogate was not much of a sire. He may have had one winner. That aspect helped us,” Gold said. “His dam was a Grade 1 winner, who made nearly a million dollars, so it was a little less than we thought we would pay. The horse was a bit on the small side and Arrogate was cold at the time. Those were the reasons we got the horse relatively cheap. A month later, he probably would have gone for three times the price when Arrogate’s offspring started winning races.”

Joe Hardoon, Gold’s bloodstock and racing manager, signed the ticket for Slip Mahoney and said he was particularly impressed by how well Slip Mahoney handled himself after being shown so many times. 

“It was late in the afternoon when we looked at him and he was still showing himself really well. If you go too late in the day a lot of times, they’re tired and exhausted from being shown all day,” said Hardoon. “We went back and saw him the next morning and he was still showing himself great.”

Hardoon reflected on Slip Mahoney’s Gotham run and said having to overcome adversity sets him up well for the Wood Memorial.

“He took a little while to come along mentally. Every time he walked over to the races, he got more professional,” Hardoon said. “Last time, he missed the break and in his two maiden races before that he broke sharp, so that was a little bit of a surprise. It didn’t look like he had any problem passing horses and he made a wide move. He probably ran about a mile and an eighth that day with all the ground he lost.”

Gold said Instant Coffee, who could turn his focus to the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 20 at Pimlico Race Course, might race next in the Grade 3 Lexington on April 15 at Keeneland. A viable backup plan would be the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan on May 13 at Belmont Park.

“The Preakness is probably the first choice, but nothing is set in stone. There’s the Preakness, the Peter Pan, or the Lexington as well,” Gold said.

Gold said the newly-retired Cyberknife, who took up stallion duty at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and stands for a $30,000 stud fee, is off to a good start.

“He’s got a full book and he’s been having fun every day,” Gold said. “The reports are that a couple mares he’s covered are in foal. We’re looking forward to seeing the babies next spring. We’re very excited about that. We’re excited to see his offspring. We had a great time in his two years of racing. Now we’re looking forward to seeing some of the 2-year-olds we have coming up and hope that these 3-year-olds have a good year.”

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Repole chasing Derby dreams with maidens Crupi, Dreamlike in G2 Wood Memorial

Last week, owner Mike Repole watched Forte, his reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, overcome multiple obstacles to capture the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. On Saturday, Repole will attempt to accrue more spots in the Kentucky Derby starting gate when his maidens Dreamlike [post 1, Jose Ortiz, 7-2ML] and Crupi [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche, 12-1ML] take on a stacked field in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The nine-furlong test is the final local qualifier on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and awards the top-five finishers points based off a 100-40-30-20-10 scale.

Like Forte, both Crupi and Dreamlike are owned in partnership with Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who seeks a record eighth Wood Memorial score.

Crupi, who is named in honor of the late bloodstock agent and consigner James “J.J.” Crupi, holds sentimental value for Repole. The late horseman owned Crupi’s New Castle Farm in Ocala, Florida, and his pre-training and breaking facility was once home to Repole’s 2010 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Uncle Mo as well as Viola’s Liam’s Map – a multiple Grade 1-winner and producer. Crupi also broke Repole and Viola’s Vino Rosso, who was named 2019 Champion Older Horse.

“Both Vinnie and I used Crupi together and separately,” Repole said. “The first horse Jimmy got for me was Uncle Mo. For Vinnie, the best horse he got him was Liam’s Map. Together, one of the last horses Jimmy got for us was Vino Rosso. We owned him together and he had a great career and ended it at the highest possible level in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, winning by almost five lengths.”

The equine Crupi, a Curlin colt, is out of the Malibu Moon mare Don’tforgetaboutme – a half-sister to graded stakes winners Red Ruby and Mo Tom as well as multiple Grade 1-placed Beautician. He was bought for $275,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Repole said Crupi was an unforgettable man and that naming this particular horse in his honor was fitting.

“I saw the mare’s name was Don’tforgetaboutme. One of the last horses he picked out for us was Vino Rosso, who was by Curlin, and I thought Crupi would be the perfect name,” Repole said. “Not a lot of people would forget about Crupi and his impact he’s had on the game and the impact he’s had on both Vinnie and I. Not only was Crupi a great horseman, but he was a lot of fun. He had a big personality and was one of the best storytellers in horse racing.”

While neither of Repole’s contenders has reached the winner’s circle yet, they both have run against salty company through the maiden ranks.

Crupi was third to eventual Kentucky Derby point-earners Disarm and Instant Coffee in his first two starts going seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course. After finishing third when stretching out to a one-turn mile at the Big A, Crupi was runner-up to fellow Wood Memorial aspirant Classic Catch going nine furlongs in November before cutting back to a one-turn mile to finish a game second to Wood entrant Slip Mahoney here in January. He was most recently a distant seventh in the Grade 2 Risen Star on February 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course.

