Heider Family Stables' Agartha has yet to race past one mile in 11 lifetime starts, but that will change when the Irish-bred daughter of Caravaggio bursts from the gate in Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park.
Trained by Joseph O'Brien, the son of internationally-acclaimed conditioner Aidan O'Brien, Agartha arrives stateside off a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 22 at The Curragh, which came on the heels of two runner-up finishes against Group 3 company at Leopardstown.
Agartha set the tempo in the Irish 1000 Guineas under pressure from the elder O'Brien-trained Tuesday and maintained position in upper stretch. But the turn of foot from Moyglare Stud's Homeless Songs proved superior over the County Kildare turf, with Agartha finishing two necks back of third-place returning rival Concert Hall.
“She was doing what was she was supposed to be doing,” said owner Scott Heider. “The filly in second [Tuesday], the rider got a little anxious and pulled the trigger early, therefore Agartha was on the front end. She ran a heck of a good race. The winner was not to be denied that day, but Agartha was not far off running second.”
Heider said the Irish 1000 Guineas effort prompted O'Brien to consider the Belmont Oaks.
“We had a decision to make: do we keep her over there and look for races in Europe, or do we look abroad?” Heider said. “Joseph has had some success in the states, including at Belmont. Even as far back as the week after the 1000 Guineas, he mentioned the Belmont Oaks as one of the possibilities. With the staying blood she has, I thought it would be great to have her come to the states. He has pointed her for this race since then.”
While her sire Caravaggio was known for his speed at shorter distances, Agartha possesses plenty of stamina through her maternal side. Her dam Arya Tara, by Dylan Thomas, was a stakes winner in Ireland going 1 3/4 miles and comes from the same family as The Aga Khan's Group 1-winning stayers Azamour, Ansar, and Astarabad.
Heider mentioned his curiosity of Agartha's long-distance capabilities during her juvenile campaign, when she captured the Group 3 Silver Flash at Leopardstown and the Group 2 Debutante at The Curragh, both at seven furlongs.
“When you look at the family of Agartha, it's just full of high class Group 1 and Group 2 winners. A vast majority were stayers, so there was a lot of stamina on the page,” Heider said. “The dam was Group 3-placed and was trained by Joseph. She was a true stayer. We always wondered what she could do at ages three and four with the stamina that she possesses. This year, we ran her twice in 1000 Guineas preps and ran second to two filles in each race that went on to be quite accomplished already. She was keeping awfully good company.”
Agartha will remain in the United States following the Belmont Oaks and travel upstate to Saratoga Race Course where O'Brien will have six stalls in his first major presence at a North American racetrack.
“It'll be exciting not only for us but for Saratoga race fans to have Joseph have a presence there with stakes horses,” Heider said. “We have a lot of faith in young Joseph. We just need to get lucky.”
O'Brien has previously found stateside prosperity with 2019 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf victress Iridessa; last year's Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup-winner Baron Samedi; as well as State of Rest, who captured last year's Saratoga Derby Invitational ahead of a score in the Group 1 Cox's Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia and a last out win in the Group 1 Prince of Wales at Royal Ascot.
“We love watching Joseph work. He's some kind of horseman,” Heider said. “The apple did not fall far from the tree. He's had some success here. The Breeders' Cup is back at Keeneland this year, so he's got his eye on that. We've been with Joseph five years now. He's not afraid to ship and move around. State of Rest has been a prime example of that going between Europe, Australia, New York, Ireland. He's been fantastic at handicapping these races and picking spots. We're excited and cautiously optimistic about the Belmont Oaks.”
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who piloted State of Rest to victory in the Saratoga Derby, will pick up the mount from post 9 at 10-1 morning line odds.
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