Tag: O’Connor

First Mission Completes Pegasus Preparations in Big Easy

'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 (2/52) Saturday morning at the Fair Grounds in preparation for next Saturday's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old colt, who was put through his paces by exercise rider Kevin Perez, was clocked in 1:13.60 for six furlongs, according to trainer Brad Cox.

“He's been doing very well week after week,” Cox said of the Godolphin homebred, a latest second to the re-opposing Trademark (Upstart) in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 24. “We're excited about giving him a shot at a Grade I. We weren't looking for anything really different than he'd done the last few weeks. We were just giving him an opportunity to go out there and stretch his legs, see how he's doing. And he's telling us he's doing as well as he ever has.”

First Mission is due to arrive at Gulfstream Monday afternoon. Luis Saez retains the mount.

The Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained duo of GIII Harlan's Holiday S. hero O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) and Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) got their final tune-ups during half-mile breezes up at Palm Meadows Saturday morning. Working on his own, O'Connor was timed in :48.55, while GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Skippylongstocking went in the company of the stakes-winning Swirvin (Girvin) and was clocked in :47.55.

Dynamic One (Union Rags), Crupi (Curlin) and Harlan's Holiday runner-up Grand Aspen (Dialed In) each turned in drills at Palm Beach Downs for trainer Todd Pletcher Saturday morning. Dynamic One and Crupi went in company, with Crupi going in :48.29 and Dynamic One :48.39. Dynamic One, who was equipped with blinkers for the first time, started two lengths ahead of Crupi, who finished the breeze 1 1/2 lengths behind his stablemate, who was ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Grand Aspen went the same distance in :49.13.

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O’Connor Preps For Pegasus With Harlan’s Holiday Win

In a race meant as a prep for next month's GI Pegasus World Cup, O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) staked his claim for potential favoritism with a gusty win in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S.

Favored in this same race a year ago, the Chilean import disappointed when fourth behind MGISP Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and was thus never a factor as Art Collector (Bernardini) cruised to the Pegasus win to kick off 2023. O'Connor has spent the rest of his 6-year-old season hitting the board in graded-stakes races around the East Coast and finally broke through for his first North American graded success last out when he defeated Il Miracolo (Gun Runner) by a head in the GI Hagyard Fayette S. at Keeneland Oct. 28.

Caught three-wide into the firsts turn as the field fanned across the track, Tyler Gaffalione chose to take back and eased O'Connor into a stalking trip as NY Traffic (Cross Traffic) and Grand Aspen (Dialed In) battled it out up front into the backstretch. Positioned mid pack in fifth, the 7-2 shot had a clear view of the leaders through a :47.12 opening half and took aim with rail-skimming move midway around the far turn. The top three spun into the stretch with Grand Aspen appearing to have the better chance but NY Traffic and O'Connor battled back with the 6-year-old finishing nicely to just nail Grand Aspen on the line in a tight finish.

“Last year, I didn't think he could get beat,” said winning trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “I've learned the least I know the better I do. Fast forward one year and we got the job done. We're proud of him, obviously. He's a horse that's won 2 in a row now and he's doing what we thought he could do.”

 

Pedigree Note:

O'Connor, a winner at the highest level and Horse of the Year in his native Chile, is one of seven stakes winner for GI Hollywood Derby hero Boboman and out of a winning dam who has produced four other winners from five to race. From a deep South American family, O'Connor counts champion older mare in Chile Sacramentada (Chi) (Northair) as his third dam. She would also produce GISW and $3m KEENOV broodmare Hystericalady (Distorted Humor), the dam of GSW/GISP Lady Montdore (Medaglia d'Oro). O'Connor has only one younger sibbling–a 5-year-old unraced half-brother named Totoi (Chi) (Caesario {Ire}).

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HARLAN'S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 12-30, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43.80, ft.
1–O'CONNOR (CHI), 126, h, 6, by Boboman
1st Dam: Torrente de Agua (Chi), by Touch Gold
2nd Dam: Torrey Pines, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Sacramentada (Chi), by Northair
O-Michael & Julia C Iavarone & Fernando Vine Ode; B-Haras
Carioca (CHI); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $88,350.
Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year, Ch. Older Horse & G1SW-
Chi, 27-12-7-3, $749,319. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Grand Aspen, 121, c, 4, Dialed In–Lady Aspen, by Grand
Reward. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-PRO
Thorughbred Enterprises (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $28,500.
3–Ny Traffic, 121, h, 6, Cross Traffic–Mamie Reilly, by Graeme
Hall. ($27,000 RNA 2yo '19 EASMAY). O-John Fanelli, Cash is
King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman & Team Hanley;
B-Brian Culnan (NY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr. $14,250.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.60, 10.40, 5.80.
Also Ran: Steal Sunshine, Octane, Dubyuhnell, Blue Devil, Gasoline, Lure Him In, Miles D. Scratched: Signator. Click for the Equibase.com chart, PPs or the VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Joseph-Trained Pegasus Hopefuls Gear Up

Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) each turned in works Saturday morning at Palm Meadows towards an intended appearance in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S.

