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My Mitole adds blinkers in work towards G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino
NYRA PRESS OFFICE • Mar 23 2025
Half Hollow Stables’ My Mitole breezed five furlongs in 1:02.55 on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track towards a probable next start in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trainer Carlos Martin equipped the Mitole chestnut with blinkers for the move after a last-out fourth under Luis Rivera, Jr. in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 1 here. My Mitole picked up 10 Kentucky Derby points in the 6 1/2-length defeat to Flood Zone, and he now continues on the Derby-trail in the Wood, which awards 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
“He looked good. He went five-eighths in 1:02 and two but he came home good and looked good. He was sound, happy, Luis Rivera, Jr. worked him. We put a little three-quarter blinker with holes on him, just to get him to focus a little bit,” said Martin. “At the end of the day, he was caught wide in the Gotham, made a couple moves, but I just wanted to see him in the blinkers. I liked what I saw and the way he finished up.
“It is a little bit of a leap of faith to put blinkers on in the biggest race of his career, but I’m kind of leaning towards trying a little equipment change with him,” Martin continued.
My Mitole contested the one-turn mile Gotham on two weeks' rest, while also stepping in class from a starter optional claiming victory at the same distance on February 14 here. In the Gotham, he brushed the side of his stall exiting the outermost post nine but recovered to stalk in fourth, maintaining that position to the wire and registering a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure in the quickly-run race.
“I think there is something to be said for running in your own backyard. Coming back in two weeks was a little bit aggressive, but now I have time to prepare for the Wood,” Martin said. “He came from post nine, [Rivera, Jr.] had to use him a little more to get position. I don’t know if we would’ve threatened the winner, but I think we could’ve been second with a better trip.”
Martin said adding blinkers could help My Mitole late as he stretches out to nine furlongs.
“Sometimes people think its counterintuitive because blinkers get horses keyed up, but I think it could be the opposite in his case, he seems to be chilling out,” said Martin. “He’s always been kind of quirky switching leads, and he switched leads the last two mornings. He went 1:01 and change the Saturday before, 1:02 but the gallop-out was great yesterday.
“Now one more breeze and we will be there. He looks like he put on weight. So that is my plan to give him another good work on Saturday and hopefully be in the Wood,” Martin added.
The Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino closed with 35 nominations. Other horses reported to be pointing to the race include Captain Cook [Rick Dutrow, Jr.], Grande [Todd Pletcher], Hill Road [Chad Brown], Omaha Omaha [Michael Gorham], Sand Devil [Linda Rice], and Statesman [Shug McGaughey].
Sensational Shipsational determined winner of Belmont’s Sleepy Hollow Stakes
Second straight Stakes win for two-year-old Midshipman colt
Shipsational notched his second straight Stakes victory when turning back a late bid from Overstep to take the Sleepy Hollow Stakes by a half-length at Belmont Park on Saturday, Oct. 30.
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The two-year-old son of Midshipman, who entered Saturday’s contest off a victory in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes, has now won three of four career starts.
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Piloted once again by jockey Luis Saez, Shipsational battled briefly with Overstep before taking the lead after the first quarter-mile. Shipsational raced well in-hand, opening an easy one-length lead over his rivals going into the far turn. Shipsational continued to hold the advantage in the stretch, as Overstep put in his bid, but that foe was unable to overtake the son of Midshipman and had to settle for second.
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Bred in New York by Mr. and Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone, Shipsational was a $210,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Shipsational is the 10th foal out of the winning Thunder Gulch mare, Regal Approach. All nine of Regal Approach’s foals to race are winners, including Shipsational. Regal Approach is out of the Stakes winner Regal Approval and is a half-sister to G3 Red Smith Handicap winner, Mr Maybe.
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Midshipman’s 16% career Black Type horses from starters continues to be among the best in the business, and only Into Mischief can top his six 100+ Beyers this year. In addition to Shipsational, Midshipman is also represented by the undefeated Averly Jane, recent winner of the Listed Indian Summer Stakes and Special Reserve, winner of the G2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland. In addition, Midshipman is the sire of 2021 Graded Stakes winners Royal Ship (G2), Naval Laughter (G3) and Kopenhagen (G3 Grande Premio Parana in Brazil).
At 76, Barker Eyes First Derby With Shipsational
New York-bred was a promising second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3).
