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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Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Dayoutoftheoffice Headlines Field Of 12 For Eight Belles

Trainer Tim Hamm and Siena Farms' Dayoutoftheoffice, runner-up in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland, headlines a field of a dozen 3-year-old fillies for Friday's 66th running of the $300,000 Eight Belles (G2), scheduled for seven furlongs on the main track at Churchill Downs.

The Eight Belles will go as the ninth race on the 13-race program with a 4:04 p.m. post time.

Dayoutoftheoffice won her first three starts that included scores in the Schuylerville (G3) at Saratoga and the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park prior to the Breeders' Cup.

Gerardo Corrales has the mount Friday and will exit post 10.

The field for the Eight Belles, with riders and weights from the rail out, is:

  1. Make Mischief (Tyler Gaffalione, 118 pounds)
  2. Cantata (Javier Castellano, 118)
  3. Souper Sensational (John Velazquez, 118)
  4. Euphoric (James Graham, 118)
  5. Windmill (Mike Smith, 118)
  6. Slumber Party (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118)
  7. Obligatory (Jose Ortiz, 118)
  8. Kalypso (Joel Rosario, 120)
  9. Li'l Tootsie (Flavien Prat, 118)
  10. Dayoutoftheoffice (Corrales, 122)
  11. Abrogate (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118)
  12. Caramel Swirl (Luis Saez, 118)

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Sconsin Runs Down Favorite Four Graces In Eight Belles

Lloyd Madison Farms IV's homebred Sconsin overhauled favored Four Graces at the eighth pole to win the 65th running of the $300,000 Eight Belles Presented by TwinSpires.com (GII) for 3-year-old fillies by 2 ¼ lengths.

Trained by Greg Foley and ridden by James Graham, Sconsin covered the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:21.30.

“When this race came up on paper we sort of thought the pace scenario could work in our favor,” Foley said. “This filly was very impressive at Keeneland against Four Graces. She got a great ride by James (Graham) and cruised home. It's very exciting winning with a filly like this on such a big stage as the Kentucky Oaks. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow with Major Fed in the Derby.”

Mundaye Call and Four Graces dueled through early fractions of :22.11 and :44.14 as Sconsin trailed in the field five. On the far turn, Sconsin began to pick off horses, drew even with Four Graces at midstretch and drew off for the victory.

Sconsin, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Include out of the Tiznow mare Sconnie, earned $186,000 with the victory to increase her bankroll to $301,512 with a record of 8-3-2-1.

“She ran huge. She likes this racetrack evidently,” Graham said. “They ran fast in front of her and she picked them off. Can't ask for any more than that. The two favorites are speed horses, so all you can hope is that they hook up and kill each other off. My filly was just happier today. Those two had pace pressure and we just finished them off.”

Sconsin returned $16.40, $3.60 and $2.40. Four Graces, ridden by Julien Leparoux, returned $2.60 and $2.10 and finished 1 ¾

lengths in front of Never Forget who paid $3.80 to show under Javier Castellano.

It was another length back to Mundaye Call who was followed by Extra Effort.

Julien Leparoux (rider, Four Graces, second) – “She ran a good race. We had speed, the other one had speed. She was maybe a little fresh but other than that, I tried to rate her but she was taking the bit. She ran a good race though.”

Ian Wilkes (trainer, Four Graces, second) — “The filly was a little fresh today, but let's not take anything away from the winner. The winner ran her race, she ran her race. That filly's been knocking on the door. Every race, she runs her race and she's right there. It looked like it was going to be the two of us (favorites) going out front and hope we didn't set it up. But the other filly ran good. I'm proud of my horse, she didn't quit. My filly runs her race. I've got to let her run her race. I freshened her up, I backed off her. I don't want to make excuses today. My filly ran good.”

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