Mast Track back on track in Native Diver; Lava Man scratched

Mast Track back on track in Native Diver; Lava Man
scratched

Mast Track flew home in the Native Diver (Benoit Photos) Stronach Stables’ MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast) has been trying to reach the winner’s circle ever since taking the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) in June 2008, and on Saturday the five-year-old bay finally got the job done with a 1 1/2-length score in the $100,000 Native Diver H. (G3) at Hollywood Park. With jockey Rafael Bejarano aboard, the Humberto Ascanio charge set the pace through splits of :24 2/5, :48 2/5, 1:13 and 1:37 2/5 before drawing off at the wire to finish 1 1/8 Cushion Track miles in 1:50 2/5. “When he’s on the lead he’s got more heart than when he comes from behind,” Bejarano said. “I saw the number three (Garrett Gomez on Square Eddie) break on top but then he took hold a little bit to try to get some traction. So I was able to make the lead and keep the rail. I was pretty comfortable after that. “The last time I rode him he was real close to the lead and he ran good, but as I said before, he’s got more heart on the lead.” Seven-time Grade 1 winner Lava Man (Slew City Slew) was scratched from his long awaited return due to the rainy conditions. “There is no urgency to run,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “We’ve been waiting a long time, now we will wait until Santa Anita.”

Previously owned and trained by his breeder, Bobby Frankel, Mast Track was
sent off the 3-1 second pick in the five-horse field and paid $8.20, $4.80 and
$2.60 while keying the $21 exacta ($1). High Court Drama (Ire) (Theatrical [Ire])
settled in the second flight of runners down the backstretch while running in
fourth, but was best of the rest at the wire, getting his neck in front of 2-1
favorite Neko Bay (Giant’s Causeway). The runner-up gave back $5.40 and $2.80 at
9-2, and show was worth $2.10 while ending the $61.80 trifecta ($1).

Tres Borrachos (Ecton Park) tracked just to the outside of Mast Track
throughout, but faded in the stretch to wind up fourth, completing the 1-5-4-6
superfecta ($1) that returned $126.90. Square Eddie (Smart Strike) completed the
order under the wire.

In addition to his Hollywood Gold Cup score, where he set a new track record
for 10 furlongs in 2:01 1/5, Mast Track also ran third in last year’s Pacific
Classic (G1). He just missed by a nose after setting the pace in the San Diego
H. (G2) in early August, and entered this one off a runner-up effort against
allowance rivals in October. The bay horse has compiled $922,822 in lifetime
earnings to go along with his 20-6-4-1 line.

“When you have the horses, it makes your job much easier,” Ascanio said. “At
Del Mar, he ran a real game race in the San Diego, then in the Pacific Classic I
thought he was going to run real big. But when he broke out of the gate he
stumbled and grabbed his shoe. He almost finished the race with no shoes.

“When he makes the lead he gets real brave. Rafael did a great job today. I
told him just to break and try to go and if someone else wants the lead play
follow the leader.”

The Kentucky-bred Mast Track is out of French Group 3-placed Nawal (Fr) (Homme
de Loi), making him a half-brother to Grade 2-placed Sagitta Ra (Run Softly) and
an unnamed yearling filly by Aldebaran, as well as a full sibling to a weanling
colt. Others of note in the family include Group 3 winners Gilded Vanity (Ire)
(Run the Gantlet) and Kenbu (Fr) (Kenmare), the latter of whom ran third in the
1992 English One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1).