NEWS: RACING

Mountain Music Man leads Empire-bred trifecta across the wire in open Awad

Friday, October 30th, 2015
NYRA/Adam Coglianese

NYRA/Adam Coglianese

by Sarah Mace

Going dirt-to-turf and sprint-to route in his second career start, Mountain Music Man (Bluegrass Cat) bested a salty field of juvenile turfers at Belmont Park on Friday as he led fellow New York-breds Converge and Pagan across the finish line in the co-featured $100,000 open Awad run at one mile over the Widener Turf Course.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Robert and Lawana Low, Mountain Music Man won his Belmont debut by a neck on September 26 after pressing the pace in a six-furlong main track tilt for New York-breds. As a full brother to stakes winner and graded stakes placed Michael With Us and a half-brother to stakes winner and Grade 1 placed Tourist (Tiznow), he stood to relish the surface switch and stretchout. Since his maiden victory, he had also posted two strong half-mile turf works, most recently a best-of-six move on October 24.

Partnered with Manny Franco while his debut rider John Velazquez was contesting Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland, and sent off as 5-1 fourth choice in the well-matched field, Mountain Music Man took back after a good start and enjoyed a rail trip in fourth covered up by Don’t Be So Salty who led the field of 11 through a first half-mile in 47.84 pressed along by Rappel. After six furlongs in 1:12.04, the top two passed the quarter pole on virtually even terms.

Rappel took over the top spot in upper stretch and Mountain Music Man angled out five wide for the drive, rallying steadily. He wore down his rival and made the lead with sixteenth to go inching off to a 1 1/2-length victory. Fellow New York-breds Converge and Pagan both closed strongly from well out of it to grab second and third, followed across the line by Rappel, who hung on for fourth. The final time for one mile over a course labeled “good” was 1:37.11. [VIDEO]

Winning jockey Manny Franco reported, “I expected that the pace in front of me would be fast. I just tried to break well and get my position early. I was [sitting] perfect behind another horse that had a chance to win the race too and I just tried to follow him and go by.”

Byron Hughes, assistant to Todd Pletcher, added, “I thought he ran well. He sat right off the pace and Manny did a good job getting him out off the turn. He made a winning move and looked good doing it. We worked him twice over this turf and he seemed to really like it. Given his pedigree, and since we had an opportunity to breeze him over the turf, we thought it was a good chance [to try turf] and the timing set up for this race. It worked out well.”

Bred by WinStar Farm, LLC and foaled at Vinery NY at Sugar Maple in Poughquag, Mountain Music Man was picked out as a yearling by Raul Reyes (Kings Equine) for $90,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. The colt RNA’d in March for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale, where Reyes said the heat did not agree with him and he looked dull. Mountain Music Man then sold for a gaudy $450,000 price tag in May at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year old sale after breezing a co-bullet :10 flat breeze in the under tack show.

Undefeated in two starts and now a stakes winner, Mountain Music Man has earned $102,000.

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