Mullikin enjoyed a perfect trip under jockey Flavien Prat as he went wire-to-wire to take the $500,000 Forego, one of five Grade 1s on Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course.
Mullikin. NYRA Photo.
Favored Mullikin earns a first Grade 1 in Forego
Mullikin, sent off as the 8-5 favorite, broke alertly and commenced to lead through fractions of 22.46 and 44.88 whilst being tracked by Angkor. Shaking clear of Angkor and five other rivals on the turn, the son of Violence extended his already comfortable lead through the stretch and hit the wire 5¾ lengths clear of Gun Pilot, with Angkor holding on for third, another 2 ½ lengths back.
His winning time for the 7 furlongs was 1:21.75.
It was the fourth straight victory for the 4-year-old, who entered the race off a sharp win in the John A. Nerud (G2) on July 6 at Aqueduct, his first graded stakes win.
“That was amazing,” said Elliott Walden, president and CEO of Winstar Farm, which co-owns Mullikin with Siena Farm. “He’s a really unbelievable horse. He’s been great all year and he just keeps getting better.”
Mullikin returned $5.30 to win as he extended his record to 5-3-0 from nine career starts with earnings of $673,512.
For Rodolphe Brisset, the Forego marked his first Grade 1 win as a trainer.
“Obviously, if I let go, I am going to cry,” said Brisset, who later on the Travers Day card sent out World Record, who finished sixth in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1).
Completing the order of finish behind Angkor were Cagliostro, Full Screen and Twisted Ride.