Mammoth at midnight led every step of the way in the $100,000 Cougar II Stakes (G3) on July 25 at Del Mar giving rider Armando Ayuso his first win and trainer Craig Dollase his first win since 2020.
Surprising storylines abound in the 1 1/2-mile Cougar II. Midnight Mammoth, a 5-year-old gelding by 2007 sprint champion Midnight Lute never won more than 1 1/16 miles. He even ran in a 1,000-yard mixed race on November 12, 2023, at the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Meeting. Backed at $0.40-1, he finished fourth that day.
He went to Cougar II, which had only five participants after being eliminated. Clooney as the winner of two consecutive races. He won a $50,000 option grant on May 27 at Santa Anita Park and then a $50,000 starter grant Los Alamitos RacewayHowever, the pacer remains the fourth choice in the betting at odds of 9-1.
regeneration The Grade 3 winner and 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) starter from the Bob Baffert stable was the 0.30-1 favorite after finishing second in the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G2). Ayuso and Midnight Mammoth won from the start, taking a 1 1/2-length lead as they led the pack through the first of three turns.
Reincarnate never got closer than a length as Midnight Mammoth produced fractions of :48.16, 1:12.93 and a mile in 1:38.03. The lead stretched to 4 1/2 lengths when a sprint was called, and he crossed the line 10 1/4 lengths ahead of Reincarnate in second. The final time for the 1 1/2 miles on the dirt was rated a fast 2:32.03.
Midnight Mammoth paid $20 to win. Salesman winner of the 2023 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2), finished 7 3/4 lengths in third place.
Midnight Mammoth improved his record to seven wins from 32 starts, earning $321,930. Out of the winning mare Vindication Taker Home, the horse was bred in Kentucky by Pedro Gonzalez and Jorge Herrera.
Dollase and owner Jeffrey Sengara won the $50,000 Midnight Mammoth on March 3, 2023, at Santa Anita from Golden Bear Racing and trainer Sean McCarthy.
“This is so rewarding. I don’t know what else to say,” Dollase said. “This owner has backed me, and the horse deserves it.
“I loved seeing that half-mile. The horse was so comfortable going. He had a nice stride.”
Dollase has his own way with long-distance racehorses, as his most recent graded win also came in a 1 1/2-mile dirt race when Cupid’s Claw won the Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita on September 27, 2020.
Monmouth Parkthen head to the West Coast.
Videotapes: Cougar II S. (G3)
