Back in March, Mr. Online was sixth in a $30,000 claimer going a mile on the
Gulfstream Park turf. Fast forward more than nine months to Saturday’s $100,000
El Prado
over the same course and distance, and the four-year-old illustrated his
improvement for new connections — owner Tim E. O’Donohue and trainer Michael
Pino — with his first stakes victory. Mr. Online dictated a slow pace on the
yielding ground and just lasted by a head from 8-5 favorite Salto.
The El Prado field was reduced by the scratches of defending champion Nikki’s
Sandcastle, Lea, Coalport and Riding the River, along with the main-track-only
Majestic Express. That allowed the also-eligible Utley to draw in from the
original overflow field of 16.
Mr. Online, who was stretching back out off a series of strong efforts in
turf sprints, promised to show speed from the rail, and so it proved. Well
handled by Kendrick Carmouche, the 5-1 second choice posted splits of :25 and
:50 1/5, and spurted clear at the six-furlong mark in 1:14 2/5.
Although that nifty move on the far turn put paid to most of his rivals,
Salto rallied into second and went after the leader at the top of the lane. Mr.
Online held a two-length advantage in midstretch, and needed every inch of that
cushion as Salto bore down relentlessly. It was a battle of uncle versus nephew,
for Salto is a half-brother to Mr. Online’s sire Silent Name. But the nephew
held on in a final time of 1:39 3/5 and paid $12.60.
“It worked out great,” Pino said. “I was worried about the horse that was
getting blinkers (Hobbs), that he might pressure us a little bit, but then they
were interviewing the trainer (Kathy Mongeon) on (television) and it turns out
they wanted to let their horse relax earlier, so that gave me a little more
confidence. He had the rail and could get right on out of there. I didn’t want
anyone to go head-to-head with him.”
“I got a very easy lead,” Carmouche recapped. “He broke sharp and coming off
the 5 1/2 and six-furlong races, we thought he’d be very forward in the race.
Once I got the first quarter slow, I wanted to see if I could slow it down for
the half. The more I pulled, the more he slowed down. Once I asked him, he
leveled off for me and we got to the winner’s circle.
“We got the perfect post — the 1 hole — with a horse with sprinters speed.
The turf was a little soft, but a lot of horses love it.”
Salto had to settle for second, while still improving on his third in the
2012 El Prado. Another three lengths adrift came Utley in third, and Philly Ace
closed for fourth in his return from a 13-month layoff. Hakama, Grand Tito,
Hobbs, Alley Oop Oop, Looking Cool, Guys Reward and the tailed-off Empire
Builder concluded the order under the wire.
Mr. Online’s scorecard now stands at 26-7-4-3, $367,045. Originally trained
by Sandra Dominguez for his breeder Osprey Stable, the Ontario-bred was claimed
by Bear Stables at Woodbine on November 11, 2012. He made two starts for Michael
De Paulo at Gulfstream last winter before being haltered by trainer Robert
Dibona for $40,000 on January 21. Then O’Donohue and Pino snapped him up next
time, in that aforementioned claimer here on March 3.
After performing well in modest company through the spring and summer, Mr.
Online took a class hike for the September 21 Laurel Dash and came within a neck
of upsetting Maryland icon Ben’s Cat. He followed up with another fine second in
the October 13 Nearctic at Woodbine, and returned to Laurel to dust an optional
claimer last time on November 23.
“I’ll have to talk to the owner,” Pino said regarding future plans, “but
obviously I would be really doubtful about anything over a mile. We’ll take a
look. He may have his limits, but he can get the job done.”
Mr. Online is out of the stakes-placed Alphabet Soup mare Our Miss Jones,
herself a half-sister to multiple Canadian stakes hero Legal Move and another
Canadian stakes scorer in It’s Launch Time.
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