page_title: Mendelssohn (horse)
section_title: 2017: two-year-old season
hierarchical_section_title: Mendelssohn (horse) / Racing career / 2017: two-year-old season
caption_attribution_description: English: Racing silks of Derrick Smith
context_page_description: Mendelssohn is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, trained by Aidan O'Brien, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2017. In March 2018, he won the UAE Derby by over 18 lengths, making him one of the favorites for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. After he finished last in that race, Mendelssohn finished third in the Jim Dandy and second in the Travers Stakes, taking his career earnings over $2 million.
context_section_description: Mendelssohn made his racing debut in a seven furlong maiden race at The Curragh on 15 July 2017. Ridden by Wayne Lordan, the horse was one of three horses entered by the stable, and finished a moderate eighth behind stablemate The Pentagon at odds of 10/1. The following month, the colt was sent off as the favourite and won another maiden race over the same course. Ryan Moore rode, and despite edging left inside the final furlong, Mendelssohn won comfortably by a length over Andesh. Later, O'Brien would comment that the horse was very green in both races, and revealed he was schooled with blinkers during work.
  For his next race, Mendelssohn was sent to the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on 16 September. Again ridden by Moore, he went off at odds of 9/1, but finished well beaten, a distant last behind O'Brien's other runner, Seahenge. Off the back of this run, he was the least fancied of four O'Brien runners in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on 14 October at Newmarket. The O'Brien horses filled the first four places, and Mendelssohn finished second, two and a half lengths behind winner US Navy Flag.
  Mendelssohn then was shipped to the US, and closed his two year old season with his second win, and first at the Grade I level, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar under Ryan Moore. He was quick away from post position one and settled in third behind Sands Of Mali, trained by Richard Fahey, and the California-trained Flameaway. Into the home turn, Mendelssohn responded as Moore moved out and around Sands Of Mali to open up a two-length lead. The chasers cut into the lead in the closing stages, but Mendelssohn stayed on to win by a length. "He's a big, raw horse still and he'll improve with racing and experience," said Moore afterwards.
  As Mendelssohn has a strong dirt pedigree, O'Brien indicated that the Kentucky Derby was a potential consideration, especially given the creation of a European option on the 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Owner Michael Tabor also suggested Mendelssohn could ultimately replace his late sire on the Coolmore stallion register.
  In the Cartier Racing Awards for 2017, Mendelssohn was one of four nominees for the title of Champion Two-year-old Colt, but lost out to U S Navy Flag.
caption: Silks of Derrick Smith of Coolmore
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