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Mr. Z gamely prevails in Ohio Derby

A beaming Joe Bravo and D. Wayne Lukas posed with Mr Z in the Ohio Derby winner's circle (Photo courtesy of Gayane Makaryan/ThistleDown Racino) Calumet Farm's Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) displayed plenty of grit and snapped a 13-race losing streak in Saturday's $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown, holding off the late surge of Tencendur (Warrior's Reward) by a nose. With Joe Bravo up for the first time, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt showed speed from his far outside post after the break, advancing forward to take a short lead into the first turn, and opened a little breathing room entering the back stretch, establishing early splits in :23 4/5 and :48. Divining Rod (Tapit), the 2-1 favorite, accelerated along the inside entering the far turn to challenge for the lead as Mr. Z determinedly maintained a slight advantage into the stretch drive. Tencendur was forwardly-placed in second during the early stages and after dropping back a couple of lengths rounding the far turn, the bay colt came again in the stretch drive with a serious bid. Mr. Z battled gamely between rivals in the latter stages and had his nose down in the head-bobbing finish, completing 1 1/16 miles on the fast track in 1:43 3/5. Off as the 6-1 fifth choice among eight rivals, Mr. Z returned a $15.60 win mutuel.

"This is a horse that I've followed all along and I was just happy to be sitting on him today," Bravo said.

Tencendur finished second at 3-1 odds, with Divining Rod a head back in third. It was a 4 3/4-length margin back to War Story (Northern Afleet) in fourth.

Mr. Z captured his career debut going six furlongs at Churchill Downs last June and followed with a pair of runner-up finishes in the Stanford (G3) and Saratoga Special (G2). After a fifth in the Iroquois (G3), he posted a non-threatening second in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) and a fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

The chestnut wrapped up his two-year-old season with a commendable third, beaten a short neck behind Dortmund (Big Brown) and Firing Line (Line of David), in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1).

Mr. Z did not go on at the start of his sophomore season, opening with a disappointing third as the favorite in the Smarty Jones in which he coughed up a clear lead in upper stretch by bolting toward the grandstand.

He followed with a close third in the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn before shipping to Fair Grounds to finish last of nine in the Louisiana Derby (G2). Mr. Z rebounded slightly with a well-beaten third behind American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the Arkansas Derby (G1), guaranteeing a Kentucky Derby (G1) bid, but he was no factor at Churchill Downs when 13th in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Sold by Zayat Stables days before the Preakness (G1), Mr. Z tracked American Pharoah in second before retreating to fifth on the sloppy Pimlico track.

With the $300,000 Ohio Derby payday, Mr. Z has now earned $997,226 from a 15-2-4-4 record.

He was bred in Kentucky by Richard Maynard and sold for $135,000 as a yearling at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale.

Mr. Z is out of the unraced Storm Cat mare Stormy Bear, a half-sister to U.S. champion turf horse and Canadian Horse of the Year Chief Bearhart (Chief's Crown) and Grade 1 winner Explosive Red (Explodent). This is also the female family of multiple Grade 1 winner Private Zone (Macho Uno) and, farther back, legendary sire Mr. Prospector (Raise a Native).

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