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Hollis Sets Track Record In Upset Win At Oaklawn

It took a track record to topple a track record holder.

Hollis lowered the 5 ½-furlong mark in Friday's eighth race at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark., rolling to a 4 ½-length victory under perennial local riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. Racing over a fast track, Hollis stopped the clock in 1:02.17 to eclipse the previous record of 1:02.60 – a time converted from fifths of a second – set by Sis Pleasure Fager in a Feb. 15, 1984, allowance race for fillies and mares.

Friday's race, a conditioned allowance for 3-year-olds and up, marked the return of 1-5 favorite Nashville, who finished second in his first start in almost a year after setting the six-furlong track record on the Breeders' Cup undercard at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., in November 2020.

Nashville was no match for Hollis ($11.20), who tracked the front-runner from the start on the outside before seizing control in the upper stretch. Hollis, under 120 pounds, broke the record with a strong southerly breeze pushing temperatures into the mid-70s, unseasonably warm for early December. He received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 109, which equals the fourth-highest figure in the country this year in races up to a mile on the main track, according to Daily Racing Form.

“Hollis is a very special horse in our barn,” John Ortiz, the 6-year-old gelding's trainer, said Friday night. “He's got a personality like no other. We call him, 'The Scrapper.' We call him, 'The Boxer.' He wants to be in a fight. He'll take the fight to his competition. That's what my instructions were to Ricardo. When he's comfortable and you see Nashville take a breather, that's when you go up and join him. I know Ricardo was pumped. He said to me, 'Don't worry Johnny, we still had a lot left in the tank.' Good news.”

Santana, an eight-time Oaklawn riding champion, had ridden Nashville in his previous three starts, including the $125,000 Perryville Stakes for 3-year-olds when he set Keeneland's six-furlong track record (1:07.89) after sailing through a :21.54 opening quarter and :43.87 half-mile. Friday's splits were :21.81, :44.99, and :56.13 for 5 furlongs.

“It was pretty much what I thought would happen – seeing Nashville up in the front and us stalking him from the outside,” Ortiz said. “Just where we were, the fractions were perfect for Hollis. Sitting just off that pace was the best thing. To be honest with you, when you run Hollis, you're always in for an exciting race. You see in his record, he's dead-heated, he's won by a nose, he's lost by a nose and he's missing a nostril. It's always fun to win these races because he's really never disappointed us. We knew we were sending a horse that was 300 percent ready.”

Ortiz trains Hollis for William Simon (WSS Racing) and Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway (4 G Racing). On behalf of the Arkansas owners, Ortiz claimed the son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense for $40,000 May 25, 2020, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Hollis is a half-brother to Grade 1-raced Lady Lilly, a daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist who finished fifth in the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies last season at Oaklawn.

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Hollis has proven to be a home-run claim, bankrolling $334,553 in 15 starts for his new connections and winning stakes races on dirt and turf. He was gelded shortly after being claimed. Hollis had previously sold for $200,000 and $120,000 at public auction.

“The pedigree was part of it,” Ortiz said of the claim. “I was the only one in on the horse. He was a pretty decent sprinter and we like sprinters. He was still intact and once we took the weight off, he really leaned out, literally, and became a much more focused horse to do what he likes to do, which is run really fast.”

Ortiz said Hollis will be considered for upcoming stakes races at Oaklawn, along with Mucho, another hard-knocking older stakes-winning sprinter he trains for Simon and the Gasaways (husband and wife). Owing to a Christmas gathering with family, Ortiz said he watched Friday's race from his Lexington, Ky., home.

Hollis' ninth victory in 22 career starts bumped his earnings to $420,333. He was also an allowance winner at 5 ½ furlongs last April at Oaklawn, covering the distance in 1:03.65 over a fast track.

Nashville was making his first start since being beaten for the first time in the $300,000 G1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds Dec. 26, 2020, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and co-owners WinStar Farm and China Horse Club.

Nashville had a small ankle chip removed following the Malibu and suffered a minor physical setback last summer, said Elliott Walden, who is WinStar's president/CEO and racing manager. Nashville was making his fifth career start Friday. He won his first three starts by a combined 24 ¾ front-running lengths.

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Dec. 10 Insights: Nashville Returns at Oaklawn

8th-OP, $102K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($80K), 3yo/up, 5 1/2f, 4:46 p.m. ET

Nearly a year after suffering his first defeat in last winter's GI Runhappy Malibu S., China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's NASHVILLE (Speightstown) will return to the races as a likely prohibitive favorite in this sprint at Oaklawn. Starting his career with a devastating 11 1/2-length romp as a 3-10 favorite in the Saratoga slop last September–easily good enough for 'TDN Rising Star' honors–the $460,000 Keeneland September proved that was no fluke with an effortless 9 3/4-length allowance score at Keeneland and a facile 3 1/2-length victory in that track's Perryville S. in which he set a track record, clocking 1:07.89 for six furlongs. Favored in a highly-anticipated clash with Charlatan (Speightstown) in the Malibu, Nashville set sizzling early splits before retreating to finish a well-beaten fourth.

