Mandatory and Dylan Davis scored a massive victory in the Friday finale at Aqueduct on February 16th. The John Kimmel trained 7-year-old cut back in distance going 7 furlongs and finally got a fast track after the last 3 starts came on muddy tracks. After sitting in 3rd at the half, Mandatory took the lead going into the stretch and then left everyone in the dust as they crossed the wire with a 12 3/4 lead in a final time of 1:24.94. The race left NYRA analyst Andy Serling beaming with praise even stating that it was “a Breeder’s Cup type figure.”
That performance by Mandatory was mind blowing. Based on the 7th race time, his Beyer figure, if played straight, is definitely over 100 and could be 105-110. Where the heck did that come from??? Wow!
— Andy Serling (@andyserling) February 16, 2024
It ended up with a 109 Equibase Speed figure and a 99 Beyer. Going off at odds of 7:2, Mandatory paid $9.40 to win. It was our 8th win with trainer John Kimmel, tying him with James Noble for the 3rd most trainer wins and our 4th win with Dylan Davis aboard, tying him with 6th most on our jockey standings.