Interview: Mark And Gr. 1 Chestnut Win
Riches Untold began her career in obscure fashion, on a very out-of-the-way race track out west in Idaho.
But when the dust finally settled Friday afternoon on the grandest race course in America’s biggest city, New York, guess who found herself Queen Of The Ball?
That’s right. The queen on Pink Friday in New York was non other than Riches Untold, after trainer Mark Maclaughlin’s three year old filly scored a huge win in the one-mile Grade 1 Chestnut Stakes.
Mark, or Marmac as he is known in the game, ended up with the richest little lady of all, when his Henrythenavigator filly scorched the track with a thrilling come-from-behind run to win the $300,000 Grade 1 Chestnut Stakes.
In what was only the third career dirt start of her career, Riches Untold came from mid-pack and roared down the center of the track Friday to run down Explosive Nine and hold off a late rush from second-place finisher Dixie Trixie by a half-length.
“Very thrilling,” said Mark, when asked how he felt after Riches Untold won her second consecutive graded stakes win on the dirt to become only the third grade 1 winner in Mark’s training career in Derbyfever, a career which began back in January of 2000. “She beat some of the best Friday. Now the hard part begins, keeping her relevant. I had another grade 1 winner back in 2008, Brazed (retired), who reached the number 7 ranking in one of the older female turf divisions before quickly digressing. Yeah, only three grade 1 winners. I win grade 1’s as often as I hit the lottery so, yeah, they’re special. It’s tough out there. The quality of the competition is what keeps me going. Savvy simmers abound.”
Mark’s filly watched as Dan Silver’s speedy filly carved out early fractions of 45.79 and 1:09.07 on the front end, before Riches Untold began her move from the middle of the pack. It was about that time that jockey F. Oxon decided to make his move on Mark’s filly.
“I had Oxon rate her at 40, as the 35 she used in the Grade 3 Go For Broke Stakes worked,” said Mark. “I wanted her in the same spot, but she was actually further back by the second call. He did that and handled the rest as the favorite, Kashbarn’s Bluegrass Oaks runnerup, Kash On Tap, never showed up. Old URC rezmate John’s Black Middle Flower winner Dixie Trixie almost did though, just missing.”
Both Riches Untold and Dixie Trixie did a lot of hustling as the fillies hit the homestretch, because it didn’t look like anyone was going to catch Explosive Nine on the front end, after Dan’s filly burst out to as much as a four or five length lead early.
There was a lot of front end speed expected in the Grade 1 Chestnut Stakes Friday, but the speed duel never developed. Explosive Nine found herself alone and cruising on the front end, before she was run down about a furlong out from the finish.
“There really wasn’t one (a speed duel) as Explosive Nine blasted to the front, and Shizzle Street was closing like a demon,” said Mark, who comes across as a pretty laid back trainer, but most definitely a trainer who studies and makes astute observations about the game. He gives you the feeling that, if you owned real life horses, he would be guy you would want to have around your horses.
He has the perfect personality to be around real life horses, not easily excitable, yet he’s still able to appreciate the big moments. It’s a rare quality to find in people, a quality that horses appreciate.
“Riches was over eight lengths back at the second call and over four lengths back at the third call. She was fortunate, but she did well.”
When Explosive Nine couldn’t keep up the breakneck pace, Riches Untold saw her opening and bolted down the middle of the track, to hold on late for the half-length win. Shizzle Street ran on from near dead last to get up for third, while Explosive Nine had to settle for fourth after all her hard work on the front end in Saturday’s Chestnut Stakes. El Fuego came on late to get fifth place.
Mark’s filly was just starting to reach the point where she was growing into a pretty nice turf runner, after she finished first in a listed turf stakes in Florida on March 31. That’s when Mark decided to throw her in the Grade 3 Go For Broke Stakes on the dirt prior to her Chestnut Stakes win. After she scored impressively on the dirt there, Mark decided to ship her to New York for the Grade 1 Chestnut, and he’s pretty glad he did now.
Riches Untold’s dam, the Giant’s Causeway mare Gorram Reavers, was a fairly decent dirt runner herself, becoming a listed stakes winner on that surface. So, when Mark bred her to Henrythenavigator, a Group 1 turf winner in Europe, he wasn’t quite sure what he would get.
“I don’t think much about what I breed,” said Mark. “I’m a fairly casual simmer. I just go out and get what I can afford and let the cards fall. Mostly use my retired mares. Riches Untold was from one. Yes, I was probably trying for a turf runner, but for some reason, I started her career in Idaho. I must not have been expecting much.”
The filly who wasn’t expected to do much sure did a lot on Friday, when she won the Chestnut Stakes. And, for a self-described casual simmer of a trainer, Mark decided to go for the glory, when he switched her from the turf to the dirt.
“I find since the Sim’s switchover,” said Mark, “more horses have almost equal ability on dirt or turf. It may be a false observation, but it seems that way. In Riches’ case, her dam won all ten of her races on dirt, so I was always going to give that a shot at some point.”
After seeing Riches Untold throw a career-high 111 speed figure while winning the 8-furlong Chestnut Stakes in a winning time of 1:34.11, Mark is probably glad he made the surface switch for his newest superstar filly.
Mark started his Derbyfever training career in 2000, and Riches Untold is his first grade 1 winner since Nightlinger in 2011. And, he says he has a lot of people to thank for his success in Derbyfever.
“Lots of folks helped in the early days,” said Mark. “All you had to do was ask. So many, and I needed it, as I knew virtually nothing about racing. Still a lot I don’t know.”
Mark said he wasn’t sure where or when we’ll see Riches Untold next. “Definitely a Breeders’ Bowl appearance, if she’s healthy & relevant. She’s Number 8 now in her division. I don’t know about next time out yet. I‘m going to enjoy this for a bit first.”