Mi Bago returns to New York-bred company for West Point pres. by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital
Mi Bago, recently second to Deterministic in the Grade 1 Fourstardave, will make a quick turnaround when facing fellow New York-breds 3-years-old and up in Friday’s $200,000 West Point presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, at Saratoga Race Course.
The 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf test will be Mi Bago’s fourth stakes start at Saratoga this year. The front-running 4-year-old Vekoma gelding won the Kingston for New York-breds in June before dead-heating with Zulu Kingdom for the victory in the Grade 3 Kelso in July. In the Fourstardave, contested in the rain on August 8, Mi Bago set the pace before yielding to Deterministic in the stretch while battling gamely to hold second by three-quarters of a length over Zulu Kingdom.
“[Mi Bago] loves this place, and he loves the hard turf,” said dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. “It rained [during the Fourstardave] and there was a little give in the ground, but he still ran well. [The pace] is going to be fast, because Mi Bago has one way of running. He won’t be taken back, so if anybody else goes with him, it will set up for somebody.”
Owned by Gary Barber, Mi Bago has won six stakes races to date, with the Kingston being his only black-type win against New York-breds.
“I haven’t had a lot of New York-breds, but we are starting to get more because we are going to run in New York year round, which we haven’t done,” said Casse. “I just look at him as a good horse. I think one of the reasons why Gary bought him was because he was a New York-bred.”
Jose Ortiz, aboard Mi Bago in the Kingston and Kelso, will be reunited on Friday with Mi Bago, who drew post 4.
Spirit of St Louis, victorious in the 2025 Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, chased home Mi Bago when second in this year’s Kingston and followed that performance with a third-place finish in an open optional claiming race on July 23 locally. Prior to the Kingston, he was second to returning rival Sounds Like a Plan in an optional claimer for New York-breds in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“He continues to hold good form as an older horse,” said five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, who trains the 7-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding for Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Richard Schermerhorn. “We’re impressed with him. He’s a tough horse.”
Regular pilot Manny Franco will again ride Spirit of St Louis, who drew post 2.
Club Sixty Five Racing’s Sounds Like a Plan, a six-time winner in 13 starts, seeks his first stakes victory in the West Point, having finished third in three stakes tries last year: the Woodhaven at Aqueduct Racetrack, the Rick Violette at Saratoga, and the Mohawk at Belmont at the Big A. His third-place finish in the Mohawk was his lone loss in a six-race span dating back to September 2025.
Trainer Horacio De Paz has patiently guided Sounds Like a Plan through his allowance conditions. Facing New York-breds, he respectively cleared the first- and second-level allowance conditions in September and October at Belmont at the Big A before he finished a game third, beaten a half-length, in the Mohawk for New York-breds at that venue later in October to conclude his 3-year-old season.
Sounds Like a Plan, who was gelded prior to his 4-year-old campaign, is unbeaten in three starts this year. He defeated New York-breds in an optional claiming race at Aqueduct Racetrack in April before defeating open company in an entry-level allowance in June and a second-level optional claimer on July 11, both at Saratoga.
“We had those opportunities and we were trying to find as easy of a race as we can, although with those conditions there are some pretty salty horses in there,” said De Paz. “I think that’s part of the New York-bred program, being able to take advantage of those conditions and purses.”
Ricardo Santana, Jr. has guided Sounds Like a Plan in his past eight starts and has the assignment again in the West Point from post 7.
“I think gelding him has helped, and we have been able to run him in kind of easy in a way spots and [go through] his conditions,” said De Paz. "He always has been an easy horse – there are no issues there. It was more in the afternoon. [Since Sounds Like a Plan was gelded], Ricardo says he settles more and he’s not waiting on horses. Ricardo knows him so well. We will just let him do his thing. If Mi Bago goes in there, the tactics change because he has been taking advantage of his speed.”
George Briggs, winner of an off-the-turf edition of the Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last year at Saratoga while in the care of trainer Chad Brown, enters the West Point off a third in the Kingston, in which he chased Mi Bago throughout and ultimately finished 5 1/2 lengths behind that rival. The Kingston was the 4-year-old’s second start for trainer Miguel Clement as he entered that race off a two-length win in a second-level optional claimer for New York-breds 17 days earlier at Belmont at the Big A.
Clement is hopeful that the 12-week break between the Kingston and West Point will help the Peter Brant-campaigned George Briggs [post 8, Flavien Prat] run his best race next Sunday.
“I ran him back on short rest [in the Kingston]; it was an amateur move on my part,” said Clement. “It was the only alternative we had, so I said ‘go for it.’ He’s doing well [following the Kingston]. I’m happy with him.”
Stepping up in class with sharp form is Two’s a Crowd, winner of four straight. The 5-year-old gelding by Cloud Computing won a $16,000 conditioned claiming event in February at Tampa Bay Downs but has not raced for a tag since that outing. After finishing second by a nose in a starter handicap at Tampa later in February, Two’s a Crowd dominated an open entry-level allowance field by 6 1/2 lengths in April at Aqueduct before taking three consecutive starter handicaps that are part of a series at Monmouth Park.
Two’s a Crowd [post 1, Jose Lezcano], like next Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego contender Book’em Danno, is owned by Atlantic Six Racing. He arrived in trainer Derek Ryan’s barn the same day as his Champion stablemate.
“[Two’s a Crowd and Book’em Danna are] both 5-year-olds,” said Ryan. “They both came in the same day and they're both still going. Two's a Crowd has won four in a row. There's not too many people that have horses going strong three or four years straight.”
Two’s a Crowd has stalked or pressed the pace in second in his past three starts at Monmouth and set the pace in his victory at Aqueduct in April.
“He's versatile,” said Ryan. “He can be on the lead. He won an allowance race in New York for fun in the spring. I managed to get him eligible for the starter series [at Monmouth] and he's already won it, so I don't have to run back in it. It's been a good year with [Two’s a Crowd and Book’em Danno], and long may it last.”
The West Point field also includes Itsallcomintogetha [post 6, Luis Saez], sixth in the Kelso for trainer Lisa Bartkowski; Tonka Warrior [post 5, Julio Hernandez], who ships in off a victory in an optional claimer on July 12 at Canterbury Park for McLean Robertson; Russian Realm [post 9, Chris Elliott], third in the Commentator on the Saratoga main track in June for Danny Gargan; and Leon Blue [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], last year’s Rick Violette winner who was sixth in this year’s Kingston before winning an off-the-turf optional claimer for New York-breds on July 18 for trainer Melanie Giddings.
Wynstock, Doc Sullivan, Dr. Kraft, and Bank Frenzy are entered for the main track only.
The West Point presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is slated as Race 7 on Friday’s 10-race program, which also includes the Grade 3, $225,000 Waya for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 3/8 miles on the turf in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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