Keeneland Photo
The remarkable Mr. Z, who has run in eleven races so far this year including the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I), will bring his number of starts this year to an even dozen when he runs in the $500,000 Clark Handicap (gr. I) on November 27th at Churchill Downs.
The three-year-old son of Malibu Moon most recently finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) on October 31st at Keeneland, losing a three-way photo for fourth place in what was a very solid effort in his debut against older horses. Earlier this morning, he breezed a half-mile in :48 4/5 at Churchill Downs, which marked his second timed workout since the Dirt Mile.
“He’s like an ATM machine,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas was quoted as saying in the Churchill Downs Barn Notes for November 15th. “He’s there every time and it looks like he’s got everything going for him.”
“The gene pool helped there,” Lukas added in regard to Mr. Z’s durability. “But he has just been a real sound horse right from the get go. He likes a lot of training and he doesn’t like prosperity. If you back off a bit and just give him a chance to freshen up, he likes going there.”
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