Mi Bago the latest graded winner for Vekoma
July 5, 2026
Mi Bago became the latest graded stakes winner for leading Third-Crop sire Vekoma with his gallant dead-heat victory in Sunday’s Kelso S. (G3) at Saratoga.
Vekoma, who has 10 stakes winners this year, now has 12 lifetime graded winners, with five of them coming in 2026, including Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) winner Forged Steel and Penn Mile (G3) winner Alpyland.
MI Bago, already a five-time listed winner, added his sixth in dramatic fashion. After sprinting to the lead at the start, Mi Bago settled nicely and got a half-mile in :48.51. He held steady around the final turn and had a short lead over Itsallcomintogetha at the top of the stretch. Inside the final furlong, Mi Bago was joined by Zulu Kingdom (IRE) and those two matched strides to the wire to finish the mile in 1:34.08 on a firm turf course.
“I thought it was very close honestly,” said Mi Bago’s rider Jose Oritz. “[Zulu Kingdom] put a head in front of me and then I kind of came back. I was a little anxious that it [the photo] took so long. When the numbers started flashing [to show a dead heat], it felt pretty good.”
Mi Bago is now 8-1-0 in 18 starts and has earned $790,275 for owner Gary Barber. The 4-year-old was bred in New York by Highclere, Inc. Mi Bago’s dam Wabanaki produced a full-sister to the Kelso winner this year.