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By Sarah Mace
The connections of Mind Your Biscuits could not have hoped for a more perfect way for the Posse colt to wrap up his sophomore campaign than his Santa Anita opening day coup: a determined Grade 1 victory in the 7-furlong, $300,000 Malibu Stakes.
Campaigned by J Stables (of retired Florida businessman Joaquin Guerrero), Head of Plains Partners LLC et al, and conditioned by up-and-coming young trainer Robert Falcone Jr., Mind Your Biscuits has come a long way since his first start for Falcone, a maiden-breaking score in state-bred company at Aqueduct on April 5. He had relocated from the barn of Roderick Rodriguez for whom he had picked up three placings at two, including a third in the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes.
After logging several more solid starts for Falcone in the spring, including a second-place finish in the Mike Lee Stakes at Belmont, Mind Your Biscuits successfully made the leap from the state-bred ranks into graded company, taking on and besting the field of the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at the Spa with a nifty closing move at the rail.
A closing fifth in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop on Travers Day, his only off-the-board performance all year, and runner-up in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx on September 24, Mind Your Biscuits headed to the Breeder’s Cup Sprint.
The closer acquitted himself extremely well in the championship race, just missing second by a nose to Masochistic a length behind Drefong. Drefong, who had been pointed to the Malibu, spiked a fever after his last work and did not join the lineup. Masochistic has since been disqualified from his Breeder’s Cup placing.
Reunited with his Breeder’s Cup pilot Joel Rosario Monday, Mind Your Biscuits got out of his inside post well, and settled at the fence along the backstretch, two lengths behind Jazzy Times and Sharp Azteca, who between them clocked a blistering half mile in 43.80.
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Tipping out three wide at the head of the lane, Mind Your Biscuits began to wear down Sharp Azteca, now the lone leader, and gained the top spot in the final sixteenth on his way to a half-length victory in a final time of 1:20.81. Favorite Ten Blessings checked in third 2 1/2 lengths behind Sharp Azteca. Second choice Mind Your Biscuits paid $9.40 to win.
Rosario, who won the San Simeon Stakes two races earlier on the card aboard Bettys Bambino, said “It’s worth the trip. Not a bad afternoon. It is always fun coming out here.”
Rosario continued, “I was a little concerned in the stretch. We were closer than we have ever been before. They were smoking up front. We got a little late kick and he took off.”
Falcone followed up: “This is great for [Mind Your Biscuits]. He bounced out of the Breeders’ Cup great, and he gets over the track so well.” Since the Breeder’s Cup, Mind Your Biscuits had posted three half-mile works, most recently a :47 1/5 bullet over the Santa Anita oval.
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Added Falcone, “He just proved today, again, that he’s a great horse. He’s a real nice horse. It feels great.”
Bred by Jumping Jack Racing LLC and foaled at Sue and Gary Lundy’s Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains, Mind Your Biscuits is one of three winners from three foals to start out of Jazzmane, an unraced Kentucky-bred daughter of Toccet and a half-sister to Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Kimchi (Langfuhr). The mare has two more reported foals in the US, a 2-year-old filly by Posse and yearling colt by Officer.
Mind Your Biscuits was purchased as a short yearling by Machmer Hall at the 2014 Keeneland January sale. Offered at auction twice more, he RNA’d both times for $47,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale and at last year’s OBS Spring 2-year-old sale, after which Chad Summers acquired the colt privately on behalf of J Stables.
Previously Summers, his father and brother had bought an interest in Mind Your Biscuits. Liz Crow of BSW Bloodstock later purchased a minority interest in the colt on behalf of clients Head of Plains Partners and Michael E. Kisber.
With a career record of four wins, four seconds and three thirds from 13 starts, Mind Your Biscuits’ earnings now total $675,366.