“It's just kind of a starting point,” WinStar President/CEO and racing manager Elliott Walden told the Oaklawn notes team Wednesday morning. “We want to get a race in him and see where we are. It looks like a good spot. There's some competitive horses in there and it will give us a good barometer.”

Nashville shows a half-dozen breezes for this return, capped by a maintenance four furlongs in :51 2/5 (14/20) over this track Dec. 6.
“It's been a long road,” added Walden. “Sometimes, horses make you wait. Nothing major, but had a couple of starts and stops this year. You're always concerned about a layoff, but Steve [Asmussen] knows how to handle these horses. He said he's ready. Just looking forward to getting him back.” TJCIS PPs

—@JBiancaTDN

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Track Record-Holder Nashville Returns From Year-Long Layoff This Friday At Oaklawn

Whitmore won the biggest sprint race Nov. 7, 2020, at Keeneland, but Nashville won the fastest.

Now, more than 13 months after setting a 6-furlong track record on that Breeders' Cup undercard, lightly raced Nashville is scheduled to launch his comeback in an allowance sprint Friday afternoon at Oaklawn for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and co-owners WinStar Racing and China Horse Club.

“It's just kind of a starting point,” WinStar President/CEO and racing manager Elliott Walden said Wednesday morning. “We want to get a race in him and see where we are. It looks like a good spot. There's some competitive horses in there and it will give us a good barometer.”

Nashville is among seven horses entered in the 5 ½-furlong eighth race, which has a $102,000 purse. Probable post time is 3:46 p.m. (Central). Nashville, to be ridden for the first time by Florent Geroux, drew the rail and is the 7-5 program favorite.

Nashville hasn't started since suffering his first career loss in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds Dec. 26, 2020, at Santa Anita. Charlatan, who captured the first division of the $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) earlier that year at Oaklawn, won the 7-furlong Malibu, with Nashville finishing fourth, beaten 8 ¼ lengths.

“It's been a long road,” Walden said. “Sometimes, horses make you wait.”

Walden said Nashville had a small ankle chip removed following the Malibu. After resuming training last May, Walden said the 4-year-old son of Speightstown – Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and champion sprinter in 2004 – came up “a little off behind” and he was sent home.

“Nothing major, but had a couple of starts and stops this year,” Walden said, adding Nashville returned to Asmussen Sept. 10 and “hasn't missed a beat since then.”

Nashville has a long string of workouts at Churchill Downs and a half-mile maintenance breeze Monday morning at Oaklawn in advance of his comeback. Also entered in Friday's race are multiple stakes winner Mr. Jagermeister, the speedy Firecrow and Hollis, an allowance winner at 5 ½ furlongs last April at Oaklawn. Nashville dazzled in his first three career starts, winning by a combined 24 ¾ front-running lengths.

“You're always concerned about a layoff, but Steve knows how to handle these horses,” Walden said. “He said he's ready. Just looking forward to getting him back.”

Nashville posted Beyer Speed Figures of 91 for an 11 ½-length debut victory in September 2020 at Saratoga, 103 for a 9 ¾-length first-level allowance victory in October 2020 at Keeneland and 102 for a 3 ½-length victory in the $125,000 Perryville Stakes for 3-year-olds about a month later at Keeneland.

Under perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., Nashville won the Perryville in a track-record 1:07.89 after setting fractions of :21.54 for the opening quarter and :43.87 for a half-mile. The surface was fast. Oaklawn-raced A.P. Indian set Keeneland's previous 6-furlong track record (1:08.43) in the $250,000 Phoenix Stakes (G2) in 2016.

Roughly four hours after the Perryville, the first race on the card, seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner Whitmore captured the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) to secure an Eclipse Award as the country's champion male sprinter. Whitmore's winning time over a fast track was 1:08.61.

“We debated whether to go into the Breeders' Cup off of two starts,” Walden said. “Just felt like it was not a fair thing to do, to run a 3-year-old against top sprinters and older horses that had more experience and everything, so we opted for the path of least resistance. But after he ran, and ran so fast, I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you there was a hint of: 'I wish we had run in the Breeders' Cup Sprint that day.' ”

Nashville has won 3 of 4 lifetime starts and earned $175,200. He was purchased for $460,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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Pletcher Sweeps Three Graded Stakes Saturday, Looks Forward To 2022

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher captured three of the four graded stakes carded Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., led by a personal exacta with Americanrevolution and Following Sea in the featured $750,000 Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

Pletcher also saddled juveniles Mo Donegal and Nest to respective wins in the $250,000 G2 Remsen and $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, but the prosperous afternoon did not come without controversy as all three of his stakes winners survived objections/inquiries.

“Thankfully, everyone stayed up and everyone pulled up well,” Pletcher said. “It was an exciting day with plenty of drama. We were optimistic coming in that we had some horses training the way you'd want them to leading up to some big races. I'm happy they all delivered good performances.”

Americanrevolution, owned by WinStar Farm and CHC Inc., collared stablemate Following Sea in deep stretch to secure his first Grade 1 victory. Pletcher previously saddled 2001 Cigar Mile one-two finishers Left Bank and Graeme Hall.

