By Katie Petrunyak
Representing a Juddmonte pedigree through and through, Mandaloun (Into Mischief – Brooch, by Empire Maker) carried Prince Khalid bin Abdullah's esteemed green, pink and white silks at the highest level of the sport during his racing career. A 'TDN Rising Star' on debut and the promoted 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, the homebred has returned to his birthplace at Juddmonte's American division to begin his stud career.
“For Juddmonte to bring in a horse like Mandaloun is very special,” said Aaron West, who joined Juddmonte USA this fall as Nominations Manager. “He was born and raised at the farm and got his early lessons here. Mandaloun reflects 40 years of work, and while there have been plenty of other horses along the way, to have a Classic-winning homebred here has always been the dream for Juddmonte.”
Seven years after Prince Khalid purchased his operation's American division in 1982, Juddmonte bought Queen of Song (His Majesty) for $700,000 in foal to Seattle Slew at the Keeneland November Sale. The Grade II winner was a full-sister to dirt Grade I winner and Classic sire Cormorant.
Queen of Song's stakes-placed daughter Aspiring Diva (Distant View) produced three stakes winners by Juddmonte sire Dansili (GB) in Irish Highweight Emulous (GB), Group victor First Sitting (GB), and Daring Diva (GB), the dam of blacktype winners Caponata (Selkirk) and Brooch (Empire Maker).
Trained by Dermot Weld, Brooch debuted at three and was undefeated in her first four starts including the G2 Lanwades Stud S. as a 4-year-old. Retired to stud back in Kentucky, Brooch produced Mandaloun as her second foal.
West reflected on Mandaloun's storied female family and said, “His pedigree is unique for us in that it's 11 generations of blacktype horses. In the first four generations on his female side, it's a Juddmonte mare to a Juddmonte stallion. It's a Classic dirt pedigree from the fourth generation all the way through now to Mandaloun.”
Making his juvenile debut going six furlongs for Brad Cox at Keeneland's fall meet, Mandaloun came from near the back of an 11-horse field to fight his way to a half-length victory and earn the 'Rising Star' nod. The next three finishers included future Grade III victor Bob's Edge (Competitive Edge) and 2021 GI Cigar Mile H. winner Americanrevolution (Constitution).
West points to that promising debut, as well as the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Haskell–both of which Mandaloun was elevated to first place–as the colt's three most impressive races.
“You go down the list of the horses that finished behind him in the Derby–Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon–it's a who's who of that 3-year-old crop,” West said. “Then he came back in the Haskell to be right there and beat that same group again.”
Mandaloun's resume also includes the GII Risen Star S. and the Pegasus S. at three, plus the GIII Louisiana S. at four.
“He has always been the same horse that we have here today,” West said. “He was very sound throughout his career and is a classy individual with a good mind. He is easy to be around and always does his job. When you see foals like that and you start training them, you hope they turn out to be a horse like Mandaloun.”
Mandaloun will stand for an introductory fee of $25,000. He is one of four sons of leading sire Into Mischief to enter stud this year and is the only incoming stallion in Kentucky out of a mare by Juddmonte homebred Empire Maker, who passed away nearly three years ago. When Mandaloun got his first graded score in the GII Risen Star, he became the 24th graded winner out of a daughter of the influential stallion.
The Into Mischief-Empire Maker cross has produced four additional stakes winners including Laurel River, another Juddmonte homebred who won the GII Pat O'Brien S. this year, and Grade III victor Center Aisle.
West said that Mandaloun reflects the best of both sides of his pedigree.
“He brings out the power and strength of Into Mischief with the elegance, stretch and scope of Empire Maker. He had the precocity and the ability to show speed and win early, as he did at six and seven furlongs, but then also stretch out and carry that speed a route of ground. He's a perfect blend of the two [stallions] and I think that has been the biggest selling point for breeders.”
Juddmonte has a roster of five stallions led by champion Frankel (GB) at Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket, but Mandaloun will stand as the operation's lone representative in its stud barn in Kentucky for 2023.
Following a time of great loss for Juddmonte's American division after the death of Arrogate in 2020, but then an immeasurable loss for the Juddmonte dynasty in its entirety with the passing of Prince Khalid last year, Mandaloun represents the legacy of the many accomplished generations to go before him, as well as the next chapter in a renowned international operation's history, as he picks up the torch for Juddmonte USA.
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