A 10-length debut winner over New York-bred rivals at Aqueduct, Mo Plex made all the running while jumping to graded competition in Saturday’s $175,000 Sanford (G3) at Saratoga, leading gate to wire for a one-length decision. The bay colt became the first stakes winner for freshman sire Complexity, and Jeremiah Englehart trains for R and H Stable.
Mentee, the 6-5 morning line favorite and half-brother the champion two-year-old male Fierceness, was scratched due to a fever.
“I hope everything works out well with Mentee, and we kind of benefitted a little bit from the scratch today, but Irad (Ortiz Jr.) rode him really well,” Englehart said. “I got a little nervous because he was a lot more anxious in the paddock today than he was at Aqueduct (in his June 20 career debut) – probably a little different environment. I’m really excited with how he did everything.”
Mo Plex left the gate as the 1.85-1 second choice and hustled straight to a clear lead, showing the way by about a length through opening fractions in :22.51 and :45.92. He spurted away in upper stretch, holding to the wire through six furlongs in 1:11.72.
“We broke on top, he broke sharp today a lot more sharp than last time,” said Ortiz, who won the Sanford for the fifth time in the last 10 years. “I tried to keep him together, he was looking around a little bit and playing around, I think. He is a young horse, so I tried to keep him focused all the way to the wire. When we turned for home, I asked him, and he responded well. I had to keep him busy to keep his attention to get the job done. He is a really nice horse, he has talent.”
Studlydoright, favored at 1.65-1 off a rallying victory in the June 6 Tremont S., closed belatedly on the far outside for second, a half-length better 3-1 third choice and Tremont runner-up Three Echoes. Mr. Squeaky, Soontobeking, Baby Dukes, and War Tax followed.
Purchased for $40,000 at the OBS April two-year-old sale this spring, Mo Plex has earned $137,500 winning his first two starts. He’s by a 2018 Champagne (G1) winner Complexity, a son of Maclean’s Music, and Mo Plex is the first foal to start from the unraced Uncle Mo mare Mo Joy.
Englehart was asked what Mo Plex’s success means for the New York-bred program.
“I love the program. This is where I call home all year long, and I concentrate and focus on buying New York-breds. Hopefully, we’ve got a few more we can unveil later in the meet and have some fun with. It’s just a tremendous program, and they’ve shown they can run with anything. To me, it’s fantastic and it’s almost like job security when you’re able to have New York-breds. I’m blessed.”
Mo Plex may target the closing-weekend feature for two-year-olds, the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) on Sept. 2.
“I’ll see how he comes out,” Englehart said. “I actually always thought he’d go a little further. I was surprised he had as much speed as he did, and they gained on him a little bit late. Hopefully, he comes out of this race well and maybe we look towards the end of the meet.”
