McDynamo gave every indication that he is ready for to bid for his fourth consecutive Breeders' Cup championship with a convincing 6 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Somerset Medical Steeplechase (NSA-II) on opening night of the 33-date Thoroughbred meet at the Meadowlands.
Michael J. Moran's McDynamo ($5.40, $2.80, $2.20) stalked the pacesetting Swoop and Soar and claimed the lead after the ninth of 10 national jumps, drawing off to post his 14th win in 29 career starts.
Mixed Up ($2.40, $2.20) was second with another half-length to Lone Arrow ($2.60) in third.
The winner of the last three runnings of the $250,000 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase (NSA-I), the richest stakes for jumpers, he will likely make his next start in the 2006 edition on Oct. 28 at Far Hills, New Jersey.
"He responded like no other, what a cool horse," said winning jockey Jody Petty. "He carried 162, 10 pounds more than any other. He just smoked down the backside. When I asked him, there was tons there. He sat just off the lead and was very patient, waiting on me to call on him, and when I did there was plenty left in the tank."
The 9-year-old gelded son of Dynaformer, the Eclipse Award winning jumper in 2003 and 2005, has now banked $922,994 lifetime.
He was making only his second start of the year in the Somerset in which he was the runner-up in 2005.
"He's very special," said winning trainer Sanna Hendriks. "I was lucky to get him as a four-year-old. He's very intelligent, has a great desire to win. I felt really good about him. He was very happy and training well." Hendricks said McDynamo's next assault on the Breeders' Cup would depend on how he comes out of the race."We have a month," she said. "I was hoping to use this as a prep so unless something goes wrong, we're hoping to go to the Breeders' Cup."
Rounding out the finishers were Swoop and Soar and Feeling So Pretty. Toughkenamon unseated his rider, Robert Walsh, on the last jump. Both rider and horse appeared uninjured.
(Chart, Equibase)