Zulu Kingdom, Mi Bago inseparable in Kelso dead heat

When multiple Grade 1-winning favorite Zulu Kingdom tackled 9-1 pacesetter Mi Bago in Sunday’s $225,000 Kelso (G3) at Saratoga, one might have expected him to edge clear. But Mi Bago refused to concede the issue; the two crossed the wire in unison, and even the photo-finish camera couldn’t find a pixel’s margin between them.

Examining the photo took far longer than the race itself. Both horses, their respective connections, and fans were held in suspense for several minutes. While the anticipation of a dead heat grew with every passing moment, the process dragged on. 

Finally, the toteboard came to life, only to throw a brief curveball. Zulu Kingdom’s number was posted above Mi Bago’s, and a few seconds later, the “DH” symbol finally flashed beside them. 

Zulu Kingdom’s co-owner Michael Dubb commented on the lengthy wait for the official result. 

“I was watching it and thinking, there’s a wire and there’s noses, why should it take so long?” Dubb said. “I think the placing judges were looking at it from every single angle to make sure it really was a dead heat. It’s all good.”

Zulu Kingdom was bouncing back to form for the trainer/jockey tandem of Chad Brown and Flavien Prat, while Mi Bago was winning his second straight stakes for dual Hall of Fame horseman Mark Casse and Jose Ortiz. 

“They posted the winner as the ‘one’ (No. 1, Zulu Kingdom),” Casse said, “and then they put up the dead heat. Normally, it’s the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat. I went from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory!”

Mi Bago demolished New York-breds in the June 3 Kingston S. over this same course, sprinting to a big lead and never looked back. On paper, he appeared to face a more challenging pace scenario in the Kelso. Moreover, Mi Bago had failed to place in his past graded stakes attempts.

In contrast, Zulu Kingdom was the class of the field, although he had been overturned as the odds-on favorite in the June 7 Poker (G3). But his training program going into the Poker had been interrupted by a quarter-crack. A smoother preparation for the Kelso promised a more characteristic performance. 

Zulu Kingdom did pack a stronger punch on Sunday, but Mi Bago was emboldened when he turned out to be the controlling speed after all. The scratch of Maycocks Bay removed one presumptive pace rival, and Ortiz made sure to declare his intent right away when sending Mi Bago. 

Clearing the field through an opening quarter in :24.19, Mi Bago found his comfort zone. The rail-drawn Zulu Kingdom was tucked behind him in a pocket. 

Mi Bago got away with fractions of :48.51 and 1:12.13 on the firm inner turf. No pressure at all materialized from his nearest pursuer, the 62-1 Itsallcomintogetha, until a short-lived bid at the top of the stretch.

By that stage, Zulu Kingdom muscled his way out of containment and quickened to join Mi Bago. The longtime leader matched Zulu Kingdom’s acceleration with a blazing final furlong in :10.92.

It also helped that Mi Bago was reaching, with his nose down, and striding out at the right instant. Zulu Kingdom hit the line at a less favorable point in his stride pattern, with his head up. After a mile in 1:34.08, the two shared the spoils.

Pass the Hat and Capitol Hill, the top two from the Poker, checked in third and fourth, respectively, on Sunday. Tiz Dashing, Itsallcomintogetha, My Boy Prince, Cruise the Nile, slow-starting Cosmic Year, and Neat concluded the order of finish. The main-track-only trio of Castle Chaos, Dr. Kraft, and Kinetic stayed in the barn. 

Zulu Kingdom, the 2.07-1 favorite, returned $3.66. Backers of Mi Bago received $8.40.

Ortiz was winning this race for the fourth time. Successful in the first two editions with Sayaad (2014) and King Kreesa (2015), in its former guise as the Forbidden Apple, Ortiz scored last year aboard Think Big. 

“I thought it was very close, honestly,” Ortiz said of his view aboard Mi Bago. “He (Zulu Kingdom) put a head in front of me, and then I kind of came back. I was a little anxious that it (the photo) took so long. When the numbers started flashing (to show a dead heat), it felt pretty good.

