Mister Lincoln placed first via disqualification in featured eighth race
LAUREL, MD — Jockey Jaime Rodriguez notched a three-win day at Laurel Park on Friday when Mister Lincoln was placed first via disqualification in the featured eighth race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds and upward at six furlongs on turf.
Mister Lincoln, trying turf for the first time, didn’t break the best and trailed the field of eight as Dewy’s Beast, Rye Diggitydog, and Cattivo Ragazzo vied for early supremacy through fractions of 23.50 and 45.90 seconds over the good course.
Favored Knockanara traveled sweetly while in behind the pacesetters in the upper stretch, but was checked and forced to alter course when failing to squeeze through a seam between foes. By the time jockey Ismerio Villalobos put Knockanara back on stride, Rodriguez had Mister Lincoln in full flight on the far outside.
Undaunted, Knockanara battled back. He outdueled Mister Lincoln to the wire to finish first by a neck in 1:09.78, but it was apparent that Mister Lincoln was forced outwards during the final sixteenth of a mile. After a stewards’ inquiry and a jockey’s objection lodged by Rodriguez, Mister Lincoln went to the winner’s circle.
Mister Lincoln returned $15.40 to win as Ness’ second winner on the program. Knockanara was demoted to second. Then came Change My World, Davyjonz, Benny Havens, Rye Diggitydog, Dewy’s Beast and Cattivo Ragazzo. Irish Hero scratched.
Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Farm, Mister Lincoln boasts a powerful pedigree. His sire is multiple Grade 1-winning dirt router Constitution. The dam is juvenile Grade 1-winning dirt sprinter Hot Dixie Chick.
That makes Mister Lincoln a three-quarter brother to Grade 1-winning dirt router Pauline’s Pearl. He is also a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning dirt sprinter Union Jackson and stakes-placed dirt sprinter Marsalis. Their second dam, Above Perfection, won the Grade 3 Las Flores Handicap at Santa Anita with a whopping 113 Beyer Speed Figure.
Mister Lincoln was unplaced from his first four starts for trainer Steve Asmussen before being purchased for $40,000 by Madison Avenue Racing Stable at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton December Digital Auction. Mister Lincoln races for Madison Avenue, Morris Kernan Jr., and Ness’ Jagger Inc. operation.
“He kind of slipped through the cracks,” Ness said about purchasing Mister Lincoln. “We got a pretty good deal for $40,000. The first thing we did after we bought him was to [geld] him right away. We weren’t looking for a stallion. That was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Ness wasn’t too concerned that Mister Lincoln was far back on the backstretch.
“It wasn’t too bad because it was six furlongs,” he said. “I thought he was going to go right on by [Knockanara], and he kind of hung. Then, I saw the head-on [replay], and he was herded way out there. I always thought he’d like the turf.”
Mister Lincoln won for the fifth time in 14 starts for earnings of $111,310. Ness mentioned that the gelding “probably deserves another chance” on turf, and that he “wouldn’t be opposed to a little bit of stretch out in distance” down the road.
*Around the track:
Rodriguez and Ness also teamed up for Bodecream’s 5 ¾-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the fifth race. Rodriguez’s third winner came in gate-to-wire fashion aboard favored Bay of Bengal in the seventh race…Live racing resumes on Saturday with the “Fall Turf Festival,” a nine-race program featuring three $100,000 stakes races on grass. The first post time is 12:10 pm ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers (first five races; last five races), each with a low 12% takeout rate…Reserve your spot for our weekly “Bubbly Brunch Sundays” at Laurel Park. Kick back with friends over delicious brunch favorites and bottomless mimosas in our vibrant Stone Bar Restaurant and Bar. Sunday Brunch begins at 11:00 am and the event runs through the final live race…Tickets are available for “Cigars on the Rail,” presented by WBAL NewsRadio 1050 AM. Enjoy premium cigars, an open bar, a trackside luncheon, and great live horse racing on Saturday, September 20, between noon and 5 pm. Click here to learn more…Register for the Autumn Handicapping Tournament, a hybrid on-track and online event on Saturday, September 27. It’s a live money contest with a $500 buy-in. Top prizes include cash, a full seat to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, and two National Handicapping Championship Prize Packs. Learn more here: click here to learn more.
