Mr. Z clocks five furlongs for Southwest

Mr. Z. will face graded rivals for the eighth time while attempting to earn his first stakes victory in the Southwest (NYRA/Adam Mooshian/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Grade 1-placed
Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) took another step toward the $300,000 Southwest S. (G3) on February 16 at
Oaklawn Park with a five-furlong workout just after the track opened Wednesday
morning.

Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Mr. Z worked in company with
stablemate Will Did It (Medaglia d’Oro), a three-year-old colt who is winless in three
career starts after being purchased for $700,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.

Mr. Z started seven lengths behind Will Did It, collared the front runner on the
inside at the eighth-pole and was three lengths clear at the finish. The work
was from the five-furlong pole to the regular finish line over a fast surface.

The colt, under Jon Court, was credited with five furlongs in 1:01,
second-fastest of 51 works recorded at the distance. He posted internal splits
of :11 1/5, :23 4/5, :35 4/5 and :48 1/5 for a half-mile. Will Did It went the same
distance in 1:03.

“He worked good,” Court said. “Wayne told me to put him into the work like it
was a race, behind a horse that broke off in front of me. He came home strong
and finished up in front.”

Mr. Z was originally scheduled to work Tuesday morning, but the move was delayed
a day after the track was closed for training Monday because of freezing
temperatures.

Court rode Mr. Z to a troubled third-place finish in the Smarty Jones
S. on January 19 and will retain the mount for the Southwest, Lukas said Sunday
morning.