Hot Rod Charlie disqualified for interference, Mandaloun declared winner of Haskell Stakes

OCEANPORT, N.J. — Jockey Florent Geroux was the first to admit there are better ways to win than the way he and Mandaloun won the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes Saturday at Monmouth Park.

"It is not the best way to win, but Mandaloun ran a winning race and deserves this,” Geroux said after Mandaloun was placed first in the race when original winner Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified for interfering with Midnight Bourbon just past the eighth-pole of the 1⅛-mile race.

Hot Rod Charlie, the Belmont Stakes runner-up, crossed the wire a nose in front of Mandaloun.

The stewards, after an inquiry, ruled that Hot Rod Charlie, under jockey Flavien Prat, had come over on Midnight Bourbon, resulting in Midnight Bourbon throwing jockey Paco Lopez to the ground and then running off before the outriders caught him on the clubhouse turn.

Midnight Bourbon was racing between Hot Rod Charlie on the outside and Mandaloun on the inside when the incident occurred.

Florent Geroux: 'I kind of feel bad for him'

"Unfortunately for Hot Rod Charlie he came in and Midnight Bourbon clipped his heels and he got disqualified,'' Geroux said. "I feel bad for the connections of Hot Rod Charlie because he ran a hard race and Flavien Prat is a good friend of mine. I kind of feel bad for him. Honestly I didn’t know what happened until I came back and looked at the TV.''

Hot Rod Charlie, the 4-5 favorite, was placed last in the field of seven.

Owner Ron Winchell said after the race Midnight Bourbon was fine.

Lopez was placed on a stretcher and then in an ambulance but Monmouth Park medical director Dr. Angelo Chinnici said Lopez was not taken to the hospital.

"(Paco) has a soft tissue injury to his right knee and ankle,'' Chinnici said. "He was alert and oriented. He took off the (the last two races on the 14-race card) as a precaution. He said he was very disappointed because he thought he had a ton of horse.''

Lopez said he was OK.

"I'm good, man. I am fine. I'm just going to ice up,'' Lopez said.

Prat apologized to Lopez in the jockey's room.

"It happens, man,'' Lopez told Prat.

Prat had a very brief comment about the incident.

"He (Midnight Bourbon) just clipped my heels. That's it,'' Prat said.

Mandaloun trainer Brad Cox said he did not see the incident live.

“Someone watching the race next to me said Hot Rod Charlie may come down,'' Cox said. "I was so focused watching Mandaloun I didn’t see the horse go down. It looked like he clipped heels, but I was not sure what happened.

"I was not sure if (Midnight Bourbon) ducked in behind Hot Rod Charlie or if Hot Rod Charlie came over on him. Once I saw the head-on and the replay, I saw it. It didn’t take them long to change it and it was pretty obvious they would make a change.''

A three-wide battle

Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon and Mandaloun were briefly three across the track in the upper stretch.

With jockeys not allowed to whip horses under New Jersey's no-whip rule instituted this year, Hot Rod Charlie came in on Midnight Bourbon as he and Mandaloun were starting to edge clear of Midnight Bourbon.

The crowd of 20,983 groaned as Midnight Bourbon fell.

Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun were 18¼ lengths clear of Following Sea, who crossed the wire third.

Mandaloun, the 3-1 second choice, paid $8.20 to win. Following Sea, the early pace-setter, was placed second. Antigravity was placed third and Pickin' Time was placed fourth.

The 3-1 exacta paid $35 for a $2 wager. The 3-1-2 trifecta paid $133.85 for a 50 cent wager and the 3-1-2-5 superfecta paid $198.96 for a 10 cent a wager.

It was the first Grade 1 win for Mandaloun.

Mandaloun might be the Derby winner, too

In the coming days, Mandaloun could win another Grade 1 race by disqualification.

He crossed the wire second, beaten a half-length by the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby. However, he could be placed first in that race in the coming days if the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission disqualifies Media Spirit in the aftermath of failing a post-race drug test.

The early part of the race unfolded as expected as the Todd Pletcher-trained Following Sea, the 7-2 third choice, breaking from the rail, cut out the early pace.

He led Midnight Bourbon and Hot Rod Charlie past the stands the first time and through a first quarter in 23.82.

Following Sea still led Midnight Bourbon through a half mile in 47.32 with Hot Rod Charlie third and Mandaloun saving ground on the rail fourth

"We got a really good trip,'' Cox said. "I thought it was a lot like our Kentucky Derby trip. He was saving ground. Florent did a good job of getting on the outside of Following Sea. Turning for home I thought we had a big shot at winning the race.''

Following Sea still led through six furlongs in 1:10.64 with Midnight Bourbon second, Mandaloun third and Hot Rod Charlie fourth.

Midnight Bourbon, the 5-1 fourth choice, made the first move on Following Sea on the far turn and briefly took the lead while Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun both commenced their rallies.

“I had my sights on Hot Rod Charlie. When Hot Rod Charlie tipped out I decided to go inside,'' Geroux said.

After Midnight Bourbon fell, Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun then raced nose-to-nose to the wire with Hot Rod Charlie getting his nose down first.

"It was a very hard battle. Hot Rod Charlie was going to win by a neck and right at the end my horse came back and made it really close,'' Geroux said.

Mandaloun earned an automatic berth to the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 6 at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

Haskell winners have had success in the Breeders' Cup Classic in recent years. Bayern (2014), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015) and Authentic (2020) all went on to win the classic.

Cox, who also trains Belmont Stakes winner Essential Qualify, said no decision has been made on where Mandaloun will run next.

"We’re going to ship Mandaloun up to Saratoga and let him catch his breath,'' Cox said. "We’ll catch our breath. Myself and (Juddmonte Farms general manager Garrett O'Rourke) will come up with a game plan in the near future. No need to make a decision now.''

“I know he’s a genuine Grade 1 horse,'' O'Rourke said. "There’s no fluke to the way the horse runs. It’s good that the horse justified how good a runner he is. He’s a beautifully bred horse and he was extremely well prepared. We’re extremely proud. It was an unusual race but we still feel like he ran a winning race and it tastes the same.”

Mandaloun earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure. His final time of 1:47.38 was 15-hundredths of a second faster than the 1:47.53 Dr Post recorded in winning the Grade 3 $300,000 Monmouth Cup four races before the Haskell.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Mandaloun wins Haskell Stakes after Hot Rod Charlie disqualified