For trainer Ed Barker, finding his name on the leaderboard for the New York Racing Association's Under 20s Claiming Challenge is a familiar sight.
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He's currently fifth in the battle for $80,000 in prize money, and twice in past years he finished on top in a contest geared to reward trainers with small stables of 20 or less horses who race at chilly Aqueduct Racetrack throughout the winter.
Yet this winter there's another leaderboard with Barker's name attached to it.
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This one commands far more attention, generating the type of excitement at this point in February that Barker has never experienced in his 28 years as a trainer.
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With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) about 11 weeks away, Barker's name is affixed to Shipsational , owner Iris Smith's son of Midshipman who was second for the veteran trainer in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) and with four qualifying points is currently 26th on the list of potential Run for the Roses starters.
"This is something new for me and I'm going to get the most out of this," Barker said. "It's very exciting to have a really talented horse like this. How far we'll go, I don't know, but I'm going to enjoy the ride."
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At a time when the 2022 Kentucky Derby has a cloud hanging over it due to Churchill Downs' suspension of trainer Bob Baffert and the inability of his 3-year-olds to run in the opening leg of the Triple Crown, Barker's story offers a much-needed breath of fresh air for the series. If you're looking for a feel-good story for the spring classics, look no further.
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Consider that at the golden age of 76 and through 28 years of training, he has yet to win a single graded stakes. He used to own a feed business but became a trainer largely because he was given a racehorse to pay off a bill. He worked without pay for trainer Dennis Brida for a year to learn his new profession. His stable now averages about 20 horses per year on arguably the sport's most competitive circuit in New York and he wants no part of having more than 25 runners under his care. He has just 314 career wins through Feb. 21.
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Yet from that humble existence in the sport of kings, Barker finally has, in a New York-bred that was bred by the owners of Genuine Risk, a horse capable of running with, and beating, the graded stakes winners and million-dollar yearlings that have been above his pay grade for decades.
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It's an underdog story worthy of Hollywood—if the right ending can be scripted a few months from now.
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"If there's ever a blue collar worker in this sport, it's Eddie Barker. So it's great to see him with a Triple Crown horse," said Martin Panza, who instituted the Under 20 contest during his 2013-21 tenure as the senior vice president of racing operations for the New York Racing Association. "It's great that one of the smaller trainers has a nice horse that has made it onto the big stage with graded stakes horses. Racing needs that. It just can't be about the seven or eight big trainers. At the end of the day it shows there's a lot of really good trainers out there and while they may have small stables, they are good horsemen that work hard. It's tremendous to see them succeed and have it pay off for someone like Eddie."
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While Shipsational was second in the Feb. 12 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs, he certainly looked the part of a Triple Crown contender in rallying from eighth in a field of 12 while facing open company for the first time. Though he finished 3 3/4 lengths behind grade 1-placed Classic Causeway , he was sixth at the eighth pole under Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano and was the only one who displayed a strong late kick in the stretch and cut into the winner's margin in the 1 1/16-mile stakes.
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"I thought he ran fabulous. He got into a little trouble getting out of the gate. The guy in the starting gate had his head cocked a little bit and he was behind horses, getting all the dirt. He wasn't in good position on the first turn. On the backside, the horse inside of him carried him out and he was six wide on the final turn," Barker said. "But what really impressed me was the way he finished. Castellano was elated with the way he finished. He said the way (Shipsational) finished, that's exactly what you want. I thought he would run a really good race, but I didn't think I had him 100% cranked up to run his best race."
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Off his highly promising 3-year-old debut, the chestnut colt bred by Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone is expected to remain in Florida for the March 12 $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2), a stakes that offers 85 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and will assure the winner of a spot in the Run for the Roses.
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"I'm hoping he'll get a lot out of his last race and move up off it in the Tampa Bay Derby. He had a lot of questions to answer in the Sam F. Davis, since it was his first time against open company, first time against graded stakes horses. Could he go two turns? He checked all the boxes," Barker said about the $318,750 earner who has won three of five starts and is the first stakes winner for his 20-year-old Thunder Gulch dam, Regal Approach. "He's a very talented horse, no question, and there were other talented horses in there as well. I never anticipated seeing that many good horses in the field, but that's what you have to expect when you're shooting high."
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While the Kentucky Derby is the main objective, the timing of the Tampa Bay Derby can be problematic since it's eight weeks away from the first Saturday in May. That leaves trainers with a tricky decision: Do they train up to the Kentucky Derby or run once more?
