Mandaloun (foaled March 18, 2018) is a retired AmericanThoroughbredracehorse who was awarded 1st place in the2021 Kentucky Derby after the disqualification of the original winnerMedina Spirit. He followed this with wins in both thePegasus Stakes andHaskell Stakes. He also won the 2021Risen Star Stakes, and the 2022Louisiana Stakes.

Mandaloun is abaycolt who was foaled in Kentucky.^[2] He is ridden by jockeyFlorent Geroux and trained byBrad H. Cox.^[3][4] The horse is named for amandaloun, "a type of mullioned (or decorative partition) window from traditional Lebanese architecture".^[5]

Mandaloun made his first start in a maiden race on October 24, 2020, atKeeneland over 6 furlongs. He won this race by+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 1:11.76. His second start came on November 28 in anAllowance Optional Claiming race atChurchill Downs over 7 furlongs. He won in a time of 1:23.15 by1+1⁄4 lengths.^[6]

Mandaloun made his first start as a three year old and his stakes debut in theLecomte Stakes on January 16, 2021, atFair Grounds over a distance of1+1⁄16 miles. He finished third.Midnight Bourbon won by 1 length, Proxy was second by a head, the fourth place was8+3⁄4 lengths behind the top three. On February 13, 2021, Mandaloun started again against Midnight Bourbon and Proxy in theRisen Star Stakes, over a distance of1+1⁄8 miles. This time Mandaloun turned the tables and defeated Proxy by1+1⁄4 lengths and Midnight Bourbon by1+3⁄4 lengths. The other horses were5+3⁄4 lengths or more behind the top three. The final time was 1:50.30. His last prep race for the2021 Kentucky Derby was theLouisiana Derby; again he started against Midnight Bourbon and Proxy, but this time another rival,Hot Rod Charlie, started. Immediately after the start, Hot Rod Charlie took the lead and won wire to wire in track record time. Midnight Bourbon held on to finish second by a head while Mandaloun finished in a disappointing seventh place. Since neither Brad Cox nor Mandaloun's jockeyFlorent Geroux knew why he ran so badly, they brought him to Churchill Downs for theKentucky Derby.^{[citation needed]}

On May 1, 2021, he was a long shot in the Kentucky Derby. The favorites wereEssential Quality, his stablemate (winner of theBlue Grass Stakes),Rock Your World (winner of theSanta Anita Derby), and Hot Rod Charlie (winner of theLouisiana Derby). Other good horses in the running wereKnown Agenda (winner of theFlorida Derby),Highly Motivated (runner-up in the Blue Grass Stakes),Medina Spirit (runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby), and his old rivalMidnight Bourbon (runner-up in the Louisiana Derby). Mandaloun started well and was fourth. He slowly moved up and challenged the leader, Medina Spirit. Behind him, Hot Rod Charlie and his stablemate Essential Quality began to move up. There were four horses in the stretch. Medina Spirit won by+1⁄2 length, Mandaloun was second with+1⁄2 length, third was Hot Rod Charlie with a head to stablemateEssential Quality. 5th placed O Besos was4+1⁄2 lengths behind them.^[7]

After the Kentucky Derby, an investigation was launched because of doping issues with Medina Spirit, who died on December 6, 2021; there was also an investigation of his trainer,Bob Baffert. On February 21, 2022, upon the disqualification of Medina Spirit, Mandaloun was awarded first place in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.^[8]

Mandaloun skipped the next two legs of theTriple Crown, thePreakness Stakes won byRombauer andBelmont Stakes won byEssential Quality.^[1]

Mandaloun made his next start in the1+1⁄16 milePegasus Stakes atMonmouth Park on June 13, a local prep for theHaskell Stakes. He held on to win by a neck over a closingWeyburn in a final time of 1:44.63.^[1]

He then ran in theGrade 1Haskell Stakes atMonmouth Park on July 17. He crossed the finish line second in aphoto finish with Belmont runner up Hot Rod Charlie. However, Hot Rod Charlie was quickly disqualified for having impeded the path of Midnight Bourbon which caused him to throw his riderPaco Lopez, so Mandaloun was declared the official winner.^[9]

The following month, Garrett O’Rourke, the racing manager at Juddmonte, announced that Mandaloun would be taken out of training for about six weeks due to a foot sore, likely missing the remainder of the 2021 racing season. He added the horse would be aimed toward a potential start in the 2022Saudi Cup.^[10]

On 22 January 2022, resuming for his four-year-old season Mandaloun out dueled his rival Midnight Bourbon in the GIIILouisiana Stakes atFair Grounds as the 9/10 odds-on favorite by3⁄4 lengths, running the1+1⁄16 miles distance in 1:42.52.^[11]

On 13 September 2022, it was announced that Mandaloun was retired from racing and would stand at Juddmonte USA at Lexington, Kentucky and that they set his stud fee at $25,000.^[21]

• 2018 racehorse births
• Thoroughbred racehorses
• Racehorses trained in the United States
• American Grade 1 Stakes winners
• Kentucky Derby winners

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