“I wasn’t expecting to go that easy,” Ortiz added of his front-running coup. “He was traveling very well the first part, and when I asked to him go, he exploded. Then the other horse came. They both deserve it.”

Team Zulu Kingdom was pleased with his effort, but had forecast a more contentious pace.

“He showed up today,” Prat said. “We didn’t expect him to run that way last time (in the Poker), but it’s good he showed his ability today. He’s probably better with a target, but he’s very naturally fast. He can run good races on the lead. When there’s no pace, he can use that as an advantage. He won a Grade 1 on the lead, but I like him with a target as well.

“I thought going into the first turn we were going to be having a decent pace, and then they slowed it down,” Prat continued. “It ended up being a slow pace, and both horses sprinted home. I thought his body was in front of Mark’s horse. I just thought it was a bad situation. It sounded like after the wire he got beat, but I thought it was very tight.”

“I talked to Flavien before the race,” Dubb said, “and we knew there was speed in the race. We knew we weren’t going to the lead. We thought there would be other speed, and Mi Bago wouldn’t be loose on the lead. So, you know the track is favoring speed; it’s very hard. But you don’t want to go out there and go head-and-head. Flavien had a decision to make, and he made the right one – let the speed go and make one run. That’s the way it worked out. It’s horse racing.

“Congratulations to Mark Casse and Gary Barber. They’re both class acts, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to dead heat with them.”

“He’s an overachiever,” Casse said of Mi Bago. “You wish all horses were as tough as he is.”

Gary Barber’s Mi Bago has compiled a mark of 18-8-1-0, $790,275. Although the Kelso marked his graded breakthrough, the Vekoma gelding had won five other stakes, including a hat trick in the Pulpit S., Dania Beach S., and Colonel Liam S. during the winter of 2024-25 at Gulfstream Park. 

Zulu Kingdom has won seven stakes for his ownership group, which comprises Madaket Stables, Dubb, William Strauss, and Michael J. Caruso. The Irish-bred son of Ten Sovereigns has bankrolled $1,356,963 from his 11-8-0-1 line, reflecting victories in the 2024 With Anticipation (G3) and Pilgrim (G2); last year’s American Turf (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day, Manila (G3), and Columbia S.; and the April 10 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Zulu Kingdom’s tally arguably should include last summer’s National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2), but he was controversially demoted to fourth. Mi Bago was fifth that day, following a fourth to Zulu Kingdom in the American Turf. The Kelso was the third time, and the charm for Mi Bago, in his head-to-head with Zulu Kingdom.

Round four for Zulu Kingdom versus Mi Bago could come in the Aug. 8 Fourstardave (G1), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

Ireland and New York also furnished the winners of the other two Sunday stakes.

Irish-bred McTigue was a fitting winner of the inaugural $150,000 Leo O’Brien H. (NSA-G1), the steeplechase race formerly known as the Lonesome Glory, but renamed upon its transfer to the Spa. 

Trained by Cyril Murphy and ridden by Graham Watters, McTigue rallied to set a new course record in 4:30.45 for about 2 3/8 miles over hurdles. Irvin Naylor’s colorbearer took advantage of the weights to outfinish favored Rocket One by a length. Rocket One carried 152 pounds, conceding eight to McTigue.

Another Irish import, Take Your Seats, had paved the way for the course record by galloping to a gigantic lead before tiring to fourth in the homestretch. 

Roger Cimbora Jr.’s New York homebred Twenty Six Black was the popular winner of the turf sprint honoring another iconic figure, the $200,000 Harvey Pack S. 

The 1.65-1 favorite rolled from off the pace under confident handling by Manny Franco. Driving 2 3/4 lengths clear of Possiblemente, the Horacio De Paz charge covered 5 1/2 furlongs on the firm Mellon course in 1:00.49. Defending champion Bring Theband Home set the fast pace but weakened to sixth.