Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC’s won his third straight and first graded stakes with his 1 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 John A. Nerud S. (G2) at Aqueduct.
The lightly-raced 4-year-old colt is undefeated in three starts this year, with allowance wins at Keeneland and Churchill Downs prior to Saturday’s breakthrough score.
With Flavien Prat in the irons, Mullikin jumped right to the lead from the gate before allowing Prevalence to set the early pace. That duo ran 1-2 until Mullikin took control with about five-sixteenths to run. Coastal Mission made his bid in the stretch, but Mullikin was up to the task and was very strong all the way to the wire.
The final time of 1:20.54 was just a half-second off Artax’s track record set in 1999.
“Perfect position and a good ride,” trainer Rodolphe Brisset said of the trip. “It looks like he’s stepping up with the time [he posted], so we’ll see how the number comes back, bring him home, and go from there.”
Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich, III and John D. Fielding, Mullikin earned $110,000 in victory and improved his record to 8-4-3-0. His lifetime earnings stand at $398,612.
“That’s the logical next thing, but we’re going to have to see how he comes out,” Brisset said when asked if Mullikin would point to the seven-furlong, $500,000 Forego (G1) August 24 at Saratoga Race Course. “That’s what we’ll be looking at. We opted to come here because [it would give us] seven weeks until the Forego, and he’s actually a little better off if he has more space between racing, we think. With running that fast today, I’m happy we have six or seven weeks and not four. We’ll see how he comes out.”
