Mythical remains unbeaten in Adirondack

Arindel’s homebred Mythical once again ran her rivals off their feet in Sunday’s $169,750 Adirondack (G3) at Saratoga, extending her record to a perfect 3-for-3.

The Jorge Delgado juvenile had shown blistering speed in her 4 1/2-furlong debut at Gulfstream Park, where she romped by 8 1/2 lengths. Her next challenge was the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont S. versus the boys at the Spa, but Mythical made short work of it while recording a gaudy 105 Brisnet Speed rating.

In the Adirondack, Mythical might have been expected to face more of a test over 6 1/2 furlongs. The familiar pattern recurred, though, as she was simply too fast.

Scampering to the front from her rail post, the 9-10 favorite was already clear through an opening quarter in :21.99. Mythical poured it on through a torrid half in :44.86. Although she decelerated down the lane, clocking six furlongs in 1:10.20 and finishing in 1:17.20, the Florida-bred held sway by a comfortable 3 1/4 lengths. 

Meringue, who was last of the quintet early, closed as easily best of the rest. Another 4 1/4 lengths adrift in third came Spa Prospector, followed by Tiz in Sight and 2.10-1 second choice Angel Gift. Iron Orchard was withdrawn.

Mythical has now earned $228,750. By St Patrick’s Day, a full brother to Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, the bay is out of Lailoni, a daughter of Brethren and Grade 3-winning sprinter Dat You Miz Blue. 

“This filly is very good, she is very classy,” regular rider Emisael Jaramillo said. “It’s Florida (bred), it’s the best. The filly is just very professional. No problem in the gate, she is very good.”

Delgado credited Jaramillo for keeping Mythical on task, despite her tendency to cock her head and look around.

“She's looking at everything,” Delgado said of her morning routine, “and saying ‘hey, what's up with you.’ Every horse. She wants to go eat grass and say, ‘hi’ to people. She wants to stand and look. She does the same in the race, but Emisael is a really good jockey. He makes sure she knows where the wire is and keeps on going. She's curious, I would say, and that's the way she shows it.”

Delgado commented on Mythical’s posting faster times than the highly-regarded colt Ewing did in Saturday’s Saratoga Special (G2). Ewing rattled off fractions of :22.26, :45.41, and 1:11 en route to completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.03. While a cross-day comparison can be hazardous, Delgado believed that the track was more demanding on Sunday. 

“They tried to go for it in the beginning, but when you see the fractions going :22 and :44 compared to the horses yesterday, two good horses (Ewing and runner-up Obliteration) – she went a second less than the boys. I would say the track is a little bit heavier today than yesterday after the first few races. She did really good. 

“I haven't seen a horse win on the rail yesterday or today,” her trainer added, “and she had the one (post) and she had to go all the way on the one...she started running and finished running.”

“She's an unexpected blessing for me this year,” Delgado revealed. “Brian (Cohen of Arindel) called me one day and said, ‘I'm going to send you a filly that I think will fit your program really well.’ It turned out to be her. This year, I didn't have too many babies – 12 in total – coming to my barn, and the numbers weren't looking good to find a horse to compete in these races. Thankfully, she showed.

“Before she won the first race (April 17), she breezed one day at Gulfstream, and I knew she was special. I've been fortunate enough to train a few good horses in the past years, and she showed me right away, ‘I'm one.’”

The Aug. 30 Spinaway (G1) looms as a likely objective, but Cohen wants to make sure that his homebred is ready to fire her best shot.

“After her first race, she had a good amount of time to the next one (the June 5 Tremont), and she ran huge. We wanted to get from an open stake to a graded stake, and as much as we want to run everything here, it just made sense if we were going to put a couple races close together, that it would be this and maybe the Spinaway. I’m not putting that for sure, because she went pretty fast early, and we’ll see how she comes back, and we’ll do what’s best for her.

“I saw 44 and four (for the half-mile),” Cohen continued, “and I just thought, ‘eh, maybe a little quick,’ but…I don’t know. 

“Honestly, I just blacked out a little bit and (when) she went :44 and four, let me know when it’s over,” he laughed, “which didn’t seem to come very soon. But it was great.

“Jorge has told me that, as little as she is, and with as big a stride as she (has) and how easy she does things, maybe she can go a little easier, stretching out a bit, which would be nice. She ran so hard today, in the back of our heads. we’re thinking Spinaway, but we’ll see how she comes out of it. We go up in caliber of horses we’re going to face at this point...just super happy right now.

“She just likes to run, and what Jorge has said since day one (is) she’s just such a professional filly and is easy-going even though she’s small. I don’t have enough words to describe (her).”

“I think she will adjust to whatever you want her to do,” Delgado said. “Today was 6 1/2 (furlongs) – we knew she needed to go from the very beginning. Maybe for the seven furlongs, we can restrict her and try to stretch out a little more and find a way to relax her in the beginning. It's going to be a tough task, but I think she's smart enough to learn everything you want to teach her.”

That seven-furlong race in mind is the Spinaway, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

"Most likely, 99 percent,” Delgado said. “God willing, knocking on wood, everything goes good after this race and she comes back sound.”