89th Philip H. Iselin Draws Small But Impressive Field

Whatever Saturday's $250,000 Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park lacks in quantity it more than makes up for it in quality.

Everso Mischievous, trained by Brad Cox, is already a Grade 3 winner. Il Miracolo has won multiple Grade 3 stakes in his career. And Subsanador, shipping in from California for trainer Richard Mandella, was second by a head in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap two starts back.

Then there's Instant Coffee, the X-factor in the six-horse field for the mile and a sixteenth race.

He's a multiple graded stakes winner as well, but one of those victories came at 2 and the other at 3. Now 4, the Kentucky-bred son of Bolt d'Oro has struggled to regain the form that had him on the Triple Crown trail a year ago - and as the favorite in the Louisiana Derby.

"He's doing super. It's that time to find out where he is and what he is," said trainer Chad Summers. "Obviously, he started his career brilliantly. He's had some things along the way but it seems like he is getting back to being the old Instant Coffee.

"It gives us a lot of hope. It's a very good race. It's certainly a good measuring stick."

Owned by Gold Square LLC, Instant Coffee won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at 2 and the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes at 3 before faltering in the Louisiana Derby, with the plodding pace that day compromising any chance for a horse that comes from well off the pace,

But Summers has noticed a change in Instant Coffee, last seen on April 20 when failed to fire in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

"He's not the world's biggest horse and he gets a lot out of his races," said Summers. "He's at the stage now where he is enjoying training, he's really liking what he does and he is showing himself in the mornings.

"That's what has us feeling good going into this race."

Derailed by injuries after the Louisiana Derby, when he was trained by Cox, Instant Coffee has won three of his seven career starts while banking $491.365.

Summers will be the horse's fourth different trainer in as many races but he doesn't attach any significance to that because of his familiarity with the horse.

"It's a unique situation, but it's also one where I have been around the horse his whole life," he said. "If it was a situation where I was going in blind, going in cold and didn't know the horse and his history then you're starting from square one.

"This is a horse I have been around since he was a yearling. I've seen him train as much as anybody, even though this is my first time as his trainer. I've known him since he was a baby on the farm."

If Summers does have a concern going into the Iselin it would be the lack of speed. Instant Coffee always comes off the pace - but there needs to be pace for him to be successful. On paper, Everso Mischievous looks to be the lone speed.

"Brad Cox love speed and Brad's horse is the speed," said Summers. "There is no doubt what Everso Mischievous is going to do. I think Antigravity has a little early zip. Mandella's horse has been close in his races in California but those races were at 1¼ and a 1 1/8th miles.

"But we're not going to change what he does. We're confident that he will be able to make his move. If Brad Cox's horse gets away he gets away. That's horse racing. We just need Instant Coffee to run his race."

Katie Davis is listed to ride Instant Coffee.

Il Miracolo, who scratched from the Whitney Stakes (G1) on August 3, is looking for his third career graded stakes title.

Trained by Antonio Sano the winner of the Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt has been a consistent performer throughout his career, but really shined toward the second half of his 2023 campaign, where he picked up a victory in the Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) and placings in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Fayette Stakes (G2), and Clark Stakes (G2).

He was third in his most recent outing in the Alysheba Stakes (G2), run over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard.

Meet-leading jockey Paco Lopez is set to ride Il Miracolo.

Subsanador, a well-traveled Group 1 winner in South America trained by Richard Mandella, will line up from post position six in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin. Subsanador won three Group 1s from 12 starts in Argentina before arriving in California, where he initially was trained by John Sadler. After a fourth in the Grade 2 San Antonio and second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, Subsanador was sold privately and transferred to Mandella.

Subsanador was set to run in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 27 at Del Mar but was unfortunately given another horses medication. Since medication is not allowed on the day of a race, he was scratched from the San Diego.

Mike Smith is scheduled to ride Subsanador.

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