Mandaloun gets first winner as Book Value wins debut at Thistledown

Book Value gave Mandaloun his first winner and did it in style, rolling home by 3 3/4 lengths in a debut that immediately gave the freshman sire a commercial talking point. For a young stallion, that is the kind of early scoreboard result breeders and buyers notice fast: not just a pedigree name, but a runner that shows up first time out.

The Ohio-bred gelding handled a 5-furlong maiden special weight on dirt at Thistledown on June 16, stopping the clock in 59.62 seconds for the $33,900 purse. Erik Barbaran rode Book Value, while Robert M. Gorham trained him, and the winning connections were tied together in a distinctly homegrown way, with Marion F. Gorham Revocable Trust listed as owner and Robert Gorham of Ohio as breeder.

That matters because Book Value was not a purchased showcase horse from a major commercial program. He was bred, trained and campaigned inside the Gorham operation, and that gives Mandaloun’s first winner a different kind of credibility. When a sire gets an early winner from a smaller stable, it suggests his offspring can be useful without needing a perfect setup, a point that resonates with breeders trying to gauge whether the stallion is passing on practical racing ability as well as pedigree appeal.

Mandaloun entered stud in 2023 after Juddmonte retired him to stallion duty in December 2022, initially setting his fee at $25,000 stands and nurses. The son of Into Mischief arrived with a substantial racing résumé, including victories in the Kentucky Derby, Haskell Stakes, Risen Star Stakes, Louisiana Stakes and Pegasus Stakes, and Juddmonte describes him as a dual Grade 1 winner who was undefeated at 2. His first book reportedly exceeded 200 mares, with a strong concentration of stakes-winning and stakes-producing mares, so the market had already shown faith in him before Book Value ever reached the post.

Now standing at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, Mandaloun is listed at a 2026 U.S. fee of $10,000 live foal stands and nurses, a price that reflects both the stallion market and the importance of what comes next. Book Value is the first data point, not the last, but an emphatic debut winner gives Mandaloun a usable early return and gives breeders another reason to keep close watch on his first crop as the season unfolds.