Midnight Mammoth

Midnight Mammoth broke through with his first stakes win in career start no. 31 on July 25, 2024, when the 5-year-old gelding led the field gate to wire in the Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes at Del Mar. He was never threatened under jockey Armando Ayuso in the 1 ½-mile marathon dirt race, easily besting odds-on favorite Reincarnate.

Prior to the Cougar II, Midnight Mammoth won six of 30 starts, competing on the California circuit largely in claiming and allowance optional claiming races. The son of Midnight Lute had elevated his form prior to his big stakes win, scoring in two consecutive races – an allowance optional claimer held at 1 1/16 miles and a starter allowance held at one mile – and earning high speed figures for trainer Craig Dollase.