April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fast Boat Motors To Twin Spires Turf Sprint Win With Powerful Closing Effort

Although trainer Joe Sharp initially had concerns about heavy Thursday rains making the Churchill Downs turf course heavy, his sprinter Fast Boat apparently didn't. The 6-year-old gelding powered to victory over Sombeyay in the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes Friday with an impressive closing kick under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Fast Boat sat second or third last for the early part of the five-and-a-half furlong contest, saving ground on the rail through the turn. Just Might and Fiya dueled on the lead early, wearing each other down while favored Diamond Oops encountered traffic trouble early. Fast Boat hustled out to a wide position in the later part of the turn, driving down the center of the track and hooking up with Sombeyay to overtake the early leaders and outrun a last-minute rail effort from Diamond Oops at the wire.

The final time was 1:03.29 with fractional times of :22.15, :45.01, and :57.11. Sombeyay was second, and Classy John was third. Diamond Oops finished fourth.

Sharp trains Fast Boat for owner Brad Grady and brought the gelding to this contest off a narrow win in the Pulse Power Turf Sprint at Sam Houston Park in January. This is the first graded stakes victory for Fast Boat, who was bred in Kentucky by R.S. Evans. He is the son of City Zip out of Lemon Drop Kid mare Yellow Boat.

Fast Boat paid $10.40 to win. The course was officially rated as firm.

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Zoffany Filly Romps in U.S. Debut

8th-Belmont, $92,000, Alw, 4-30, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, f/m, 6fT, 1:09, gd, 3 lengths.
MINAUN (IRE) (f, 3, Zoffany {Ire}–Bee Eater {Ire} {SP-Eng}, by Green Desert) cost a mere €8,000 at the 2019 Goffs Sportsman's Yearling Sale–an event that takes place immediately after the company's premiere Orby sale–and showed a fair amount of promise on career debut, running the future GSP Oodnadatta (Ire) (Australia {GB}) to 1 1/2 lengths in a seven-furlong test at Leopardstown for Henry de Bromhead last June. She was allowed to take her chance against a trio of males in the G3 Marble Hill S. at Cork in early July, led passing halfway and stayed on gamely, accounting for future G1SW Van Gogh (American Pharoah), among others, who will have his share of supporters in Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Acquired privately by these top connections and made the even-money choice on stateside unveiling, Minaun was void of early speed and settled in a share of last as Manny Franco appeared content with the way things were unfolding ahead of him. Progressing in hand on the turn, she was switched out widest into the stretch and, after hitting a flat spot for a few seconds a furlong out, put the race to bed within a matter of strides, scoring by an eased-down, three-length margin. Minaun covered her final quarter-mile in :22.42 and her last furlong in a wicked :11.20, according to Trakus data. Minaun is one of 40 stakes winners, 21 at the group/graded level for Zoffany, who passed away earlier this year from liver failure. Minaun's stakes-placed dam is a half-sister to GSP Expedition (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and to the dam of King's Harlequin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), winner of the G3 Prix d'Aumale in 2020 and third by a head in her return to action in the G1 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp Apr. 18. Bee Eater is the dam of the 2-year-old colt Beescatty (Ire) (El Kabeir). Sales history: €8,000 Ylg '19 GOFSPT. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 3-2-1-0, $87,287. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Iris Smith Stable LLC & Rigney Racing LLC; B-Sir E J Loder (IRE); T-Chad C Brown.

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Obligatory Flies Late To Snatch Eight Belles Victory From Dayoutoftheoffice

“Pace makes the race.”

So said jockey Jose Ortiz, who figured going into Friday's Grade 2 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., that the early fractions were going to be fast.

Aboard Juddmonte Farms homebred Obligatory in the seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies, Ortiz could see all but one of the 12 runners ahead of him as the field rounded the turn into the stretch.

But, as Ortiz surmised, the pace was fast: 21.89 for the opening quarter mile and :44.46 for the half mile. Dayoutoftheoffice – the 3-1 favorite making her first start since finishing second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last Nov. 6 at Keeneland – had chased the early leaders and was moving to the lead with just under a quarter mile to go.

The Into Mischief filly looked home free after six furlongs in 1:09.16, but a gray blur on the outside in the form of Obligatory – a daughter of Curlin – was closing relentlessly. She seized command in the final sixteenth and drew off to win by a length. Time for the seven furlongs on a fast track was 1:21.89.

Dayoutoftheoffice finished second, with Make Mischief 1 3/4 lengths back in third and Souper Sensational fourth. She was followed by Abrogate, Li'l Tootsie, Caramel Swirl, Slumber Party, Cantata, Euphoric and Windmill. Kalypso, according to the Equibase chart, bled and was eased in the stretch.

Obligatory, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who was winning the Eight Belles for the third time, paid $35 for the upset.

Longshot Euphoric jumped out to the early lead, with Windmill breathing down her neck in the long run down the backstretch. Dayoutoftheoffice raced in third, three wide, just behind the leading pair. Ortiz allowed Obligatory to trail the field.

Jockey Gerardo Corrales made his move to the lead on Dayoutoftheoffice as the top pair began to fade, opening a 2 1/2-length advantage with a furlong to run. But his filly was not able to hold off the late-running winner.

“She ran her heart out,” said Corrales. “I thought my filly was in a good position turning for home but could not hold off the winner.”

“They were going very fast,” said Ortiz. “It looked on paper, too, before the race they were gonna go pretty fast. I just tried to sit chilly and make one run on her. That's what I did and she gave it to me. The pace makes the race.”

