BY STEVE KOCH

A $740,000 digital auction purchase will compete in Monday’s $100,000 Tom Ridge at Presque Isle Downs. The Florida-bred 3-year-old ridgling enters the six-furlong sprint on the synthetic course at 8-1 on the morning line.

Mensa is owned by Resolute Racing and trained by Riley Mott. He will be ridden by Jaime Torres from post position three and carries 118 pounds. 

The dark bay ridgling is bred by Beth Bayer and sired by Complexity out of Lady Halite, by Medaglia d’Oro. Originally purchased for $135,000 as a yearling at the 2023 Ocala Breeders Sales Company October Sale, Mensa later sold to Resolute for $740,000 at the Fasig-Tipton April Digital Sale.
(Mensa’s Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale Page / OBS Yearling Video)

Over his career, Mensa has five starts with two wins and earnings of $105,491. He captured the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine last July, two starts after his maiden-breaker at Gulfstream Park that April. The Tom Ridge will be Mensa’s first start for 2025.

Mensa faces a competitive field led by Golden Afternoon, the 5-2 morning line favorite trained by Nick Vaccarezza. The Kentucky-bred gelding by Goldencents has earned $247,995 from seven career starts with two wins and two seconds. Golden Afternoon won at Kentucky Downs and Fair Grounds in 2024, with a second in the Grade 2 Castle & Key Stakes at Keeneland in between. In 2025 he’s kept company unsuccessfully in graded stakes but did finish second in the March Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds. He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. in Monday’s tilt.

Also in the field is Big Vince, the 3-1 second choice trained by Larry Rivelli. The Kentucky-bred gelding by Caravaggio was purchased for $250,000 as a 2-year-old at OBS and has since compiled a record of two wins and a third from five career starts with earnings of $128,391. Big Vince won twice at Turfway Park back-to-back to kick off 2025 and finished third in the Animal Kingdom Stakes there. He carries 122 pounds with jockey Walter Rodriguez.

–Parts of this article were drafted by Claude.ai.

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