International Horse Profile: Mission Central

Scouting Report for Mission Central

Aidan O’Brien’s third runner, Mission Central, another by No Nay Never, was precocious enough to start out in April. The even-money favorite in his unveiling on the Dundalk Polytrack, he got experience going around a left-handed turn. But there’s not much else you can say about his uncooperative fifth – O’Brien panned it as “worse than green” – that summarily got him gelded. 

Considering that Coolmore had spent 625,000 guineas on him as a Tattersalls October yearling, and that “the lads” are always on the lookout for the next big stallion prospect. Mission Central had to be quite a miscreant for them to take that irrevocable step. But gelding was the making of him as a racehorse. 

Mission Central was a reformed character when next seen at the Curragh in August. Showing high speed to run away by eight lengths, he finished his six-furlong maiden in 1:09.83, not far off the time recorded in the Phoenix later in the day. (For whatever it’s worth, that same maiden was won by two of O’Brien’s also-rans in this race, Cherry Blossom [2023] and Ides of March [2024]). 

Over the same course and distance, Mission Central followed up in the Round Tower (G3). He wasn’t as commanding on a good-to-yielding surface, which blunted his speed. 

Shortening to five furlongs in the Flying Childers (G2) at Doncaster, Mission Central checked in sixth as the favorite. He was chasing an even quicker speedball early, and after getting leaned on in scrimmaging with another, he dropped back. The ground didn’t help his cause, but he arguably looked more like a six-furlong horse. 

Mission Central got that extra furlong back, on a faster surface, in the new conditions race for juveniles on British Champions Day at Ascot. Quickly into stride as usual out of the gate, he traveled conspicuously well in a prominent position while surrounded. His rivals all began to be driven, but Mission Central was just floating along until Christophe Soumillon asked him to stretch. Although Ardisia (Juvenile Turf) rallied late, Mission Central had his measure by a cozy half-length. Back in third was favored Words of Truth, Godolphin’s Mill Reef (G2) winner. 

Soumillon commented that Mission Central enjoyed both the distance and ground at Ascot. He’ll get the firm course at Del Mar, but the rub is the cutback to five. 

If there’s a pedigree clue, Mission Central is out of a full sister to Group 1-winning miler Prosperous Voyage. His dam is by Zoffany, a high-class juvenile for O’Brien whose upper limit was a mile at three. That might make Mission Central more of a natural for six furlongs than the hectic five in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.