The son of leading third-crop sire Constitution cut back to one mile after making three straight starts going nine furlongs. He entered the Cigar Mile from a victory against his Empire State-bred counterparts in the Empire Classic on October 30 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., following a third in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby one month prior at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn.

Manny Franco, aboard third-place finisher Plainsman, filed an objection for possible interference in mid-stretch of the Cigar Mile, but no change was made in the order of finish.

Pletcher said he was delighted to see Americanrevolution display capabilities at various distances, adding that he was much similar to that of his sire, a Pletcher stable alumna.

“There's a lot of good horses that can sprint and route and he seems versatile enough to do that,” Pletcher said. “His sire was the same way. They were both talented horses.”

Pletcher, WinStar Farm, and CHC Inc. also campaign G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good, who will point to the G1 Pegasus World Cup on January 29 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

“He [Americanrevolution] will go to WinStar and get a little freshening and we'll come up with a game plan,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully things continue to go well with Life Is Good. He'll start off in the Pegasus. We'll try to keep those two on separate paths, but we'll worry about that when the time comes.”

Following Sea, a Spendthrift Farm owned son of Runhappy, entered the Cigar Mile from a troubled third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, where he drew the rail and had to steady in upper stretch, angling several paths wide before closing to round out the trifecta. Two starts back, he defeated multiple graded stakes-winner Firenze Fire in the G2 Vosburgh on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Following Sea also drew the rail in the Cigar Mile which Pletcher said could have had an effect on the outcome of both races.

“I feel bad for him drawing the rail twice in a row in two races where an outside post could have made a big difference in the outcome for him,” Pletcher said. “He was setting some pretty solid fractions for the way the track was playing yesterday while under some pressure from Ginobili and was able to shake him off. He fought hard to the wire, Americanrevolution just got some steam later. I was really proud of both horses' performances.”

Pletcher said the G1 Metropolitan Handicap, traditionally run on the Belmont Stakes undercard, could be a long-term goal for Following Sea.

“We know he loves Belmont, so we'll keep the Met Mile in play,” Pletcher said. “I'll talk to the guys at Spendthrift, but we'll probably take him to Florida and freshen him up a bit and target something like the [Grade 1] Carter [at Aqueduct].”

Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal displayed determination in the Remsen, battling with impressive maiden winner Zandon down the Aqueduct stretch and coming out a half-length on top as both horses separated themselves by nearly 10 lengths from the rest of the field.

Mo Donegal, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, bumped with Zandon, piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, in the final jumps, but a jockey's objection by Velazquez and inquiry by the stewards resulted in no change to the order of finish.

“I liked the way he ran. Those two clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field,” Pletcher said. “He put himself into the race, got himself into a good position, and then he had to wait, wait, wait. He then had to angle out and lose a little ground and momentum when he did. He's shown improvement in each start.”

Mo Donegal, a son of Uncle Mo, earned 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby for the Remsen score and Pletcher said the $400,000 G2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 at Gulfstream Park [50-20-10-5 qualifying points] could be a target.

“I'll talk to Jerry [Crawford of Donegal Racing] about it. We talked about it before the race yesterday and told him we planned on going to Palm Beach this week,” Pletcher said. “We could use the Fountain of Youth on March 5 as a possible target. The great thing about that time of year is there's a prep every weekend, so it's a matter of figuring out the right one for him.”

Pletcher previously saddled Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012] to Remsen scores. Both horses competed in the Kentucky Derby the following year, finishing a respective second and 11th.

Following the Remsen, Pletcher captured the Demoiselle for the seventh time with Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House's Nest.

The daughter of Curlin earned 10 qualifying points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks when capturing the Remsen's female counterpart race. A claim of foul lodged by runner-up Venti Valentine's trainer Jorge Abreu alleging interference in the stretch was dismissed.

Nest, a full-sister to G1 winner Idol, will target major preps on the Kentucky Oaks trail this winter.

“She'll go down to Florida and we'll look at a two-prep schedule for her leading up to the Oaks,” Pletcher said. “We'll have to figure out what those two will be. I think everything is in play. It just comes down to timing really.”

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Pletcher added that G1-placed maiden Commandperformance will join his contingent at Palm Beach Downs in Del Ray Beach, Fla., after a freshening in Kentucky. Following a runner-up in the G1 Champagne, the son of Union Rags was fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“Everything is in play for him, including a maiden race,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said he's looking forward to the opportunities ahead for his stable next year.

“We're excited. It's great having some quality horses that are staying in training for another year,” Pletcher said. “We're getting Malathaat back as well and we're excited about our yearling crop as well. It's fun and we're looking forward to it, but we also know that every day is a new challenge.”

While Pletcher will soon take his show on the road to South Florida for the winter, he will still maintain a division in New York. Among the horses likely to remain in New York for the winter include recent maiden winner A Mo Reay, who Pletcher said will target the $100,000 Busanda on January 23 at Aqueduct – a 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifier.

Pletcher added that First Constitution, a last-out second in a November 28 allowance optional claimer, will remain in New York and target the $100,000 Jazil on January 22 at Aqueduct.

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