Strong field brings Grade 1 vibe to Vanderbilt

While the Alfred G. Vanderbilt lost Grade 1 status this year, there’s certainly a Grade 1 vibe in Saturday’s renewal at Saratoga. Now a Grade 2 as part of the American Graded Stakes Committee’s sweeping downgrades, the field of eight set to go seven furlong is anything but Grade 2 level.

In a field full of accomplished runners, it may be one of the less accomplished runners that rates a strong upset chance. On closing weekend at Saratoga back in 2021, Baby Yoda turned in one of the best performances of the year, earning speed figures close to Flightline, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic the following year and was named Horse of the Year. However, Baby Yoda failed to reach that level again, bouncing between allowance and stakes company, until he returned to Saratoga last year for the Grade 2 True North on the Belmont Stakes undercard. Baby Yoda was a six-length winner that day, scoring his first graded stakes win. He then faltered in three graded stakes tries, including finishing fourth in this race last year, before ending his season with a disappointing try in the Fall Highweight at Aqueduct. 

Back for his 7-year-old season, Baby Yoda kicked off his campaign scampering to a track record in an Aqueduct allowance in June. Now, Baby Yoda, who gets another rider change to Dylan Davis for trainer Bill Mott, needs to prove that, that last-out win was no fluke, and that he can still hang with the top horses. 

As far as the race flow goes, Baby Yoda could sit the perfect trip. Baby Yoda appears to race better when outside and just off of horses. Saturday, he’ll get that, drawing post 7 of eight, with plenty of speed inside of him. At a juicy 6-1 on the morning line, Baby Yoda looms a serious potential upsetter.

Book’em Danno and Mullikin, both Grade 1 winners, get a rematch of last month’s True North, when Book’em Danno rallied past Mullikin for a 1 1/4-length score. The two also met in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes, with Book’em Danno finishing fourth by a neck and Mullikin fifth. Mindframe won that race and returned to win the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, and is arguably the top horse in the country. 

Book’em Danno was nearly unbeaten as a juvenile, with his connections bypassing the Triple Crown trail and instead going to the Saudi Derby where he finished a close second behind Forever Young. That Japanese runner then ran third in the Kentucky Derby and BC Classic, and then won his 4-year-old debut in the Saudi Cup. Book’em Danno returned from the Middle East to capture the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last year at Saratoga. After a somewhat disappointing rest of his 3-year-old season, the New Jersey-bred won his 4-year-old debut in a handicap at Colonial Downs, before the Churchill Downs. 

Jockey Paco Lopez gets back aboard for trainer Derek Ryan Saturday and Book’em Danno, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, should get a perfect stalking trip from post 5, just outside Mullikin, the 7-2 second choice. 

Mullikin loomed as the top dirt sprinter in the country last year, going favored in the BC Sprint, where he finished a decent third. Prior to that, he rattled off four straight wins, including the Grade 1 Forego here. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset has turned Mullikin from a solid allowance horse, into a Grade 1-caliber horse. Jose Ortiz takes over the mount from Flavien Prat, who is booked to ride on Monmouth’s Haskell Day card.

Last year’s Vanderbilt winner is also in the field Saturday, though that was Nakatomi’s last victory. A late runner for trainer Wesley Ward, Nakatomi began his 6-year-old season with a runner-up finish by a neck in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Shipped back stateside, Nakatomi was no factor as the favorite in the True North. Nakatomi won this race last year off a third-place finish in the Golden Shaheen, and jockey Emisael Jaramillo comes in to ride. 

Skelly has long been one of Steve Asmussen’s top sprinters, though he typically fails to fire outside of Oaklawn Park. In fact, the now 6-year-old has just two wins outside of Oaklawn - one in a maiden at Churchill and the other in a Lone Star stakes. Skelly’s lone graded stakes wins have come in the last two runnings of the Grade 3 Count Fleet Handicap at Oaklawn. Skelly did finish second in this race last year after setting the pace. Regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. will be aboard and the pair will likely set the pace, as Skelly has the ability to run a sub 21 second opening quarter mile.

There should be a host of other horses pressing Skelly up front. Full Moon Madness, just outside of Skelly, is a longshot with early speed but he has won from off the pace before. Kendrick Carmouche is set to ride for Michelle Nevin. 

Damon’s Mound won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special as a juvenile in 2022 and won the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx the following year. Damon’s Mound missed all of 2024 and returned for new trainer Bill Mott to win a statebred stakes at Gulfstream in January. The 5-year-old finished second to Full Moon Madness last out. Junior Alvarado is booked to ride and will likely settle just behind the early pace.

An intriguing newcomer to the group is Nash, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Joel Rosario. Nash won a high-level allowance last out and earned a lofty speed figure. He finished second in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile last year, behind Seize the Grey, who returned to win the Preakness and Pennsylvania Derby. Cox had Nash routing last year and early this year but the 4-year-old seems to have taken a liking to six-furlong races. Nash is cross-entered in an Ellis Park stakes on Sunday but will run here instead.

The Vanderbilt has been won by many champion sprinters and while this year may lack the Grade 1 badge, there’s certainly Grade 1 feel and perhaps a champion sprinter looming.

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