Owned by Daniel Alonso, Skippylongstocking won this year's GII Charles Town Classic and was last seen finishing third to Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 4. The soon-to-be 5-year-old covered a half-mile in :49.40 (20/64).

O'Connor, campaigned by Mike Iavarone and partners, was a sound fourth in last year's Pegasus and is arguably in better form this season, having taken out Keeneland's GII Fayette S. Oct. 28. The Southern Hemisphere 6-year-old also went four furlongs Saturday, stopping the clock in :49.45 (22/64).

Also on the Palm Meadows tab was Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), who went a half in :49.50 in preparation for the Dec. 30 GIII Harlan's Holiday S.

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Exaggerator Colt ‘Skips’ to $1-Million Charles Town Classic Win

Last year's GI Belmont S. third Skippylongstocking (c, 4, Exagggerator–Twinkling, by War Chant), a three-time graded winner since, added Friday's late-night $1-million GII Charles Town Classic S. to his steadily growing CV. Under Tyler Gaffalione, the 7-5 favorite hustled straight to the front, set fractions of :24.82 and :48.88, and wasn't for catching, drawing clear in the stretch by five lengths. The winner's Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.-trained stablemate O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman), a Group 1 winner in his native Chile, closed from the rear of the field to finish second, while Dash Attack (Munnings), who had rated not far off the winner all the way, was third. Skippylongstocking's win marked the 15th running of the Classic.

One of three runners in the Classic coming out of the July 8 GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows, where he was runner-up to Friday night's sixth-place finisher Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), Skippylongstocking was notching his fourth graded win in the past year. He took Tampa Bay's GIII Challenger S. in March, Gulfstream's GIII Harlan's Holiday S. in late December, and Mountaineer's GIII West Virginia Derby last August. The first half of his 3-year-old campaign featured a third in the aforementioned Belmont, as well as in the GII Wood Memorial, and a fifth in the GI Preakness S.

 

Pedigree Notes:

Skippylongstocking is the sole North American-bred graded winner for Classic winner Exaggerator, who also has nine black-type winners. A son of the all-conquering Curlin and a former Kentucky sire, Exaggerator has stood for the past two seasons at Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana.

Skippylongstocking is also one of 34 stakes winners out of mares by Breeders' Cup winner War Chant, whose daughters have also produced GI Kentucky Derby winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky) and English/French MG1SW Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

The Charles Town Classic winner is Twinkling's best runner, although she also has SW Olivia Twist (Mshawish), who was third in April's GIII Fantasy S., and SW Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), who was third in the 2021 GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Winking (Take Charge Indy) and a yearling filly named Mia's Mom (Maclean's Music), who sold earlier this month at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $275,000 to August Dawn Farm. Her 2023 foal, a filly by Authentic, was born May 5. Twinkling was bred back to Not This Time.

Friday, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC S.-GII, $1,000,000, Charles Town, 8-25, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:51.37, wf.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 121, c, 4, by Exaggerator
                1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
                2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
                3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel
Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $576,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 19-6-2-3,
$1,507,185. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP,
$177,449; 1/2 to Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP,
$174,455. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–O'Connor (Chi), 119, h, 6, Boboman–Torrente de Agua (Chi),
by Touch Gold. O-Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules
Iavarone; B-Haras Carioca (Chi); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$192,000.
3–Dash Attack, 119, g, 4, Munnings–Cerce Cay, by Hard Spun.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Magdalena Racing (Sherri
McPeek), Catalyst Stable, Kevin J. Pollard and Patty Slevin;
B-Catalyst Stable & Magdalena Racing (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek. $96,000.
Margins: 5, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.40, 10.50, 23.60.
Also Ran: Muad'dib, Call Me Fast, Giant Game, Double Crown, Doppelganger, Perfect Flight, Eastern Bay. Scratched: Martin Man.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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