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Curlin’s Undefeated Malathaat Scores Gutsy Victory in KY Oaks

LOUISVILLE, KY – His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum is smiling somewhere tonight.

Shadwell Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) outslugged Search Results (Flatter) by a neck in a battle of unbeatens in a GI Kentucky Oaks for the ages Friday at Churchill Downs. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to Will's Secret (Will Take Charge) in third.

Sheikh Hamdan, who campaigned countless champions and Classic winners across the globe, passed away at 75 in late March.

“A million things have been going through my mind,” Shadwell Stable's Vice President and General Manager Rick Nichols said. “You know, losing the boss the way we did and him coming off a great year–he was the leading owner in Europe last year. And we have many good horses in our stable this year. And having Malathaat step up and give him an Oaks win is, you know, more than we could ask for.”

Nichols continued, “He loved the sport. Even in his advanced years, he didn't lose his passion for it. He was a very, very close friend. He was a lot of times a father figure, sometimes like a brother, sometimes like a friend. But he was always the boss. I loved him dearly. He'll always be missed.”

Favored at 5-2, the $1.05-million Keeneland September Yearling purchase was squeezed and bumped at the start as the lively and pinked-out Oaks day crowd of 41,472 let out a roar as the field of 13 was on its way beneath sun-splashed skies.

Malathaat, who made it four-for-four in a hard-fought GI Central Bank Ashland S. victory at Keeneland last out Apr. 3, recovered nicely, and got into a good rhythm beneath Johnny Velazquez heading into the clubhouse turn in a four-wide fifth as Travel Column (Frosted) led through a :23.60 opening quarter.

Search Results, heroine of the GIII Gazelle S. Apr. 3, sat in third, meanwhile, ready to pounce with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons as Malathaat was two spots back in fifth through a half mile in :47.47.

Search Results and Malathaat both began to rev up three and four wide to take on the pacesetter approaching the quarter pole and the stage was set.

Search Results briefly held a narrow advantage in the stretch and fought on bravely from the inside, but just couldn't withstand Malathaat, who ground her way by for the lilies.

In a touching moment just past the wire, Ortiz gave his highly respected elder statesman several pats on the back as the two galloped out in tandem.

“She didn't get away the best, but I got a spot with her,” Velazquez said. “She was running well and when I turned for home, I had a target [Search Results] to send her after. We got up next to her and my filly went by. Then she waited a bit; she does that. The other filly came back, but I could tell I was still in control. I never thought I was going to do anything but win.”

It was the fourth Oaks win for Pletcher and the second for Velazquez, who teamed with the future Hall of Famer to take the 2004 renewal with Ashado. Pletcher's other two Oaks victories were with Princess of Sylmar in 2013 and Rags to Riches in 2007.

Malathaat's ultra-talented dam Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) was an unlucky fourth for Pletcher as the favorite in the 2013 Oaks.

“I commented coming over that her dam finished fourth in this race and got off to a really poor start, got basically eliminated,” Pletcher said. “When she didn't jump real well the first stride or two and then got jostled around, I was concerned we were going to have the same misfortune we had with her dam.”

Pletcher continued, “I thought Johnny made a key decision to quickly try to get her back into position after that. And I felt a lot better after about a sixteenth of a mile once he got to a good stalking position, had her in the clear, and had her in a rhythm. Then it was just a matter of hopefully there was enough pace on up front that they would come back to her a little bit. It was great ride for a great filly and a great team. We are very fortunate to have her.”

Pletcher began training for Shadwell just last year when longtime trainer and fellow former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Kiaran McLaughlin announced his retirement.

“I remember three or four days after the sale, I saw Kiaran McLauglin,” Pletcher said. “And I said, 'Kiaran, are you getting to get that Dreaming of Julia filly?' He said, 'I think so, yeah.' And I said, 'Man, great, I love that filly.' When I met with Rick and his team at Shadwell before we started training for them, I saw the filly was on the roster. I was really hoping she would come our way.”

Malathaat, a 'Rising Star' debut winner at Belmont last October, stretched to a one-turn mile with a flashy, runaway victory in Aqueduct's Tempted S. a month later. She made her two-turn debut a winning one, concluding her juvenile campaign with a 3/4-length tally in the GII Demoiselle S. Dec. 5. Originally ticketed to kick off her season in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, Malathaat was re-routed to the Ashland while observing a 10-day mourning period for Sheikh Hamdan.

Friday, Churchill Downs
LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS-GI, $1,250,000, Churchill Downs, 4-30, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:48.99, ft.
1–MALATHAAT, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Dreaming of Julia (GISW, $874,500), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Dream Rush, by Wild Rush
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
'TDN Rising Star' ($1,050,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Shadwell Stable; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-John R Velazquez. $713,000. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $1,125,150. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Search Results, 121, f, 3, by Flatter
1st Dam: Co Cola (GSP), by Candy Ride (Arg)
2nd Dam: Yong Musician, by Yonaguska
3rd Dam: Alljazz, by Stop the Music
($310,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables Inc; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Chad C Brown. $230,000.
3–Will's Secret, 121, f, 3, by Will Take Charge
1st Dam: Girls Secret, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Well Monied, by Maria's Mon
3rd Dam: Queen of America, by Quiet American
O-Willis Horton Racing LLC; B-Willis Horton Racing LLC (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $115,000.
Margins: NK, 2 3/4, NO. Odds: 2.50, 5.70, 26.50.
Also Ran: Clairiere, Travel Column, Millefeuille, Maracuja, Pauline's Pearl, Coach, Crazy Beautiful, Moraz, Pass the Champagne, Competitive Speed. Scratched: Ava's Grace.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Malathaat is one of 14 Grade I winners for the mighty Curlin, who was represented two races earlier by GII Eight Belles S. winner Obligatory. She is bred on the same cross as last year's

GI Woodward H. hero Global Campaign and recent GI Santa Anita H. victor Idol.

The legendary A.P. Indy is the sire of the dams of no fewer than 30 highest-level winners, including recent G1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper).

Malathaat is the third foal–first to race–out of Dreaming of Julia, a daughter of MGISW Dream Rush. Dreaming of Julia has a 2-year-old colt by Medaglia d'Oro, a yearling full-sister to Malathaat and foaled a Medaglia d'Oro filly earlier this spring.

The ultra-talented Dreaming of Julia, a Stonestreet homebred and Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Star' herself, registered a career high in Belmont's GI Frizette S. at two. Her resume also included a 21 3/4-length victory in the GII Gulfstream Oaks, good for an astronomical 114 Beyer Speed Figure, a runner-up finish in the GI Mother Goose S. and a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

This is also the same female family of MGSW Dream Pauline (Tapit) and stakes-winning young sire Atreides (Medaglia d'Oro).

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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.

The post Fast Boat Motors To Twin Spires Turf Sprint Win With Powerful Closing Effort appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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