HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The well-traveled Mi Bago, whose four career starts have come at four different racetracks, will take his road show to Gulfstream Park for the first time Friday and figures to go postward one of the favorites in the $115,000 Pulpit Stakes. The Pulpit will be decided at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, weather permitting, and lured a full and very competitive field of 11 juveniles, four of whom will be making their local debuts.
Mi Bago, one of only two stakes winners in the Pulpit lineup along with Bucaro, was purchased privately by owner Gary Barber and sent to trainer Mark Casse after winning his debut over the main track on Aug. 1 at Colonial Downs. He has since competed at Saratoga, Woodbine, and Del Mar, where he finished fifth of 14 starters despite a somewhat troubled trip in the one-mile Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes four weeks ago.
“Gary bought him following the race at Colonial and was disappointed after we ran him back and he finished sixth over the main track in the Funny Cide at Saratoga,” Casse recalled. “But I told him not to get discouraged because the way he moves, this is a turf horse.”
Casse’s assessment proved correct right off the bat when Mi Bago switched to the grass and won the five-furlong Algonquin Stakes by a neck six weeks later at Woodbine. In the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Mi Bago had to steady back from tight quarters on the first turn and again briefly in some traffic near midstretch before finishing fifth, beaten only two lengths by race winner Chasing Liberty.
“He’s such a beautiful mover on the grass,” Casse said. “I think he’ll like this course a little better than Del Mar. He breezed extremely well since we got him down here after that race, and I feel turning back to 7 1/2 furlongs is probably a plus for him as well.”
Mi Bago is one of two youngsters Casse entered in the Pulpit, along with Como, who exits a maiden win over the Tapeta course but is likely to scratch to seek a softer spot, per his trainer.
“I think it’s a little too early to put him in with this kind of competition, so he’ll probably only run if the race comes off the turf,” Casse said.
Bucaro also has shipped around quite a bit during his juvenile campaign. He graduated at first asking at Colonial for trainer Michael Trombetta as a prelude to rallying from last to capture the Fitz Dixon Memorial Stakes on Sept. 20 at Presque Isle. Bucaro suffered his only setback in three tries when second best in the seven-furlong Display Stakes decided over the synthetic surface at Woodbine.
Hit That Review is yet another member of the Pulpit lineup to have spent plenty of time on a van during his juvenile campaign, competing at Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs, and Aqueduct before finally winning his maiden in impressive fashion last month at Keeneland for trainer Brendan Walsh.
The local contingent in the Pulpit is led by Tank and Scarecrow, who finished second and third, respectively, in the Armed Forces Stakes going one mile on turf Nov. 2. Tank set the pace to late stretch before succumbing grudgingly by a length to Naughty Rascal while turning in a very promising effort in his turf debut. Scarecrow was just another neck back, finishing full of run down the center of the course once swinging wide and finding clearance for the stretch drive.
Mi Bago will be ridden for the first time in the Pulpit by Edwin Gonzalez, fresh off winning his first local jockey title at the recently concluded Sunshine meet by a 35-34 margin over perennial leader Edgard Zayas.
“It’s a dream coming true,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been working hard every morning. I’ve been getting good business. The trainers keep giving me opportunities, and I’ll keep working hard.”
Gonzalez, 33, who had registered 1,912 victories through the end of the Sunshine meet, began his career at Camarero, in Puerto Rico, before coming to the United States in 2013. He became a regular on the South Florida circuit during the winter of 2020.
“Edwin’s a great rider,” Casse said. “We started using him a couple of years ago in big races and I’m sure this will be just the first of many titles for him.”
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