Marathon Division

MASTERY
Owner: Godolphin Racing, Inc.
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Pedigree: B.c.,3, by Sulamani – Moyesii, by Diesis

Positives: Based strictly on performance, Mastery appears infinitely better than Muhannak, the Euro shipper who registered an upset in the 2008 BC Marathon. Winner of the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster at a distance a sixteenth of a mile farther than the BC Marathon, Mastery can stay all day but has plenty of class as well, having captured the Italian Derby earlier in the season. Still, he was considered something of a second stringer in the Godolphin yard and at 14-1 was considered the lesser of the two Godolphin runners in the St. Leger behind favorite Kite Wood. But Mastery out fought Kite Wood in a stirring stretch drive to prove a most deserving winner (a career top 119 Racing Post speed figure) verifying previous strong performances when second to Monitor Closely in the Great Voltigeur S.,-G2 at York and third to Cavalryman in the Grand Prix de Paris-G1 at Longchamp during the summer. If truth be told, he would hardly be out of his element if entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, which this year appears to be coming up exceedingly weak.

Concerns: Mastery’s lone attempt over an all weather surface came in the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton in March, when he finished fourth, beaten about a half length, after literally walking out of the gate to lose his best chance. It wasn’t much of a race as far as Kentucky Derby preps go, but at least he seemed to handle the surface.

Bottom Line: The BC Marathon always has been on Mastery’s agenda, so his connections must be confident he’ll able to reproduce his form over the Pro Ride at Santa Anita. If he does, he’ll be hard to beat. The distance certainly is within his range, and his credentials in high class races throughout the year won’t be matched by any other entrant. However, it’s been a long year for Mastery -his first race came in March – and his victory in the St. Leger was hardly a stroll in the park. Assuming he’s fully recovered from that mid-September performance, Mastery should contribute to what very well could be a banner two days of racing for Godolphin.