After a fairly disappointing conclusion to his 3-year-old campaign, Upstart kicked off his 2016 season with a very stylish win here.
Last term's impressive GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S. winner had his number taken down to second in the GII Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 21, then was a solid runner-up to 'TDN Rising Star' Materiality (Afleet Alex) in the GI Besilu Stables Florida Derby Mar. 28. He was freshened after failing to lift a hoof when eased in the GI Kentucky Derby. The New York-bred turned in a respectable third in American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)'s GI William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Aug. 2, then was fourth in the GI Travers S. Upstart was given the rest of the year off following a well-beaten fifth-place finish in the GII Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 19.
Sent off as the slight favorite here, Upstart raced in seventh through early fractions of :23.15 and :47.50. With Joe Bravo aboard, he began to roll while at least four wide on the turn for home and came with a sustained stretch rally to win going away.
“I'm going to give full credit to the whole Rick Violette team for bringing this horse together,” Bravo said. “When you're off that long, it's tough to get a horse ready to run. He left there really nicely, relaxed really good the first turn. Probably a little farther back than Rick wanted. But, he was so comfortable and relaxed. I was really happy the way he was going. You saw the move he made around the turn. He's back. He's a pretty nice horse. He proved it to everybody. I'm just glad he's a big, happy horse for the rest of the season.”
Upstart's unraced dam Party Silks has a 2-year-old filly named Majestic Monarch (Majestic Warrior) and, sticking to the A.P. Indy sire line, a yearling colt by Mineshaft.
Saturday, Oaklawn Park
RAZORBACK H.-GIII, $350,000, OP, 3-19, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:44.12, ft.
1–UPSTART, 120, r, 4, by Flatter
1st Dam: Party Silks, by Touch Gold
2nd Dam: Intend to Win, by Housebuster
3rd Dam: Intently, by Drone
($130,000 Ylg '13 SARAUG). O-Ralph M Evans & WinStar Farm
LLC; B-Gerald A Nielsen (NY); T-Richard A Violette Jr.; J-Joe
Bravo. $210,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 12-4-3-2,
$1,460,280. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.[bullet ad=”nytb-ny-bred-why-breed-anywhere-else”]2–Domain's Rap, 116, g, 8, Cherokee Rap–Domain, by Kris S..
O-Danny R Caldwell; B-William P Stiritz (IL); T-Federico
Villafranco. $70,000.
3–Idolo Porteno (Arg), 117, h, 6, Jump Start–Idealidad (Arg), by
Roy. O-Pozo de Luna Inc, Jose Luis Guerra & Fernando Fantini;
B-La Esperanza (ARG); T-Ignacio Correas IV. $35,000.
Margins: 1, HF, HF. Odds: 2.60, 9.30, 10.60.
Also Ran: Shotgun Kowboy, Smack Smack, La Macchina, Carve, Far Right, Looks to Spare, Incremental.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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