Subsandor Looms Large in Iselin

Trainer Richard Mandella ships #6 Subsandor to the East Coast for the first time to contest Saturday’s $250,000 Philip H. Iselin S. (G3) at Monmouth Park, and the Group 1 winner should give a fine account of himself from the outside post. 

Iselin Wagers

• $25 win #6 Subsandor ($25)
• $7 exacta box 4-6 ($14)
• $2 trifecta box 4,5,6 ($12)

This Wathnan Racing color-bearer made his U.S. debut in December at Santa Anita in the San Antonio S. (G2) and came home a credible fourth. He made his seasonal debut in the Santa Anita H. (G1) and led for nearly every call before being beaten late by a head in a fine start to his five-year-old campaign. 

In the Gold Cup (G2) most recently, this son of Fortify chased the pace to the top of the lane before retreating inside the final furlong. He will cut back in distance following two consecutive tries at 10 furlongs. 

I envision the Argentine to track #4 Everso Mischievous from second to the top of the lane before taking over late with Mike Smith in for the ride. 

The Brad Cox-trained Everso Mischievous will make his two-turn debut in the event and looks to be the pace of the race. 

This bay son of Into Mischief, who was a bargain purchase at $85,000 in 2022, eclipsed the Forty Niner S. (G2) in October for his best victory to date, and he’s consistently good as his 9-5-2-0 lifetime line suggests. 

The Kentucky-bred will be making his third start off the bench and comes off of a fine half-mile morning move on the Oklahoma at Saratoga recently to hint that he’s ready for a forward move Saturday. 

If the four-year-old colt clears and dictates the action early on, he will be difficult to pass over a surface that often plays kindly to speed in route races on the main strip. Florent Geroux coming in to ride is a positive, too. 

Multiple Grade 3 winner #5 Il Miracolo has won or placed in seven of eight graded races leading up to this and is an obvious contender for Antonio Sano. 

This Gun Runner chestnut is a bit underrated and has to be admired for his consistency, but the shape of this race might not be in his favor. 

Il Miracolo is a deserved favorite at 2-1, but the two aforementioned are a bit more preferred on this particular day. The colt will be included in my exotics, however.