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Barker said that if Shipsational can amass enough qualifying points to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby, he'll give Shipsational some time off to have a fresh horse for the classics.
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"If he's fortunate enough to be first or second in the Tampa Bay Derby, I'll probably train him up to the Kentucky Derby. He's not an awfully big horse. He's not a Curlin type. He's probably 15.2 or 15.3 hands and probably weighs between 900-1,000 pounds," Barker said. "He's an easy horse to train, so I think with those races under his belt, he'll get a couple of easy weeks and then we'll train him for a month up to the Derby, unless I need more points."
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Working with High Point Bloodstock, Barker was impressed enough with Shipsational to purchase him for Smith for $210,000 from the Wavertree Stables consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. The price was relatively steep for Barker, as his most successful horse, the $551,177 earner Yorkiepoo Princess , was bought for $8,000.
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Yet since teaming with Smith, Barker has enjoyed a new level of buying power at sales. Smith, a Tony Award-winning producer and founder of Once Upon a Time Productions, is married to natural gas billionaire Michael Smith. A longtime racing fan, Smith has been involved in racing partnerships with Sheila Rosenblum, and about four years ago first teamed with Barker at the advice of her father-in-law Seymour Smith, who had enjoyed success racing a small string of six horses with Barker for about eight years.
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"Iris is a very nice person who deserved to get a really good horse," Barker said. "I think we got one for her."
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Iris Smith now has six horses with Barker, including the 3-year-old Quality Road colt Triumphant Road , a $475,000 purchase who Barker believes will be an excellent runner on turf.
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"Triumphant Road will be as good on turf as Shipsational is on dirt," Barker said.
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Barker says he quickly saw the potential in Shipsational. He uses a monitor from Equimetre to monitor his horses' heart rate and measure their stride and received some highly encouraging news after the colt's initial works.
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"After a few breezes, the people who own Equimetre (Arioneo) told me Shipsational would go long. I didn't think so. He looked like a sprinter. But they said his stride is 26.2-feet long and the other babies breezing with him were only doing 24 feet and change. That's about a foot and a-half longer than the other babies I have," Barker said. "They were right about him. I know he will go longer. He was just getting in stride around the sixteenth pole in the Sam Davis, and he's out of a Thunder Gulch mare and they run all day."
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Shipsational was impressive from day one at the races, winning his July 18 debut at Saratoga Race Course by 6 3/4 lengths. He was then fourth after a rocky opening sixteenth of a mile in the 6 1/2-furlong Funny Cide Stakes Presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for New York-breds, but then closed out his juvenile campaign with a pair of wins in longer state-bred stakes, the Bertram F. Bongard at seven furlongs and the Sleepy Hollow at a one-turn mile.
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After the Oct. 30 Sleepy Hollow, Barker made an important decision. After discussing it with Smith, he decided to break from his mold of spending winters in New York and send Shipsational and three of Smith's other horses to Tampa to find out if he had a Triple Crown contender on his hands. The move has required Barker to fly back and forth from New York to Florida several times this winter, but the Sam F. Davis made all those hours in an airplane seem like a magic carpet ride.
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"Shipsational showed so much grit and determination and ran such fast speed figures that I felt he could compete at a higher level. Iris agreed to take a shot and we targeted the Tampa races," Barker said. "I have a good helper down there in Joe Falcone, who has been a great exercise rider for 40 years. He's caring for the horses at Tampa. Without him, I would not have done it."
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Barker figures to make a few more trips to Florida over the course of the next month as Shipsational trains toward his date in the Tampa Bay Derby that may define his status as a Triple Crown candidate.
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"I hope it works out for Eddie and he gets an opportunity to show what he can do," Panza said. "It would send a great message that when you give a horse to a small trainer, your horse means everything to him and that horse is not going to get lost in the shuffle."
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While having a top contender for a 3-year-old race such as the Tampa Bay Derby is a unique experience for Barker, in 2019 he had a very brief fling with Kentucky Derby fever when he sent out Family Biz to finish third in the listed Jerome Stakes and pick up two qualifying points. Unfortunately, the son of Fed Biz was fourth in a Feb. 1 starter optional claimer in his next race and never placed in a stakes again.
