Dubai Racing Club
By Sarah Mace
With 400 meters to go and virtually everything still left to do, Meydan-loving Mind Your Biscuits pulled off an all-but-impossible feat Saturday. Out of picture for most of the stretch, he closed like a rocket down the middle of the course and, in the very last jumps, passed his final two rivals to score a repeat victory in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in course record time.
The winner’s share of the $2,000,0000 Golden Shaheen purse also propelled Mind Your Biscuits to the very top of the New York-bred earnings rankings with a bankroll of $3,719,286, which overtakes the mark of $3,529,412 set by Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide.
Exactly one year ago Mind Your Biscuits and his novice trainer Chad Summers burst onto the international scene when they annexed the Golden Shaheen from another seemingly impossible position: the outside post of 12. Partnered with Joel Rosario, who had the repeat call this year, Mind Your Biscuits came from the clouds and kicked clear to win by three lengths in a final time of 1:10 4/5. The victory was Summers’ first win as a trainer, though he had been involved with Mind Your Biscuits from the bloodstock angle from the very first and is a co-owner.
This year, the Golden Shaheen draw landed Mind Your Biscuits at the opposite extreme – in post one, directly to the inside of speedy X Y Jet, which posed a different set of challenges. The 5-year-old was also looking to snap a four-race winless streak, having had his picture last taken when he won the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Stakes last July 8.
Sent off at odds of 4-1, Mind Your Biscuits was tardy out of the gate and settled in last while Jorden Sport showed the way in the early stages. Still in last and shaken up by Rosario rounding the far turn, Mind Your Biscuits wasn’t even on the screen for majority of the stretch run.
Advancing into fifth position and well out into the middle of the course, with 200 meters to go Mind your Biscuits had at least six lengths to make up on new leader X Y Jet.
Up into third well inside the 100-meter grounds, Mind your Biscuits set his sights on X Y Jet and sprint champion Roy H, who stood between him and victory. Gobbling up the ground at the end, he passed those formidable rivals and hit the wire first with a head to spare. The clock stopped in a course record time for 1200 meters of 1:10.21.
Dubai Racing Club
“I have a lot of faith in this horse every time I ride him,” Rosario said. “I just let him be ‘Biscuits’ and do what he wanted. He always gives 100%. I’m so happy, Chad did a very good job.”
Chad Summers said, “We had lost four in a row but we had reasons for all four. He’s a horse that knows where the wire is and he just never gives up. For my staff in New York and Florida and internationally it’s such an unbelievable thing for them – the team that gets everything done. It’s never about the trainer and never should be about the trainer. For the horse, it’s important he showed who the real Mind Your Biscuits was.”
Added Summers, “We respect the international community so much. We’ve seen what Wesley Ward has done as an ambassador for the sport and not be afraid to ship out. To ship and do it and overcome everything, and Lasix free, it’s important. To have a horse peak on the right day and the right time, this is the race we pointed for and it took to the wire but he came through for us.”
Mind Your Biscuits’ star began to rise with his original trainer Robert Falcone Jr. for whom he broke his maiden on April 5, 2016, won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at the Spa that season, finished a strong third (placed second) in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and scored his first Grade 1 victory in the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on December 26. For Summers he has twice won the Golden Shaheen and the Belmont Park Sprint Stakes, and placed in the Cigar Mile and 2017 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. His race record stands at seven wins, eight seconds and three thirds from 21 starts.
Mind Your Biscuits was bred by Jumping Jack Racing LLC and foaled at Sue and Gary Lundy’s Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains and 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).
Mind Your Biscuits was purchased as a short yearling by Machmer Hall at the 2014 Keeneland January sale for $47,000. After he RNA’d for $47,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale, Summers and Susan Montanye purchased the colt privately as a pinhooking prospect. A buyback once again at the OBS Spring 2-year-old sale for $47,000, Summers bought out the colt and, over time, lined up J Stables LLC, Head of Plains Partners and Michael E. Kisber to complete Mind Your Biscuits’ ownership group, which also includes Dan Summers and Scott Summers.
