The Mohawk ($200.00 Purse)
BEL- For Three Year Olds and Upward Foaled in NY
One Mile and One Eighth on the Inner Turf
October 24, 2026

Big Jd Racing wasn’t just going to be satisfied with winning the Iroquois on NY-bred day at BEL, as in total he would pick up three stake wins with other hitting the board. His second win on the day would come in the Mohawk, as he once again teamed up with S Elliott with four year old gelding Thomas Shelby. He was our second choice in the preview, and went off at odds of 5/1, though a few others took in a little more money. Both Big Jd Racing and S Elliott are first time Mohawk winners, congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:45.33, the quickest of the four races with identical conditions though the previous three were 2006 or earlier. Let’s take a look at it now!

(½ Mile- :47.17)- No one was particularly hurried out of the gate, leaving us with a group of three to run alongside one another out in front while working the opening turn. TwinTowersRacing’s Neon Lemon, running between horses has a nose in front of the other two here, each of whom are trained by Mb Stables. Wealthy B Wonka will take the outside lane while his stablemate Full Access is on the rail. Stalking the pace is our eventual winner from Big Jd Racing, Thomas Shelby, and he does so in the third lane as he can’t quite get fully clear of Flawless Coming (Mo Mentum Farm) and Off The Horizon (Nakamura Stables) running behind him. Pulpit Pimp (Nakamura Stables) is next while four wide and the final three: Furious Luka (Night Rider Stables), Barn Breath (Our Athletes), and Slick Luka (D J C Racing Stables) run single file.

(3/4 Mile- 1:10.50)- Heading down the backstretch, Neon Lemon and Wealthy B Wonka continue to battle for the lead, and there is still not much between them as they hit the top of the turn. Full Access tries to keep up, and is still able to stay within a length. In fourth, Thomas Shelby would be content to run behind the top three during the backstretch, but as soon as they reached the turn, S Elliott put his plan in motion and moved his horse to the fourth lane for his anticipated run. Flawless Coming and Off The Horizon still sit in the middle of the field, and in striking range to launch of move of their own here. Pulpit Pimp still runs on the outside, as Furious Luka begins to get a little closer to the rest of the pack, hoping for lanes to develop for his push. Barn Breath and Slick Luka lingered at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Around the turn and into the stretch, Wealthy B Wonka is prevailing over Neon Lemon by a head, as each of these two hope to stay out front. Full Access had a solid run around the turn, and began to get back in the picture for the lead. On the outside, Thomas Shelby had been making progress despite taking a longer way around, and was now only a length back with plenty of time to get there. Flawless Coming was also getting closer, and there would be enough of a gap for him to go between the top two if he could get there. Off The Horizon was still in the mix, while Furious Luka gained ground on the field but he had a lot more ground to make up. Pulpit Pimp was calling it a day, and Slick Luka looked like might slip by a couple, but nothing else. Barn Breath trailed the field and was not showing much.

(Finish- 1:45.33)- The field would tighten up in the final furlong, and a close finish among several was imminent. Neon Lemon and Wealthy B Wonka were being gritty in their efforts to hang on all the way until the end. Thomas Shelby was getting methodically closer with every stride, but would they hit the wire too soon for him to get there? Flawless Coming was coming, and still had that gap if he could find another gear. And here… comes… Furious Luka with a furious charge. It’s a photo finish, but it looked like it was either Thomas Shelby or Wealthy B Wonka at the end. The photo would reveal that Big Jd Racing picked up another NY-bred stake win on this card as Thomas Shelby prevails by a head over that rival with Neon Lemon third and Flawless Coming fourth, and even those two weren’t beaten by much. Furious Luka came on strong, but ran out of time, and misses a check entirely in fifth. Full Access ends up sixth, topping Slick Luka, Off The Horizon, Pulpit Pimp, and Barn Breath.

About The Winner- Thomas Shelby, trained by Big Jd Racing and ridden to victory by S Elliott, is a four year old gelding by Break Even and is out of Heytheregeorgigirl. He was bred in New York by Big Jd Racing as a first quarter two year old, and they have been together since the start! Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 26 starts, and his first stake win. His career earnings are now $431.73.

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded