‘Huge Year Ahead Of Him’: Trainer Desormeaux Bullish On Sham Contender Oviatt Class

Oviatt Class was an apparent “steam horse” in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 5, the “wise guys” bearing down on him at the windows and sending him off at 9-1, less than half his morning line program odds of 20-1.

Paring of his price in part was due to the scratch of 9-5 morning line Juvenile favorite Jack Christopher.

Oviatt Class did finish an eventful fifth, beaten 8 ½ lengths by undefeated Bob Baffert trainee Corniche, a prohibitive favorite to be named Eclipse Award winner as champion 2-year-old male at the 51st annual Eclipse dinner Feb. 10 at Santa Anita.

One person more disappointed in Oviatt Class than his mutuel backers in the Juvenile was his trainer, Keith Desormeaux, who hopes the son of the A.P. Indy stallion Bernardini makes amends in Saturday's Grade 3 Sham Stakes, the West's first significant offering on the Triple Crown trail.

Oviatt Class has victimized himself with tardy starts or wide trips in each of his five races, including a third by 3 ¾ lengths behind Corniche in the G1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita last Oct. 1, rallying from seventh and last at the half-mile marker.

“Maybe the horse is just not the greatest gate-breaker,” said Desormeaux, who has given his brother, Hall of Fame member and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Kent a leg up in all of the bay colt's starts, “but I don't consider that a problem for him.

“As far as him coming wide, I think that's more due to Kent's style. The horse didn't run his race at Del Mar (in the Juvenile) and I still haven't figured it out.

“We were so excited and pumped up expecting a huge race based on the way he'd been training, and that wasn't only my opinion. He was 20-1 on the morning line and ended up 9-1, so he was a hot horse, an insider's horse, and I think the gamblers were right on, but he didn't produce and I don't have an answer.

“The horse is doing great and I think he's got a huge year ahead of him, so we've taken our time, let him freshen and the Sham seems like a good spot to get it rolling.”

Oviatt Class was bought for $60,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales and is owned by financial magnate James E. Downey of Newport Beach, Calif. The horse could become another of Keith's burgeoning bargains, already more than doubling his purchase price with earnings of $137,620.

“I met James through a friend,” Keith said. “He had owned horses some 30 years ago and with Oviatt Class, it looks like he's hit a home run in his first at bat on his return.”

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Keith, a regular at Santa Anita in recent years, now also operates in Kentucky and his home state of Louisiana, where this interview was conducted by phone, before he departed for Santa Anita where he will be on hand for the Sham.

“To tell you the truth, I'd prefer to be based at Santa Anita full time,” Keith said, “but the economics necessitates me splitting the stable, and I'm doing the best I can in this manner.”

Little wonder Keith has a fondness for Santa Anita. With Kent in the saddle for his brother, Texas Red won the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Exaggerator the 2016 Santa Anita Derby, before going on to capture the Preakness.

As to the revival of Kent's riding career at age 51 after overcoming a myriad of personal and substance abuse issues, Keith, who turns 55 on Jan. 27, offered this: “Kent's so talented and his ability has always been there.

“It's personal BS that's a problem. He's got to take care of that and I don't have the answers, but the riding ability is God-given and an absolute gift. He's got it working full force right now.

“Hopefully, we can see that on Saturday.”

The Sham goes as race seven of 10 with a 12 noon first post time. Here's the field: Mackinnon, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Oviatt Class, Kent Desormeaux, 7-2; Newgrange, John Velazquez, 2-1; Rockefeller, Flavien Prat, 8-5; and Degree of Risk, Umberto Rispoli, 12-1.

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The Haiku Handicapper Presented By NYRA Bets: 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Time to analyze the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.

#1 – Jack Christopher
It could be argued
He had the best final prep
Tough if traffic-free

#2 – Jasper Great
What's the exchange rate
From a 10-length Japan romp
To U.S. dollars?

#3 – Oviatt Class
Belongs in the field
But there's not a whole lot there
To stand out in it

#4 – Pappacap
Can win at Del Mar
But will his aim remain true
As foes get tougher?

#5 – Double Thunder
Climbing steadily
He'll need to skip a few rungs
To catch the top ones

#6 – American Sanctuary
Flyover standout
Appears to have a ceiling
Well below the best

#7 – Giant Game
Recent graduate
Feels like they're taking a shot
Don't love the angle

#8 – Barossa
He's bred for greatness
But what's he do better than
The other Bafferts?

#9 – Pinehurst
Two months between starts
Rust, two turns are big questions
The track is not, though

#10 – Commandperformance
A willing closer
Still looking for his first win
He could steal a piece

#11 – Tough to Tame
Better with each start
He'll pick up his share of wins
But hard to back here

#12 – Corniche
Freak Del Mar debut
Then 13-point Beyer drop
Feels like a red flag

Prediction
This race loves upsets
Jasper Great grows the legend
One, ten round it out

The post The Haiku Handicapper Presented By NYRA Bets: 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Siblings and Dams of Friday BC Runners Entered at KEENOV

Nine more supplements have been added to the Keeneland November Sale's Horses of Racing Age portion. The sale begins Wednesday, Nov. 10 with HRA offerings selling on the final day, Nov. 19. Keeneland will continue to accept Book 1 supplements until the auction begins and will accept HRA supplements through mid-November. The latest round of supplements, which include a half-sister to Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Bubble Rock (More Than Ready), are as follo   There's no pedigree update quite like a Breeders' Cup update, and Friday's Stars of Tomorrow card has the potential to provide such a boost to a number of entrants in the upcoming Keeneland November sale. The following is a list of dams and weanling siblings of Friday's Breeders' Cup entrants who will be on offer KEENOV.

Hip 224 – Eight-year-old mare Secret Garden (Per) (Flanders Fields) annexed the 2016 G1 Polla de Potrancas in her native country, but RNA'd for $80,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale. She subsequently visited Nyquist that season, and the resulting filly, bred by Clearsky Farm, eventually sold to West Point Thoroughbreds and trainer Dallas Stewart for $100,000 as a KEESEP yearling.

Now named Sequist (Nyquist), the dark bay won on debut at Colonial Downs in July before finishing fourth in the GI Spinaway S. and rallying for third from far back in Keeneland's GI Darley Alcibiades S. Oct. 8. The confirmed closer will have to have her running shoes on against a few formidable foes in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but she figures to be finishing late.

Secret Garden, who was supplemented to the November catalog, has a Cairo Prince filly foal and will be offered in foal to in-demand Munnings, whose stud fee was more than doubled for 2022. She hails from the extended female family of Bernardini, et al.

Secret Garden is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent CLXX.

Hip 235 – This May 10 foal, already named Mad Dash (Candy Ride {Arg}), is a half to Stolen Base (Bodemeister), who flew home from very far back to finish a close second in Keeneland's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. Stolen Base will be aiming to provide trainer Mike Maker with back-to-back GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf trophies. Stolen Base was a $45,000 OBSAPR grad.

Consigned by Lane's End, hip 235 was bred by Peter Blum Thoroughbreds and W.S. Farish on what appears to be a foal share. A full-sister to the colt brought $50,000 at this year's Keeneland September sale.

Mad Dash and Stolen Base are grandsons of GSW Race Artist (Mr. Prospector), dam of MSW/MGSP Cherokee Artist (Cherokee Run) and SW/GSP Cherokee Girl (Cherokee Run), as well as the dam of a couple of other stakes horses.

Hip 251 – This Mar. 28 foal by Hard Spun is a half-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker), who will bid to increase trainer Chad Brown's record winning tally in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf to six. DQ'd from a clear-cut first-out win at Belmont Sept. 17, Haughty was unable to draw in off the also-eligible list for Keeneland's GII JPMorgan Jessamine S., but confirmed her debut outing was no fluke with an easy victory in Lexington Oct. 17. She just narrowly got into the JFT, but the $70,000 KEESEP RNA and $310,000 OBSAPR grad figures to be on plenty of tickets.

Dam Soaring Emotions (Kingmambo) is already responsible for precocious MSW/MGSP Souper Colossal (War Front), and was carrying hip 251 when she sold for $57,000 at last year's November sale. Hidden Brook signed the ticket and John Gardiner is listed as the colt's breeder.

Hip 578 – Bred in Virginia by consignor Morgan's Ford Farm, this Kantharos colt is a half to GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance longshot Oviatt Class (Bernardini). A $60,000 KEESEP acquisition himself, Oviatt Class broke through by 4 1/4 lengths over the Del Mar surface Aug. 27 and most recently went last to third in the Oct. 1 GI American Pharoah S. The colts' dam was produced by a half-sister to GSW Tizahit (Tiznow), who in turn was responsible for GISW Come Dancing (Malibu Moon). Her yearling colt by Malibu Moon was puchased for $90,000 at Fasig-Tipton July by Country Life Farm after selling for $62,000 here 12 months ago

Hips 650 & 651Selima S. winner Consumer Spending (More Than Ready) will join aforementioned stablemate Haughty in the Juvenile Fillies Turf starting gate, where she has the potential to provide updates for back-to-back KEENOV entries. The $200,000 FTKSEL yearling's dam Siempre Mia (Scat Daddy) sells as hip 650, while Consumer Spending's full sister sells as hip 651–both with Eaton Sales.

Reiley McDonald's Eaton acted on behalf of Gail and the late James Peyton's Forging Oaks Farm to secure Ellis allowance winner Siempre Mia while she was carrying a first foal by Malibu Moon at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The daughter of MGSW Shaconage (El Prado {Ire}) had a $120,000 Empire Maker colt sell to Donato Lanni this Keeneland September, and is offered back in foal to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Hip 1707 – Nick Drion Thoroughbreds offers this Upstart half-brother to Prairie Gold Juvenile and Sapling S. runner-up and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity fourth American Sanctuary (American Freedom), who will look to pull a Storm the Court-type upset in the Juvenile. Bred by Ben and Beck Henley and Sebastien Murat, the Apr. 22 foal is out of now 16-year-old MSP mare Haven's Honey (E Dubai). This is the family of last year's GII San Pasqual S. winner Midcourt (Midnight Lute).

Hip 1801 – Taylor Made Sales Agency consigns this filly from the first crop of GISW Audible (Into Mischief). Former Breeders' Cup chairman Fred W. Hertrich III bred the half-sister to GI Darley Alcibiades S. heroine Juju's Map (Liam's Map), one of the prime contenders for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Hetrich acquired the maiden mare Nagambie (Flatter) for just $14,000 at FTKFEB '16. Her first foal by Gemologist was a minor two-time winner, but her Juju's Map was her second foal. Nagambie's half-sister Fault (Blame) annexed the 2018 GI Santa Margarita S. as part of a three-race graded win streak, and Juju's Map sold for $190,000 as a KEEJAN short yearling and then $300,000 that September.

Hip 3427 – The GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint could have implications back in Book 5 for Party Smart (Smart Strike), who is the dam of Peter Miller-trained Speakeasy S. runner-up Time to Party (Kantharos). The partnership of Gainesway and Bridlewood acquired Party Smart for $35,000 here three years ago with Time to Party in utero and with an eye towards breeding the unraced George Strawbridge, Jr. product back to their young stallion Tapwrit. They sold Time to Party for $12,000 a year later and he subsequently brought $72,000 at OBSWIN before RNA'ing for $45,000 this OBS March. Party Smart, meanwhile, who is a half to GSWs Lucky Lindy (Harlan's Holiday) and Occasional View (Silver Deputy), produced a Tapwrit filly in 2020 and is offered back in foal to the 2017 GI Belmont S. hero.

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Letruska, Hot Rod Charlie Get Final Workouts For Breeders’ Cup

St. George Stable's Letruska, the probable favorite for the $2 million Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff next Saturday, Nov. 6,  and Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing LLC, and Gainesway Stable's Hot Rod Charlie, a leading contender for the $6 million Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, turned in works over a fast main track at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., Saturday morning.

Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20, and shortly afterward, Hot Rod Charlie worked seven furlongs in company in 1:26.80 for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Letruska was scheduled to work on her own, but she picked up some company on the backstretch.

“I was not planning on company; it was not ideal,” said exercise rider Roger Horgan, who was aboard Letruska who stayed to the inside of her unexpected companion. “She did relax. I was a bit concerned, but she switched off and let her do it on her own. I was very proud of her the way she relaxed.”

Gutierrez said Letruska handled the track well, noting that she has handled every track well in a 2021 campaign that has taken her to six tracks previously.

Shortly after Letruska finished, Hot Rod Charlie appeared on the scene working in company with Khantaro d'Oro, a 2-year-old maiden. Del Mar clockers caught Hot Rod Charlie in :47.80 for the half-mile, 1:00.20 for five furlongs, 1:13 for six furlongs, and 1:26.80 for the seven-eighths.

“I thought the work was visually impressive,” O'Neill said. “Charlie sat off his workmate and when Flavien (Prat) called on him, he responded well. He galloped out good and his energy was very high.”

O'Neill also sent out $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf pre-entrant Mackinnon to work six furlongs on the main track in 1:14.80.

Nine other Breeders' Cup pre-entrants worked: Ain't Easy (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) 5f in 1:01; Desert Dawn (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) 5f in 1:00.60; Helens Well (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) 5f in 1:00.60; Oviatt Class (TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance) 5f in :59.60 in company; Proud Emma (Filly & Mare Sprint) 5f in :59.80 with Prat aboard; Aloha West (Qatar Racing Sprint) 4f in :47.20; Channel Maker (Longines Turf) 4f in :48.40; Chaos Theory (Turf Sprint) 4f in :48.20; and Horologist (Longines Distaff) 4f in :49.60.

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