Future Claiborne stallion MINDFRAME made it clear he’s a contender for an Eclipse Award at the end of the year on Saturday when he won his second straight Grade 1 in the Stephen Foster S. (G1).
Coming back after winning the Churchill Downs S. (G1) over seven furlongs last out, MINDFRAME handled the extra quarter mile he’d have to tackle here when going 1 1/8 miles easily.
He put the pressure on First Mission from the start before jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. kept him under a tight hold down the backstretch about a length behind the leader. Around the far turn, he was let loose, and he rolled into the stretch with the advantage.
With an eighth of a mile left, MINDFRAME kicked clear and held off a late closing Sierra Leone to win by a length as the favorite.
Undefeated in his three starts this year, MINDFRAME is trained by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable and St. Elias. The colt has an impressive record with his three graded stakes victories this year joined by seconds in last year’s Belmont S. (G1) and Haskell S. (G1).
The impressive son of Constitution was a $600,000 purchase for his connections from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Out of the stakes winning Street Sense mare Walk of Stars, the colt is also a half-brother to multiple stakes placed Hollywood Walk with his dam’s four runners all winning at least one race. Walk of Stars is one of four stakes performers out of her own dam, who also produced multiple stakes winner Strike The Moon and the stakes placed What Time It Is. That mare produced another stakes winner in Never Enough Time.
Joining the Claiborne roster at the conclusion of his career, MINDFRAME has won five of his seven starts for $1,844,580 in earnings.