Kentucky-bred Hymn finished strongly to capture the $500,000 Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 29. He pressed a swift pace before making the lead and scoring by three-quarters of a length at the finish of the seven-furlong fixture. The win earned him a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Fleur De Lis Stables, William Sparks and Bret Jones’ Hymn entered the Forego off a runner-up effort to Built in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G2) on July 25. The result put an end to a three-race win streak that started with the dark bay being gelded ahead of victories against winners at Oaklawn Park in April and at Churchill Downs in May before taking the Listed Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash in June at Laurel Park.

Trained by Ron Moquett, the 4-year-old McKinzie gelding started a new streak with a prominent effort under Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Tip Top Thomas, the 9-5 second choice under Flavien Prat, made the lead with Hymn pressing from second position through an opening quarter-mile in 22.61. Senior Officer, the 3-2 favorite, was content to track from third position under Luis Saez, racing in tandem with Bring the Smoke with T Kraft in fifth.

Tip Top Thomas was swarmed by rivals at the top of the lane. Crazy Mason tipped several paths wide to continue his bid. However, a determined Hymn put away Tip Top Thomas inside the three-sixteenths pole and traveled powerfully through the wire to score in a final time of 1:22.48.

“I broke really sharp. I broke actually on top of the one [Tip Top Thomas],” Santana said. “His last work when I worked him, I told Moquett, ‘this horse is a different horse. I think we’ve got more power this time.’ You know, that was the first time I rode him [in the Vanderbilt]. Today, I got more confident in the horse. I was working with him. He broke so sharp, I didn’t even grab him. He put me there with the one [Tip Top Thomas]…turning for home, he gave me enough kick to win.”

Breeders’ Cup a Likely Target for Hymn

Moquett indicated that he would prefer the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) for Hymn rather than the Dirt Mile and could look to use the Grade 2, $400,000 Phoenix (G2) on Oct. 2 at Keeneland as a potential bridge with that race offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to his preferred event.

“We’re not opposed to the [Dirt] Mile, but we’ll look at the race and see how it goes,” Moquett said. “My plan is right now to get him back and to look at the Phoenix. I keep telling everybody I can’t do him like I did Whitmore. He’s not Whitmore. He’s his own horse. But we’ve done this same trek with Whitmore, so we’re trying to see what’s his trek now.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fleur De Lis Stables, Hymn banked $275,000 in victory while improving his record to 15-5-3-0.