Mendelssohn: Meet the Horse, Jockey, Trainer & Owners

Mendelssohn enters the Triple Crown season with a strong mix of pedigree and performance that has many people thinking the European-trained horse can succeed in the United States. Mendelssohn demanded $3 million thanks to a bidding war that ensued at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling sale. Why did the horse command such a high price tag? Mendelssohn's sire is Scat Daddy, and dam is Leslie's Lady. Both were successful race horses who have offspring that have produced at a high level.

There is reason to think Mendelssohn can become the first European-trained horse to win the Kentucky Derby. Mendelssohn won the UAE Derby in Dubai by nearly 19 lengths. The horse has won races all over the world, including in the United States at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall. Mendelssohn has an experienced jockey-trainer combo with Ryan Moore on the saddle along with famed European trainer Aidan O'Brien. The horse is owned by Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor.

Mendelssohn won in Dubai by 18 1/2 lengths, one of the most dominant performances we have seen in a Derby prep race. Paulick Report's Editor-in-Chief Scott Jagow noted just how impressive of an outing it was.

“Despite the historical irrelevance of the UAE Derby on the Kentucky Derby, it is impossible to shade Mendelssohn's rousing performance Saturday,” Jagow told the Paulick Report. “He's already won on three continents and three different surfaces, with his drilling of the competition in Dubai coming over dirt. A half-brother to Beholder, one of the great champions of recent memory, the sky appears to be the limit for the son of Scat Daddy."

There is some concern on how Mendelssohn will perform at Churchill Downs after shipping from Dubai. As Jagow noted, the horse has already proven he can travel well, winning races on multiple continents. While no UAE Derby winner has won the Kentucky Derby, no previous horse had the performance Mendelssohn had in Dubai. Even O'Brien was surprised by Mendelssohn's performance.

"He was a horse that we hoped would learn a lot by coming here [Dubai] and we are absolutely delighted, over the moon really," O'Brien told The Independent. "He's by Scat Daddy and the lads paid a lot of money for him and he's bred to be very good. With a pedigree like he has he is bred to handle the dirt. That was an unbelievable performance really. We weren't sure how he would handle the distance but you have to say he saw it out pretty well! He is naturally quick and has a lot of tactical early speed. He did it the hard way but he did it so easily."

Some will argue Mendelssohn peaked too early with his dominant outing. Others point out Mendelssohn could just be getting started if his early 2018 races are any indication. Every Kentucky Derby contender has something they have to overcome. For as strong as the 2018 field appears, each horse has a flaw that can be focused on. Learn more about Mendelssohn's team by clicking the next button to read about the horse, jockey, trainer and owners.

Mendelssohn's Jockey: Ryan Moore

Moore is just starting to hit his stride as one of the best jockeys in the world. Moore has 18 victories over his career, and 32 top three finishes. Moore has earned more than $1.8 million this year, and $17.6 million over his racing career. Moore rode Mendelssohn to his decisive UAE Derby victory in Dubai. The jockey saw something special in Mendelssohn based on his unprecedented run in Dubai.

“Next time it’s going to be a far tougher question but we’re very happy with what he’s done and I still feel he will get better," Moore told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "He’s got the pedigree and looks to go with the form he’s producing, so he’s a very exciting horse.”

According to Sky Sports, Moore gave up the opportunity to ride Saxon Warrior in Newmarket for the chance to lead Mendelssohn to a Kentucky Derby victory. Trainer Aidan O'Brien noted Moore had been eyeing the Kentucky Derby for some time.

"I think it was (straightforward) for Ryan," O'Brien told Sky Sports. "He was always fascinated by the Kentucky Derby and obviously this horse was coming along lovely last year. He went through the winter well and his first two runs were lovely, so that (Kentucky Derby) is what Ryan is thinking at the moment, obviously things can change but that's the way he's thinking at the moment."

Moore comes from a horse racing family as his father, Gary Moore, was a jockey. Moore's three siblings were also jockeys. Moore is from England, but would like nothing more than to win one of the Triple Crown races in 2018. America's Best Racing details some of the highlights of Moore's career.

"Based in the United Kingdom, Ryan Moore has shipped over to North America to win some of the continent's most prestigious races," America's Best Racing notes. "Moore was aboard Conduit when the horse won the 2008 and 2009 Breeders' Cup Turf and was aboard the winners of both the 2011 (Wrote) and 2012 (George Vancouver) Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. In 2013, Moore swept the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (Dank) and Turf (Magician). He pulled off another double in 2015 when he guided Hit It a Bomb to a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Found to victory in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf."

Moore spoke with The Telegraph about his approach when he is on the race track.

“I can go out there and keep it simple and put a horse up with the pace and keep it out of trouble – and that will be fine, but you’ll probably burn up too much petrol," Moore told The Telegraph. "You have to have relaxed the horse and be relaxed yourself, and just do it economically. You’ll need luck as well. A huge part of our sport is draws and ground [or going]. When you come out of the stalls the horse next to you might jump into you, you might be left with no cover. All sorts of things. You’re always reacting. It’s not always going to be the right decision. But for me it’s all about feeling, finding a good rhythm and intuition really.”

