Mazel Trick - even Frank Lyons doesn't remember him

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I was watching TVG's telecast of the Triple Bend Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup which I DVR'd.

The most amusing part was where Frank Lyons told his 464th career on-air Bobby Frankel story. He regaled the viewers with how Frankel was at Woodbine for the Queens Plate and his horse Mizzen Mast was running in the Triple Bend that same day. Frankel asks "how'd he do?" and Lyons tells him "not only did he shatter the track record for seven furlongs - but he also broke it for six furlongs."

Of course, Mizzen Mast never ran in the Triple Bend and Lyons was talking about Frankel's undefeated on dirt freakish 4yo Mazel Trick.

I've always viewed the Mazel Trick Triple Bend win as the start of an incredible reign of terror Frankel took over the sport. The win was in mid year of '99 .. and if someone told you Frankel would win 4 straight Eclipse awards for outstanding trainer from '00 to '03 .. you'd think that person was beyond clueless. He just didn't have the pieces to even threaten someone like a Baffert, Lukas, Mandella, Zito etc.

It was like Mazel Trick got the first taste of the special sauce. He was Ghostzapper in his only two starts as a 4-year-old. He beat great competiton, was off the charts visually - and ran gigantic 118 Beyers in both races ... and he didn't seem to get the benefit of the doubt with either of the 118's as both of those figures easily could have been in the 120's. He broke down training for the Pac Classic and is pretty much forgotten.





The competition he oblitereated in his two 4yo starts:

[VOL JACK]

He broke down but, he stood at stud.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Trivia.

Mazel Trick sired one of the all-time great drug horses ever. After being claimed from Mike Gill by the indomitable speed-sprint race wizard Scott Lake, this guy went onto cross the wire first in 16 of his next 17 starts.









Name him.

[hockey2315]

Outcashem.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Correct.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

The following is from a blog post of Haskin that Bloodhorse ran today...

When Frankel split his stable at the beginning of the decade, keeping most of his top horses at Belmont Park, he completely dominated racing in the Big Apple, winning 26 of NYRA’s 39 grade I stakes over a three-to-four-year period, a mind-boggling statistic

Winning 2/3rds of the Grade 1's in NY for an extended period of time is nuts .. but think of many Grade 1's he won outside of NY over that post Mazel Trick reign of terror.

Happyanunoit, Spanish Fern, Mash One, Super Queracus, Honest Lady, Chester House, Keeper Hill's upset of Banshee Breeze, Riviera in the race Spencer blew for Arkadian Hero, Skimming, Senure, Aptitude, Flute, Denon, Starine, Beat Hallow, You, Chisseling, Mizzen Mast, Milwaukee Brew, Aldebaran, Peace Rules, Empire Maker, Tates Creek, Sightseek, Megahurtz, Continuously, Heat Haze, Night Jig, Nothing To Lose, Medaglia D'Oro, Commercante, Ghostzapper, Leroidesanimaux, and Intercontental

All of those horses winners of at least one Grade 1 race OUTSIDE of NYRA during that five year span starting right after Mazel Trick when Frankel was killing them in New York as well.

[VOL JACK]

More milkshakes were in the Frankel barn than in the local Dairy Queen.