Although less seasoned than his stablemate, Dreamlike has still covered plenty of ground in two runner-up efforts at Gulfstream Park. Last out, traveling 1 1/16-miles on March 11,  Dreamlike came under coaxing by Jose Ortiz around the far turn and took command nearing upper stretch, but was unable to stave off a late inside rally from longshot Empirestrikesfast. The son of Gun Runner garnered a 91 Beyer Speed Figure – a field-best number that has only been matched by 5-2 morning line favorite Hit Show, who drew the outermost post 13.

Bred in Kentucky by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Dreamlike is out of the Tapit mare Time to Tap – a full-sister to 2014 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Untapable. He was a $975,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“It’s an opportunity to get another horse into the Derby in a $750,000 race,” said Repole, who garnered Wood glory with Outwork [2016] and Vino Rosso [2018]. “Crupi lost to a really good horse by a head in Slip Mahoney at Aqueduct, so we know he likes the track and we know he’ll like the mile and an eighth. Dreamlike has run two great races with great numbers, but has been second. But with one horse being by Gun Runner and the other being by Curlin, we know the distance will not be an issue. We’re excited about the opportunity to run both of these maidens in a big race.”

Repole said he was not surprised to see Dreamlike, who drew the rail and will add blinkers, listed as the second choice on the morning line.

“He has some of the fastest speed numbers in the race,” Repole said. “He was a little green in both of his starts. Todd has worked him in blinkers twice, which he will wear for the race. He got a good post, he’s training well. We’re hoping to break his maiden in a Grade 2 for $750,000.”

Repole said Forte’s Florida Derby victory – with a perfect ride engineered by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 11-of-12 - is a performance that he won’t soon forget.

“At the eighth pole, I was hoping to get third and we ended up winning the race. Everything was thrown his way, from the post, to being back, to dirt in his face, being wide. But he just showed the heart of a champion that day,” Repole recalled. “It looked like he was just going to get third, but then if you blinked, you missed the ground he made up in the last 100 yards. He just leveled out and made up probably a half-length for each stride. After all that he went through, not only did he win, but he did so by a half-length which was pretty amazing. The great ones can do that and give you an amazing once in a lifetime experience.”

Last year, Repole crossed a major race off his list when Mo Donegal captured the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets over fellow Repole color-bearer Nest. With a Belmont Stakes triumph under wraps, Repole now has his sights set on winning the “Run for the Roses.”

“The ability to run one horse in the Derby is a dream; to have the favorite is another dream, but to win it is a whole other dream,” Repole said. “But we all know there’s 20 horses in the race, and last year number 21 drew in off the also-eligible list and wins at 80-1. The Derby is the one race where you never know. I’d love to run both of these horses, so a Dreamlike-Crupi exacta in the Wood would be pretty good. One of them would have to go to the Derby as a maiden, but I’ve done crazier things. I’ve been in this game for 15 years. I always tell people, I don’t want the Derby favorite, I want the Derby winner. It all starts with these preps and it gets real exciting this time of year.

“Nobody is enjoying being in the sport as an owner more than me and it all comes full circle,” Repole continued. “I started as a kid that cut school to go to Aqueduct Racetrack and 40 years later I’m running in the biggest races, not only in New York, but in the United States. The Kentucky Derby is now the ultimate goal. People used to ask me, ‘Is it true you want to win the Belmont over the Derby?’ and I would say, ‘I want both, but if I could only have one, I want to win the Belmont.’ Thanks to Mo Donegal last year I won the Belmont and Nest ran a great second in the same race. That was beyond my wildest dreams.”

***

White Abarrio to scratch from G1 Carter H.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said that C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano’s multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire White Abarrio spiked a temperature after shipping up to New York from Florida and will scratch from Saturday's Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Last year's Grade 1 Florida Derby-winner arrived at Belmont Park on Tuesday from his home base at Gulfstream Park and the conditioner said the colt will now target the Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester on May 5, a one-turn mile over Big Sandy for older horses.

"He had a little temperature Tuesday and we treated him that night. He seemed to be OK when we entered him on Wednesday, but this morning he coughed a couple times and that was the last straw for us," Joseph, Jr. said. "It's disappointing to miss a chance at a Grade 1, but that's how it goes. All being well, he'll stay there and train and point for the Westchester.”

Joseph, Jr. said his two contenders for Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial – Lord Miles and Knox – are in good order.

White Abarrio captured the Florida Derby at Gulfstream in April en route to finishing 16th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. He completed a productive 7-2-1-1 sophomore campaign in December with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets.

The 4-year-old Race Day colt, a five-time winner at Gulfstream, made his seasonal debut with an eighth-place effort in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, before the conditioner decided to focus the gray on one-turn tests beginning with a sharp optional-claiming win sprinting seven furlongs on March 4 at Gulfstream that garnered a career-best 103 Beyer.

White Abarrio's long-term goal is the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan on June 10 at Belmont Park.