Favorite Olympiad took charge in early stretch and cruised clear to win the $500,000 New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Ridden by Junior Alvarado for trainer Bill Mott, Olympiad was two lengths clear of Proxy at the finish line and covered 1 1/8 miles in in a swift 1:47.74.
Off at 3-5 odds, Olympiad pressed pacesetter Promisekeeper, who laid down fractions of :23.69 an :47.46 through the opening half mile. Six furlongs went in 1:35.66 before Alvarado gave the cue at the quarter pole and the winner spurted away. Proxy rallied from fourth to take second.
Promisekeeper held on for third, 2 3/4 lengths back.
Olympiad won the Mineshaft Stakes (G3) last month at Fair Grounds, setting a track record of 1:42.01 for 1 1/16 miles. The bay son of Speightstown, campaigned by Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods, has only finished worse than second once in his seven race career – a troubled fourth-place finish in last year's Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct.
Mott said the goal for Olympiad, who is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Tokyo Time, is to take another shot at winning at the highest level.
“We'd like to get him in a Grade 1 and get the job done,” Mott said.
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