Keeping a 3-year-old in its comfort zone can be difficult when there are rich rewards for taking a gamble.
But for the connections of Zulu Kingdom there have been about a million reasons to keep the son of Ten Sovereigns in turf races at a mile and a sixteenth or less, and there could be a lot more of them in the very near future.
The practically perfect turf star will take aim at a fourth straight win while trying to push his earnings above the $1 million mark when he headlines the $400,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) for 3-year-olds Aug. 1 at Saratoga Race Course.
"I think we have managed him effectively with an eye toward the future," trainer Chad Brown said. "He's got a great record and has brought in a lot of money."
Purchased privately after a debut win in France, Zulu Kingdom has won five of his six domestic races for Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Bill Strauss, and Michael Caruso. His lone defeat was a seventh in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) when jockey Flavien Prat dropped his crop in the stretch.
As much as Zulu Kingdom seemed a natural for the New York Racing Association's Turf Triple for 3-year-olds at longer distances, Brown opted to keep the ridgling at 1 1/16 miles and was rewarded with a grade 1 win in the May 3 American Turf Stakes (G1T) at Churchill Downs.
On July 4, Brown could have tested Zulu Kingdom in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) at 1 1/8 miles on grass. Instead, he stuck with a winning formula and opted for the mile Manila Stakes (G3T), and the 3-year-old won by a little less than a length and posted a sixth win in seven career starts to increase his earnings to $910,387.
"I don't know if he'll be a miler his whole career," Brown said, "but for now he sure is."
Among the eight turf entrants, Paul Hickman and Nicholas Jones' Luther and Arindel's Tank will be cutting back in distance after running in the July 4 Belmont Derby. Luther, a son of Frankel trained by Charlie Fellowes, rallied for third in his United States debut while Tank set the pace before weakening in the stretch to check in fourth.
A son of Adios Charlie , Arindel's homebred Tank is trained by Carlos David.
Winchell Thoroughbreds and the Coolmore partners' Clever Again will make his initial start on turf in the Hall of Fame after a couple of graded stakes defeats on dirt for North America's all-time winningest trainer Steve Asmussen.
The son of American Pharoah out of the Galileo mare Flattering was the pacesetter in the Preakness Stakes (G1) but took the worst of the viral bumping incident with Journalism at the top of the stretch and wound up last. He was then sixth without an apparent excuse after cruising to the early lead in the June 21 Ohio Derby (G3).
Gary Barber's Mi Bago led until the final furlong of the American Turf before finishing fourth behind Zulu Kingdom. The Vekoma colt was also fourth last time out in the Penn Mile Stakes (G3T).
McAfee is the race's lone main-track-only runner and needs a surface switch to gain a starting berth.
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 1, 2025, Race 7Entries: National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Mi Bago (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Mark E. Casse 8/1 2 2Luther (GB) Joel Rosario 120 Charlie Fellowes 3/1 3 3Tiz Dashing (KY) Javier Castellano 120 Barclay Tagg 15/1 4 4Maui Strong (KY) Junior Alvarado 120 Dale L. Romans 12/1 5 5Clever Again (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Steven M. Asmussen 6/1 6 6Out On Bail (NY) John R. Velazquez 120 Michael J. Maker 15/1 7 7Zulu Kingdom (IRE) Flavien Prat 124 Chad C. Brown 6/5 8 8Tank (FL) Luis Saez 122 Carlos A. David 8/1 9 9McAfee (KY) Rider TBA 124 Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. 1/1