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Shipsational seems much better positioned to give Barker a more productive and sustained run in stakes company, but with a world of experience around the racetrack and a firm understanding of how turbulent that life can be, he's not taking anything for granted.
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"I really believe in this horse. He can do anything. He's got the mind of an older horse and nothing flusters him. He's just a really, really nice horse," Barker said. "But, hey, if we get to the big dance and it doesn't work out, there's always state-bred races."
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No Catching 22-1 Upsetter Cara’s Time In Joseph A. Gimma
Not This Time daughter Cara’s Time, under Dylan Davis, leads all the way to win the Joseph A. Gimma for New York-bred juvenile fillies
Richard Greeley's Cara's Time took control early on and was never headed, fending off a late surge from 4-5 post time favorite Caldwell Luvs Gold to post a 22-1 upset in Sunday's $125,000 Joseph A. Gimma for New York-bred juvenile fillies going seven furlongs at Belmont at the Big A.
Cara's Time made amends from the last-out Seeking the Ante on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course, where she first sported blinkers and finished a distant fifth behind Caldwell Luvs Gold. The Mitchell Friedman-trained daughter of prominent Central Kentucky sire Not This Time took the blinkers off for Sunday's race, where she appeared comfortable on the front end and won by 1 1/2 lengths under Dylan Davis.
Breaking from post 1, Cara's Time was in command within a few strides out of the gate with My Shea D Lady keeping company a close second through a :22.87 opening quarter mile over the sloppy and sealed main track. Nicky Jolene and My Mane Squeeze raced a respective third and fourth with Caldwell Luvs Gold bringing up the rear, five lengths behind Cara's Time.
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As the field rounded the far turn, Cara's Time remained in front through a half-mile in :46.23 with Caldwell Luvs Gold advancing a position under Florent Geroux, who had his filly under an all-out drive and went four-wide nearing upper stretch.
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Cara's Time was at a five-length advantage in the stretch, but Caldwell Luvs Gold had dead aim at the pacesetter and attempted to reel her in in the final furlong.
Cara's Time had enough to hold on for victory, completing the trip in 1:23.28. Caldwell Luvs Gold finished another 5 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher My Mane Squeeze, followed by My Shea D Lady and Nicky Jolene.
Davis said his filly appreciated the sloppy going.
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“I'd never sat on her in the morning, but I saw she had good gate speed. Our plan was to break and come out running,” Davis said. “When she got there, she was loving every part of it. She was a little skipper on that mud and she really got comfortable. I could hear them behind me trying to range up at the 2 1/2, and I just tried to get her run going a little bit, but not too much because she got late there with [Jose] Lezcano last time out. She just kept finding more and more down the lane, so it was great. The one closer [Caldwell Luvs Gold] was coming, but I knew it was too late for her.”
Friedman spoke of the decision to use blinkers for her last start, which came following a debut triumph in June at Belmont Park where she unseated jockey Jose Lezcano following the race.
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“I thought she would probably get the lead by herself, but I was surprised [to win] a bit. She didn't run good last time, but I knew she had a good excuse,” Friedman said. “I put the blinkers on her and it made her a little worse. She's nervous and wants to react to it. She had dumped the rider after she broke her maiden, and in the mornings, if she sees something, she won't walk through the end of the barn – she has to go through the middle if there's something she doesn't like. I thought the blinkers would help with all of that and she worked well with them, but we took them off and [hoped] she would stay focused.”
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While Friedman said he is in “no rush” to decide a next target for Cara's Time, other stakes events for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies include the $200,000 Maid of the Mist on October 29 going a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A and the six-furlong $100,000 Key Cents on November 18 at the Aqueduct fall meet.
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Geroux said the sloppy track hindered the previously undefeated Caldwell Luvs Gold's chances.
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“She had a tough time. The first half-mile of the race, I just couldn't get her going. I know usually she's far back, but she's in contention – this time she was completely out of it and they were getting away from me,” Geroux said. “I got her into the clear and she came with a nice run, but the horse on the lead just never stopped. I feel like if she was a little closer, she could have won.”
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Cara's Time returned a cool $47 for a $2 win wager, also banking $68,750 in victory which brought her lifetime earnings up to $118,000. Her record now stands at 3-2-0-0.
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Bred in the Empire State by Stephen Crestani Jr., Cara's Time is out of the Macho Uno mare Zindra, whose multiple stakes-placed half-sister Bahia Beach produced multiple graded stakes winner Next, also a son of Not This Time who landed the Greenwood Cup (G3) Saturday at Parx Racing.
