"We are so thrilled to have our stable mascot back. He has been so good to us over all these years, but he had several issues that required us to give him over a year off and at this age you never know if they are going to come back."
After he hit the wire first on March 19 for his first victory in more than 1-1/2 years, Mel Mara’s connections were understandably ecstatic, not only because any win is cherished, but because this one was so incredibly rewarding for Tony Alagna and his team.
“Actually, he was scheduled to go in the January Select Mixed Sale at the Meadowlands and we raced him one time before that as a gauge to see if he would go in the sale. He did not race very well (seventh on Jan. 16), but I felt that was only because he was not provided with an opportunity to show us his best. That is why we did not put him in the sale and we really cannot be any more pleased with how he proved himself.”
“Not only did he win, he was impressive,” Alagna said. “He was first over on a night the weather was not very cooperative and just powered home. With that race under his belt he should only improve and I think he will be extremely competitive in any spot we decide to put him in from now on.”
A son of Lis Mara and the Matts Scooter mare M L Revrac, Mel Mara is owned by Brittany Farms and Riverview Racing. He has amassed $463,777 from 49 trips to the gate and his record stands at 11-7-2.
As a two-year-old he only managed one win from five starts but was a respectable fourth in the $317,800 Woodrow Wilson. After an eighth in a $40,400 elimination of the Metro Pace, which was captured by A Rocknroll Dance, he was put on the shelf with some minor ankle issues.
The time to grow into himself was more than fortuitous as Mel Mara returned at age three in terrific form. He earned just under $340,000 from 20 starts in top company and established his lifetime mark of 1:49.1. The highlights of his season included a win in a $100,600 division of the Bluegrass Stakes over Sweet Lou, Bolt The Duer and Dapper Dude, a win over Michaels Power in a $132,600 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final and a fourth in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super final. After a strong second in his $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination, Mel Mara was an unlucky seventh in the final after leaving from the 10 hole.
“He is just such a classy horse,” Alagna said. “That was a very tough group of horses to compete against and he showed up every time. After that huge win down in Lexington he went right up to Canada and beat the Jug winner (Michael’s Power) on a half(-mile track). I think that goes to show what kind of talent he has always possessed and what kind of heart.”
Like many horses, Mel Mara did not exactly excel during his four-year-old year. From 16 pari-mutuel miles he was 3-2-0 and banked just over $67,000. As a five-year-old he raced on four occasions with two wins and a third and brought home $14,400 in purse money. That is when Alagna realized several physical issues were hampering how he raced and it was decided to turn him out in September 2014.
“With all that he has done for us as a very nice stakes horse we wanted to do what was right by him,” Alagna said. “There were a couple things bothering him. They weren’t serious and all he needed was time. That was when we decided to be patient and give him all he needed. We probably even gave him too much time, but it is better to give them too much rather than not enough. Besides this horse is a favorite of ours and we would go above and beyond for whatever he needs.”
Mel Mara made the first step in his return on Jan. 2 with a second in a qualifying race at the Meadowlands. He followed that up with the same placing in another qualifying contest the following week before finishing seventh in a betting engagement. He was then given the month of February off and was sixth in another qualifying race on March 5. On March 12, the gelding was sixth again in a non-winners of $17,000 but his final quarter-mile was :26.4 against horses that were in racing shape. That race sharpened him for his 11th career score.
Now that Mel Mara has once again returned to the winner’s circle, Alagna is not exactly certain of what his racing future may consist of, but he definitely knows this: “He is an absolute pleasure to have in our barn,” he said.
“Not only is he the consummate professional and completely well-mannered on the track and off, he has an excellent personality. He is a very fun horse and is one of those you look forward to seeing every day. I can’t stress enough how good he was to us and we are so excited our patience paid off for him to still be with us. He is a very important part of our stable and we have a lot of confidence in him for the rest of the season.”
(with files from USTA)