Oviatt Class was an apparent “steam horse” in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 5, the “wise guys” bearing down on him at the windows and sending him off at 9-1, less than half his morning line program odds of 20-1.
Paring of his price in part was due to the scratch of 9-5 morning line Juvenile favorite Jack Christopher.
Oviatt Class did finish an eventful fifth, beaten 8 ½ lengths by undefeated Bob Baffert trainee Corniche, a prohibitive favorite to be named Eclipse Award winner as champion 2-year-old male at the 51st annual Eclipse dinner Feb. 10 at Santa Anita.
One person more disappointed in Oviatt Class than his mutuel backers in the Juvenile was his trainer, Keith Desormeaux, who hopes the son of the A.P. Indy stallion Bernardini makes amends in Saturday's Grade 3 Sham Stakes, the West's first significant offering on the Triple Crown trail.
Oviatt Class has victimized himself with tardy starts or wide trips in each of his five races, including a third by 3 ¾ lengths behind Corniche in the G1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita last Oct. 1, rallying from seventh and last at the half-mile marker.
“Maybe the horse is just not the greatest gate-breaker,” said Desormeaux, who has given his brother, Hall of Fame member and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Kent a leg up in all of the bay colt's starts, “but I don't consider that a problem for him.
“As far as him coming wide, I think that's more due to Kent's style. The horse didn't run his race at Del Mar (in the Juvenile) and I still haven't figured it out.
“We were so excited and pumped up expecting a huge race based on the way he'd been training, and that wasn't only my opinion. He was 20-1 on the morning line and ended up 9-1, so he was a hot horse, an insider's horse, and I think the gamblers were right on, but he didn't produce and I don't have an answer.
“The horse is doing great and I think he's got a huge year ahead of him, so we've taken our time, let him freshen and the Sham seems like a good spot to get it rolling.”
Oviatt Class was bought for $60,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales and is owned by financial magnate James E. Downey of Newport Beach, Calif. The horse could become another of Keith's burgeoning bargains, already more than doubling his purchase price with earnings of $137,620.
“I met James through a friend,” Keith said. “He had owned horses some 30 years ago and with Oviatt Class, it looks like he's hit a home run in his first at bat on his return.”
Keith, a regular at Santa Anita in recent years, now also operates in Kentucky and his home state of Louisiana, where this interview was conducted by phone, before he departed for Santa Anita where he will be on hand for the Sham.
“To tell you the truth, I'd prefer to be based at Santa Anita full time,” Keith said, “but the economics necessitates me splitting the stable, and I'm doing the best I can in this manner.”
Little wonder Keith has a fondness for Santa Anita. With Kent in the saddle for his brother, Texas Red won the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Exaggerator the 2016 Santa Anita Derby, before going on to capture the Preakness.
As to the revival of Kent's riding career at age 51 after overcoming a myriad of personal and substance abuse issues, Keith, who turns 55 on Jan. 27, offered this: “Kent's so talented and his ability has always been there.
“It's personal BS that's a problem. He's got to take care of that and I don't have the answers, but the riding ability is God-given and an absolute gift. He's got it working full force right now.
“Hopefully, we can see that on Saturday.”
The Sham goes as race seven of 10 with a 12 noon first post time. Here's the field: Mackinnon, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Oviatt Class, Kent Desormeaux, 7-2; Newgrange, John Velazquez, 2-1; Rockefeller, Flavien Prat, 8-5; and Degree of Risk, Umberto Rispoli, 12-1.
The post ‘Huge Year Ahead Of Him’: Trainer Desormeaux Bullish On Sham Contender Oviatt Class appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