Obligatory was coming off a fourth-place finish going two turns in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 20, and Ortiz thinks the cutback in distance also helped the filly. Plus, he pointed out, the top two finishers that day – Travel Column and Clairiere – were two top-class fillies who would be competing later Friday in the Kentucky Oaks.

The Eight Belles was Obligatory's second win in four starts and first in a stakes. She left the maiden ranks in her second start going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 7.

“I think she was a little confused when she ran two turns in New Orleans (Fair Grounds Oaks),” said Mott. “She ran a very big effort at Gulfstream, had a little trouble, had to check coming around, you could see visually it was a very good effort. We thought she was good enough to go to the Fair Grounds Oaks, I think she's good enough, but she's green and the two turns confused the heck out of her. Maybe we could find out down the road that she's a better one-turn horse. I think five weeks away, they run the Acorn. I have no reason to believe she can't get a mile. And sometimes the two-turn deal could be a greenness thing. The pace today turned out good. We both knew there was a tremendous amount of speed in the race. She was able to close into it. She had a good kick. You just hope it didn't take too much out of her, she got the win and I think she earned a ticket into a good race like the Acorn.”

Trainer Bill Mott and jockey Jose Ortiz fist bump after the Eight Belles win by Obligatory

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Curlin’s Obligatory Comes From the Clouds to Upset the Eight Belles

Longshot Obligatory cut back and came flying to run down come-backing GISW Dayoutoftheoffice Friday. Fourth on debut after a rough start sprinting at Belmont in October, the Juddmonte homebred donned cap and gown over a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Feb. 7. She was last seen finishing a somewhat one-paced fourth in the Mar. 20 GII Fair Grounds Oaks behind Travel Column (Frosted), Clairiere (Curlin) and Souper Sensational (Curlin).

Obligatory dropped straight to the back early as last year's GI Frizette S. heroine and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dayoutoftheoffice chased a quick pace from third that yielded opening splits of :21.89 and :44.46. The favorite took over heading for home and looked on her way to victory, and Obligatory swung very wide but still had plenty to do. Like a grey blur, Obligatory inhaled foes down the center of the track and blew by Dayoutoftheoffice in the final strides.

“It was just like I planned it,” said winning jockey Jose Ortiz, who had piloted Maxfield (Street Sense) to victory earlier on the card in the GII Alysheba S. “I told [Juddmonte general manager] Garrett [O'Rourke] and [trainer] Bill [Mott] that there was going to be a lot of speed on the rail on paper. I was going to sit on her and give her one good move. The first part was nice and easy. The second part she came running. According to the numbers, and I don't know numbers, but they said she could win the race and they were right. She's a filly that is improving a lot.”

This was the third victory in this event for Mott.

“I think she was a little confused when she ran two turns in New Orleans,” the Hall of Famer said. “She ran a very big effort at Gulfstream, had a little trouble, had to check coming around, you could see visually it was a very good effort. We thought she was good enough to go to the Fair Grounds Oaks, I think she's good enough, but she's green and the two turns confused the heck out of her. Maybe we could find out down the road that she's a better one-turn horse. I think five weeks away, they run the [GI] Acorn. I have no reason to believe she can't get a mile. And sometimes the two-turn deal could be a greenness thing. The pace today turned out good. We both knew there was a tremendous amount of speed in the race. She was able to close into it. She had a good kick. You just hope it didn't take too much out of her, she got the win and I think she earned a ticket into a good race like the Acorn.”

Friday, Churchill Downs
EIGHT BELLES S. PRESENTED BY SMITHFIELD-GII, $300,000, Churchill Downs, 4-30, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:21.89, ft.
1–OBLIGATORY, 118, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Uno Duo (SW, $171,300), by Macho Uno
2nd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Nijinsky Star, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I Mott; J-Jose L Ortiz. $172,980. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $217,780. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Dayoutoftheoffice, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–
Gottahaveadream, by Indian Charlie. O-Blazing Meadows Farm & Siena Farm LLC; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Timothy E Hamm. $55,800.
3–Make Mischief, 118, f, 3, Into Mischief–Speightful Lady, by Speightstown. ($285,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-Gary Barber; B-Avanti Stable (NY); T-Mark E Casse. $27,900.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 16.50, 3.10, 23.60.
Also Ran: Souper Sensational, Abrogate, Li'l Tootsie, Caramel Swirl, Slumber Party, Cantata, Euphoric, Windmill, Kalypso.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

The late Khalid Abdullah's operation paid $700,000 for Obligatory's third dam Nijinsky Star at the 1987 Keeneland November sale. Already the dam of that year's GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Hometown Queen (Pleasant Colony), Nijinsky Star would later become the grand dam of Hometown Queen's GSW/GISP son Bowman's Band (Dixieland Band) and of the Grade I winners Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy). Second dam Willstar produced French Group 1 winner and graded producer Etoile Montante (Miswaki), as well as the dam of last year's GII Fair Grounds Oaks heroine and recent GIII Doubledogdare S. winner Bonny South (Munnings).

Obligatory is the second foal to race out of Uno Duo, who never raced beyond seven furlongs and was a restricted stakes winner on the Aqueduct inner track. Uno Duo has a 2-year-old filly by Arrogate and a yearling colt by the same late superstar. She most recently visited Into Mischief.

Obligatory is the 41st graded winner and 79th stakes winner for top sire Curlin. She is the third graded winner, second in the Northern Hemisphere, out of a mare by Macho Uno–2015 Eight Belles winner Promise Me Silver (Silver City) was the other.

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