Zulu Kingdom looms large in G2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael J. Caruso’s multiple graded stakes-winner Zulu Kingdom headlines Friday’s Grade 2, $400,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Irish-bred Ten Sovereigns ridgling has won 6-of-7 starts, and is perfect in three outings this year, including a neck win in the Columbia in March at Tampa Bay Downs; a 1 1/4-length score in the Grade 1 American Turf in May at Churchill Downs, besting next-out Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational-winner Test Score; and a three-quarter-length win here in the Grade 3 Manila on July 4.

Zulu Kingdom [post 7, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds] launched his career in France with conditioner Andre Fabre, winning his debut by 3 1/2 lengths sprinting seven furlongs last June over soft Saint-Cloud turf. He was purchased privately and subsequently won his first two starts for Brown by a neck, taking the Spa’s Grade 3 With Anticipation in August and the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Belmont at the Big A in September. The lone blemish on his record is a 4 1/2-length seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar.

Zulu Kingdom has demonstrated a tremendous will to win with four of his victories coming by less than one length.

“I think two-turn turf races at the middle distance there's always a lot of close finishes, but he has a lot of natural heart and ability. He's a natural competitor when it comes down to the wire,” said Brown, who looks for a record-extending eighth victory in this event.

Brown has opted to keep Zulu Kingdom at middle distances for now, bypassing more lucrative options such as the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 2.

“A mile, mile and a sixteenth - right now - is what I think he wants to do,” Brown said. “We'll see as he gets a little older [about stretching out]. He's coming into the race great. He's training well.”

Bred by Ecurie Peregrine SAS, Zulu Kingdom is out of the Smart Strike mare Zindziswa. His second dam is the dual group-winner Zinziberine.

Luther [post 2, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds] will cut back in distance following a closing third-place finish to the aforementioned Test Score in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 4 here.

Trained by Charlie Fellowes for owners Paul Hickman and Nicholas Jones, the Frankel bay saved ground in last-of-7 in the Belmont Derby before angling wide for the stretch run to the inside of World Beater. Luther and World Beater rallied to the wire in tandem with the latter earning place honors by a nose with another head back to the returning pacesetter Tank.

Luther captured the one-mile Ascendant traveling left-handed over good going in September at Haydock and completed his juvenile campaign with a fifth-place finish on the straight in the one-mile Group 2 Royal Lodge over soft turf in September at Newmarket.

The British-bred colt was second in his seasonal debut in April over the Chelmsford synthetic before a pair of Group 1 attempts in France when a 1 1/4-length fourth over firm footing in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains in May at Longchamp and off-the-board in the 1 5/16-mile Prix du Jockey Club in June at Chantilly.

Luther, out of the winning Cityscape mare Give And Take, was a $318,576 purchase from Book 1 of the 2023 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. His second dam, Grace And Glory, is a full-sister to multiple Group1-winner multimillionaire Fame And Glory.

Gary Barber’s multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Mi Bago [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 122 pounds] will look to make the grade for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, while avenging a pacesetting fourth last out as the mutuel favorite in the Grade 3 Penn Mile over yielding footing on June 27 at Penn National.

Casse said Mi Bago would appreciate firmer ground as he looks to topple Zulu Kingdom.

“This is Saratoga. It's not supposed to be easy,” Casse said, with a laugh. “He likes the turf rock hard. I think he'll enjoy the tight turns here, so we'll give it a shot.”

The Vekoma bay, bred by Highclere, Inc., has banked $519,050 via an 11-5-1-0 ledger that has seen the talented colt stretch out impressively after rallying to victory in the Listed Algonquin sprinting five-furlongs at third asking in October at Woodbine.

Mi Bago dominated open stakes company with a hat trick of frontrunning Listed stakes wins over the winter at Gulfstream Park, taking the Pulpit at 7 1/2-furlongs over firm turf in November, the one-mile and 70 yard Dania Beach over synthetic in January, and the one-mile Colonel Liam in March over firm turf.

He finished a 1 3/4-length fourth as the pacesetter in the Grade 1 American Turf and was a 6 1/4-length second in the off-turf Listed Pennine Ridge here in June over muddy and sealed footing ahead of his Penn Mile effort.

The promising Clever Again [post 5, Jose Ortiz, 122 pounds] will make his turf debut after trying to stretch out on the main track in his two most recent outings.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, the American Pharoah bay was a head away from winning his first three starts. He debuted last April at Keeneland with a prominent defeat to a well-regarded Wesley Ward trainee in Dreamaway, who exited that effort to win the Colleen at Monmouth Park. 

Clever Again made his next two outings at Oaklawn Park with victorious frontrunning efforts, graduating in February traveling 1 1/16-miles before romping to victory in his stakes debut in the one-mile Hot Springs when four lengths better than Grade 1-winner Gaming.

The $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase was off-the-board in his most recent two outings in the Grade 1 Preakness in May at Pimlico Race Course and Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 21 at Thistledown. He has since worked over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf, including a bullet five-eighths in 59.66 seconds on July 20. 

Clever Again is out of the Group 3-winner Flattering, who is a full-sister to multiple Group 1-winning millionaire Love. Both Flattering and Love were campaigned on turf by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners.

A talented field also includes graded stakes-placed Maui Strong [post 4, Junior Alvarado, 120 pounds] for trainer Dale Romans; graded stakes-placed New York-bred Out On Bail [post 6, John Velazquez, 120 pounds] for conditioner Mike Maker; Tiz Dashing [post 3, Javier Castellano, 120 pounds], who was third last out in the Grade 3 Manila for trainer Barclay Tagg; and multiple stakes-winner Tank [post 8, Luis Saez, 122 pounds] for trainer Carlos David. McAfee is entered for the main-track only.

The Hall of Fame is slated as Race 7 on Friday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit nyra.com/tv.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.