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Shipsational bounces back in Bertram F. Bongard
Sunday, September 26th, 2021
By Tom Law
Eddie Barker walked out of his Saratoga barn office the last Friday of the recent meeting, welcomed a writer looking for horses to include in the Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour with the Little Guys and stepped into the sunshine of Clare Court to start the annual visit.
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Barker talked first about his lone winner at the meet, the 2-year-old New York-bred Midshipman colt Shipsational purchased in March for six figures, before extolling the positives of six other members of his small stable. After about 15 minutes of talking about the promising and proven members of the string, good and bad beats at the windows and the positive vibes of Saratoga, Barker returned to his shedrow and found himself in front of Shipsational’s stall.
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“You have to watch his race in the Funny Cide,” Barker said of the race that came exactly a week before, when Shipsational finished fourth. “He got in all kinds of trouble. He really ran a giant race.”
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Shipsational finished fourth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by Senbei, in the Funny Cide Stakes on New York Showcase Day, somewhat remarkable considering he was bumped and knocked sideways twice in the first 40 yards. He encountered no such trouble Sunday at Belmont Park, where he turned the tables on Senbei with a 2-length victory in the $139,500 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes for 2-year-old New York-breds.
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“He’s a really nice, nice colt,” Barker said after Shipsational won in 1:23.64. “He’s trained well since the day we got him. He’s going to be a special New York-bred. The last race was a throw out. He had trained super coming into this race and I am really, really happy for Mrs. Iris Smith and the whole team.”
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Shipsational improved to 2-for-3 in the 7-furlong Bongard, adding the stakes to his impressive 6 3/4-length debut victory during opening weekend at Saratoga. He also picked up $82,500 for owner Iris Smith Stable.
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Senbei went to the post at 4-5 and took the lead from the outset. The Funny Cide winner and jockey Manny Franco led by 1 1/2 lengths through the opening quarter-mile while Whittington Park and Shipsational battled side-by-side in second and third. Senbei still led by a length through the half in :46.48 while Sensational edged away from Whittington Park and into contention around the turn.
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Saez stayed busy on Shipsational into the stretch while Franco called on Senbei. Shipsational pulled alongside between the eighth and sixteenth poles and edged away just outside the sixteenth.
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“We had to work a little bit, but he gave me a good kick. He ran pretty great,” Saez said. “Last time, he had a lot of trouble in the race. He missed the break and got bothered a lot. Today, things went our way. He got a good break, he was right there and he won.”
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Senbei, the 4-5 favorite in the field of five, wound up 16 1/2 lengths clear of the official third-place finisher Surprise Boss after presumptive third Happy Happy B broke down just before the wire and tossed Jose Ortiz. Happy Happy B, a half-brother to graded stakes winner Keepmeinmind, was euthanized on the track and Ortiz took off the remainder of his mounts after reportedly going to the hospital for an examination of his left ankle.
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Barker, along with Richard Saba of High Point Bloodstock, picked Shipsational out of the OBS March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training and bought Hip 178 for $210,000 for Smith. The chestnut colt had previously sold as a weanling for $27,000 at last year’s Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
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“His conformation was flawless, the way he moved, his breeze was flawless and he galloped out really well. He hit all the boxes,” Barker said after that July 18 victory at Saratoga. “He’s been showing it in his training, he’s got a great mind, he does everything right. I’m happy for the owner, she’s been very supportive.”
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Smith is the daughter-in-law of Barker’s longtime former client Seymour Smith.
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Bred by Diana and the late Bertram Firestone and foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, Shipsational is the 10th foal out of the winning Thunder Gulch mare Regal Approach. All nine of Regal Approach’s foals are winners, including her new stakes winner, the $330,753-earning New York-bred First Appeal, $115,821-earner Regal Force and $111,739-earner Rain Forest. Regal Approach’s 2017 foal, the New York-bred Mr Speaker colt, has four wins in 10 starts, $107,120 in earnings and is entered in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance-optional Sept. 30 at Belmont.
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The Firestones raced Regal Approach after purchasing her for $75,000 out of the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. She won five of 21 and earned $118,721 for the couple and various trainers including Bill Mott, Jimmy Murphy and Ralph Nicks.
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