Mendelssohn's Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien has become one of the most accomplished trainers in Europe. According to Coolmore.com, O'Brien started out as an amateur jockey before transitioning to becoming a full-time trainer. He became the youngest champion trainer in both Ireland and England. O'Brien has wins all over the world including Ireland, Italy, Dubai, United States, France and England. He is still looking for his first win at one of the Triple Crown races in the States, but has his best chance yet with Mendelssohn. O'Brien spoke with the Irish Times about some of the nuances Mendelssohn will face at Churchill Downs.

"It’s a very different atmosphere to what we’d be used to here in Europe," O'Brien told the Irish Times. "It can get very loud in the parade out onto the track. We’d be very hopeful he’ll deal with it though. We are confident he can get away fast. He has shown he has the pace to lay up early...He broke well in Del Mar last season. He broke well at Dundalk this season and he broke well again in Dubai. So we’d be confident he can do the same out there."

O'Brien has already helped Mendelssohn notch big wins at the Breeder's Cup and UAE Cup in Dubai. The team does have the challenge of traveling across the country, and getting the horse ready to compete at a high level. Fellow trainer Todd Pletcher believes O'Brien has all the capabilities of helping Mendelssohn become the first Dubai winner to also get a Derby victory.

“I’d say if there’s any man that can do it it’s Aidan," Pletcher told the Irish Times. "He’s a big race specialist.”

O'Brien helped Mendelssohn not just win in Dubai, but dominate the race. The Kentucky Derby website provides a rundown of O'Brien's accomplishments.

"A widely respected Irish horse racing trainer, O’Brien is the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables where he has served since 1996," The Kentucky Derby writes. "He is also tightly associated with the Coolmore group of John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith. Together they have accomplished massive wins in the sport capturing nearly every prestigious race in Europe as well as multiple Breeders’ Cup events. He is a three time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with Hit It A Bomb (2015), George Vancouver (2012) and Wrote (2011). He also hold the distinction for claiming the most victories at the Breeders’ Cup Turf with 5 wins."

O'Brien points to the Mendelssohn's speed and pedigree as big reasons for his early success.

“We knew he had lots of dirt in his pedigree, and he’s a horse with a lot of speed, though we weren’t sure how far his speed would carry him," O'Brien told The Guardian . “He’s a very good horse obviously, and the lads [in the Coolmore Stud syndicate] paid a lot of money for him [$3m at Keeneland in 2016], he’s very well bred and that was his first taste of the dirt and going further than a mile, so we couldn’t be happier really.”

Mendelssohn's Owner: Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor

Mendelssohn is owned by Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. The ownership group has had a lot of success, mostly in the Breeders' Cup. The group has won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf four times since 2011. Mendelssohn commanded $3 million at the 2016 Keeneland September sale after a bidding war ensued. Smith was born in England, but lives in Barbados. He owns the Sandy Lane Hotel, and also owns a $50 million yacht.

The ownership group has won $24.68 million since they ventured into horse racing. According to America's Best Racing, the group has had 118 first place finishes and 272 top-three finishes. America's Best Racing provides an overview of the ownership team.

"Michael Tabor moved into racing in a big way in the mid-1990s after selling his 114-shop betting company, Prince Arthur, in Great Britain to rival Coral," America's Best Racing Notes."He succeeded Robert Sangster as a partner in the Coolmore Stud business. Tabor made a splash in America in May 1995 when Thunder Gulch, acquired in a private sale the previous fall, won the Kentucky Derby. Susan Magnier is the daughter of the legendary Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien, who won 42 classic races in Europe during his career. Her husband, John Magnier, is the managing partner of Coolmore Stud, the world's largest breeding operation, which is based in Ireland. Smith is an Englishman who worked for the British bookmakers, Ladbrokes, before leaving in 1988 to go into business on his own, and he became very successful in property and currency trading."

According to Horse Racing Nation, Mendelssohn was bred by Nance and Fred Mitchell along with Marty Buckner at Clarkland Farm. Mendelssohn's sire is Scat Daddy, and his dam is Leslie's Lady. Horse Racing Nation details Mendelssohn's pedigree.

"Mendelssohn is a member of the last crop sired by the Coolmore stallion Scat Daddy," Horse Racing Nation explains. "The young stallion was popular with breeders in the Northern and Southern hemispheres before his demise as an 11-year-old in 2015, at Coolmore Australia. Scat Daddy’s progeny inherited their sire’s precocious genes and the ability to carry their speed. The bulk of his offspring are best as middle-distance runners. However, eight of his babies have won stakes beyond nine furlongs, mostly on turf...Mendelssohn is the third stakes winner produced by his dam. He hails from the same distaff line as Kentucky Derby hero I’ll Have Another, and 1991 Champion two-year-old filly, Pleasant Stage, who also placed in the Kentucky Oaks. Mendelssohn’s dam is 2016 Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady."

Mendelssohn enters the Triple Crown season with three straight victories, and four wins since August 2017. The team is looking to make history at Churchill Downs by having the first European-trained horse to win the Kentucky Derby. The horse has a lot of backing to make history as he ranked second in the Kentucky Derby morning-line odds.