Mind Control

Mind Control won his first career Grade 1 win in the 2018 Hopeful Stakes on Saratoga’s Labor Day closing card. He set a pressured pace and held off Mucho’s closing charge under a skillful ride from John Velazquez. Mind Control later wrapped up his 2-year-old season with a disappointing effort in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Mind Control began his 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Jerome Stakes on New Year's Day, 2019. He followed with another solid effort on the Derby trail when second to Haikal in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 9 at Aqueduct. Mind Control was then off the Derby trail and focused on shorter and middle-distance races. He cut back in distance to seven-eighths of a mile for the Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore Stakes on April 6 and reeled in Much Better in deep stretch in that race, putting him away in the final sixteenth of a mile for a determined 1 1/4-length victory. Mind Control finished a nonthreatening eighth in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes in June at Belmont Park before finishing third by a neck in the Concern Stakes at Laurel Park in July.

Mind Control regained his peak form in his next start when he closed powerfully to reel in undefeated Shancelot in the final strides of the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy Aug. 24 at Saratoga. 

Mind Control returned from a layoff of 4 1/2 months in the Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes Jan 18, 2020, at Aqueduct. The bay colt won his 4-year-old bow by holding off fast-closing Nicodemus by a nose in a thrilling finish. Mind Control continued his dominance at Aqueduct March 7, closing from off the pace to reel in Happy Farm in the closing strides of the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap for a 1 1/4-length win while carrying 125 pounds.

After his win in the Tom Fool, Mind Control continued to compete in stakes races all over the East Coast and in Kentucky, but his winning form tailed off and he lost eight starts in a row through early summer 2021. His best finish during that streak came when he was a distant second behind Mischevious Alex in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct in April 2021 and he also finished third three times in stakes. On Independence Day 2021, that long streak came to an end in a big way, as Mind Control upset 2-5 favorite Firenze Fire at Belmont to take the Grade 1 John A. Nerud Stakes by a hard-fought head. Mind Control earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with the victory.

After a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28, Mind Control bounced back with a game win in the Parx Dirt Mile Stakes on Sept. 25. He had the lead in the stretch, and although odds-on choice Silver State put a half-length in front late, Mind Control re-rallied on the inside to win in a photo finish. 

Mind Control was back for his 6-year-old campaign in 2022. He earned his first stakes win of 2022 in dramatic fashion. He won the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park on June 18 in an upset, dueling with odds-on favorite Hot Rod Charlie down the Jersey Shore stretch and winning a photo finish by a nose. 

Mind Control made his final career start in the Grade 1 $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap, and gamely went out a winner with one of the defining victories of his long career that spanned 29 races and 12 wins.  Sent off as the 3-1 second choice on the tote board in a field of six in the Cigar Mile, Mind Control pressed the pace all the way and held off a serious stretch challenge from Get Her Number while out-gaming that opponent for a hard-fought win by a head. Mind Control ran the mile on a sloppy track in a winning time of 1:35.53 for jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher.