LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- He is the mystery horse of Derby 144. Closeted away in the quarantine barn for the last two days, Mendelssohn finally made his appearance on the Churchill track Thursday morning.
He is the 5-1 second favorite. But he brings a lot of question marks into the race. Can a European shipper win the roses after being in Louisville less than a week?
He won the UAE Derby on March 31, by 18 and a half lengths. That is one reason people are fascinated by him.
So far in Louisville, Mendelssohn, the horse has been "Songs without Words." The lack of words reflects some of the most popular works by Mendellssohn, the composer.
Caged away in the quarantine barn, there has been no-one to talk for the colt. We were told that trainer Aiden O'Brien is the only one who talks, and he's not here. But then there was breeder Fred Mitchell, whose words played like a symphony for the camera.
“He's just gorgeous, he's gorgeous,” O’Brien said.
His beauty was obvious to most observers, who saw Mendelssohn finally emerge from quarantine for a brief visit to the race track.
At Clarkland Farm, they actually expected a lot from a colt, who is a half-brother to Into Mischief and the champion mare Beholder. Then he shipped from Ireland to San Diego and won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. That was just the beginning.
“Shipped back. They went to Dubai, when they put him on dirt, he exploded. No worse for wear now on this track? Oh, he looked like he just skipped over it this morning, very easy on him. His everyday jockey says he's one hundred percent ready to go,” O’Brien said.
That ability to win races all over the world has certainly caught the attention of racing fans, and his competition on Saturday. Mike Smith will ride favorite Justify but says Mendelssohn should be respected as a real contender.
“Ireland's certainly coming down with a horse that's probably the best European horse I've seen other than when Arazi came in with all the hype, way back when. This horse is coming in and this horse really belongs. He's a serious horse as well,” Smith said.
Mendelssohn is one of a quartet of Scat Daddy colts, who have made it to the 2018 Derby. And he's impressed by winning all over the world and many surfaces.
“Scat Daddy's? They can run on anything. It doesn’t make any difference whether it's grass or poly or turf, they're good. …unbelievable. What a sire. It's just a shame we had to lose him,” O’Brien said.
Scat Daddy is gone but his bloodline lives on. Will it be enough to overcome the rigors of travel, time change, and jet lag. One estimate says European horses are 0 for 36 in the Kentucky Derby. Mendelssohn will try to change those flat performances to an A sharp.