Strong Mandate earned his third First-Crop winner on Aug. 23 when Proud Mandate powered home by 4 1/4-lengths in a five-furlong maiden special weight contest at Monmouth Park.
After a very early duel for the lead, Proud Mandate quickly asserted herself on the turn to open up daylight on the field. All alone in the stretch, she was geared down late to finish the distance in :58.74 seconds on a fast main track (VIDEO).
“We’ve liked her from the get-go, from the moment she first came to the barn,” winning trainer Keith Nations said. “She had the look. She looks like a good horse. The best thing about her is her maturity. She takes everything in stride.”
The winner, bred by Nancy Shuford, is the second foal out of Proud Dame, who is a half-sister to Sorrento S. (G2) winner Concave. Proud Dame’s dam Galadriel was also a stakes winner and sister to Grade 1 winner El Brujo.
In addition to his three maiden special weight winners, Strong Mandate has also enjoyed excellent 2018 sales results. His yearlings have averaged $220,667, tops among all Second-Crop sires, while his 2-year-olds average is $156,050 from 20 lots sold.
