Midnight Mammoth led each step of the best way within the $100,000 Cougar II Stakes (G3) July 25 at Del Mar to offer rider Armando Ayuso his first graded stakes victory and coach Craig Dollase his first graded rating since 2020.
The stunning plot traces had been plentiful within the 1 1/2-mile Cougar II. Midnight Mammoth, a 5-year-old gelding by 2007 dash champion Midnight Lute  , had by no means gained past 1 1/16 miles. He even ran in a 1,000-yard mixed-breed race Nov. 12, 2023, on the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse assembly. Favored at $0.40-1, he completed fourth that day.Midnight Mammoth, dk b/br, 5/g
Midnight Lute â Taker Residence, by Vindication
Proprietor: Jeffrey Sengara
Breeder: Pedro Gonzalez & Jorge Herrera (KY)
Coach: Craig Dollase
Jockey: Armando Ayuso
Info offered by Equibase at time of entry.
Pedigree Notes
Midnight Lute stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms for $10,000 (2024).
Sale Historical past
OBSAPR2021 ⢠$70,000 ⢠Consignor: CM Thoroughbreds, agent ⢠Purchaser: Mr. B..
He got here into the Cougar II, which went with a subject of simply 5 after the scratch of Clooney , as a winner of two races in a row. He had taken a $50,000 allowance non-compulsory claiming race Could 27 at Santa Anita Park after which a $50,000 starter allowance at Los Alamitos Race Course. Nonetheless, the sharp speedster was the fourth selection within the betting at 9-1.
Reincarnate , a grade 3 winner and 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) starter from the Bob Baffert barn, was the heavy $0.30-1 favourite off a runner-up end within the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G2). Ayuso and Midnight Mammoth took it to them from the beginning, leaping out to an instantaneous 1 1/2-length lead as they led the subject by the primary of three turns.
Reincarnate by no means bought nearer than a size as Midnight Mammoth churned out fractions of :48.16, 1:12.93, and a mile in 1:38.03. The lead stretched to 4 1/2 lengths on the stretch name, and he crossed the wire 10 1/4 lengths in entrance of second-place Reincarnate. Last time for 1 1/2 miles over the dust observe rated quick was 2:32.03.Join BloodHorse Every day
Midnight Mammoth paid $20 to win. Salesman , winner of the 2023 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2), completed one other 7 3/4 lengths behind in third.
Midnight Mammoth improved his document to seven wins from 32 begins, with earnings of $321,930. Out of the successful Vindication mare Taker Residence, he was bred in Kentucky by Pedro Gonzalez and Jorge Herrera.
Dollase and proprietor Jeffrey Sengara claimed Midnight Mammoth for $50,000 March 3, 2023, at Santa Anita from Golden Bear Racing and coach Sean McCarthy.
“That is very gratifying. I am at a loss for phrases,” Dollase mentioned. “This proprietor has caught behind me, and the horse deserves it.
“I beloved it after I noticed that half-mile fraction. He was so relaxed in his movement. He is a beautiful-striding horse.”
Dollase has a method with long-distance horses, as his most up-to-date graded win additionally got here in a 1 1/2-mile dust race when Cupid’s Claws gained the Tokyo Metropolis Cup Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Sept. 27, 2020.
Picture: Benoit PhotoOwner Jeffrey Sengara (left) with coach Craig Dollase after Midnight Mammoth’s victory within the Cougar II Stakes at Del Mar
Ayuso, a local of Panama, has been using in America since 2012. He began at Monmouth Park, then made his option to the West Coast.
Video: Cougar II S. (G3)
