Olympiad added to his 2022 hot streak with his third straight win Saturday in the GII New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds. The heavy favorite stalked from second as Promise Keeper put up early splits of :23.69 and :47.25. Seizing command in early stretch, Olympiad rolled clear in the lane for a facile score over Proxy. Promise Keeper held third. Olympiad's final time of 1:47.74 just missed the track record for nine furlongs of 1:47.64.
Olympiad won a Keeneland allowance in October, for which he earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure and a chance at graded company next out. Stepped up in class big time for the GI Cigar Mile Dec. 4 at the Big A, the bay checked in fourth to Americanrevolution (Constitution). Kicking off this term with a 7 1/4-length tour de force at Gulfstream Jan. 15, he was a decisive winner of this venue's GIII Mineshaft S. last out Feb. 19, breaking the track record in the process.
Pedigree Notes:
Olympiad is one of 128 black-type scorers and 63 graded winners for his timeless sire Speightstown. The $700,000 KEESEP buy is bred on the same Speightstown/Medaglia d'Oro cross as MGISW Rock Fall. Olympiad is out of GSP Tokyo Time, who is a half to MGSW Hungry Island and GSW Soaring Empire. This is also the family of GISW Preservationist (Arch). Tokyo Time is also responsible for a juvenile filly by War Front, who brought $450,000 at KEESEP, and a yearling colt by American Pharoah. She was bred back to Quality Road.
Saturday, Fair Grounds NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC S.-GII, $485,000, Fair Grounds, 3-26, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.74, ft.
1–OLYMPIAD, 122, c, 4, by Speightstown 1st Dam: Tokyo Time (GSP, $249,177), by Medaglia   d'Oro                2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy                3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
($700,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne
Stable, LLC and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY);
T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $300,000. Lifetime
Record: GSW, 8-5-1-1, $648,440. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click   for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Proxy, 118, c, 4, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include.
O/B-Godolphin, LLC; T-Michael Stidham. $100,000.
3–Promise Keeper, 118, c, 4, Constitution–Mira Alta, by Curlin.
($160,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC,
WinStar Farm LLC and Rock Ridge Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $50,000.
Margins: 2, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.60, 3.80, 3.90.
Also Ran: Super Stock, Happy American, Chess Chief. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
RRR racing's Switzerland (Speightstown) showed that age is merely a number with an emphatic victory in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Saturday. Jockey Tadhg O'Shea wisely stationed the 8-year-old just behind a sharp pace, carved out by the American duo of Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) and Wondrwherecraigis (Munnings) who were shadowed by Al Tariq (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Turning for home, Drain the Clock shook clear from the others as Switzerland began to pick up the tempo confidently while in the five path. Sat down for the stretch drive by O'Shea, the gelding turned on all boosters, catapulting himself to the front approaching the 200-metre marker and was given some encouragement late to fend off the Japanese invader Red Le Zele (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) by 1 3/4 lengths at the wire. The American-based Dr. Schivel (Violence), who was held in midpack in the early going, rallied to pick up third a half-length behind.
Bhupat Seemar, who is on track to this season's UAE training championship, said, “It's such a fantastic result. We've always really liked the horse. Tadgh and I spoke this morning and made a plan. I knew there would be plenty of pace in the race, so we wanted to pick up the pieces. Turning for home, Tadgh said, 'We'd just go with one kick.'”
O'Shea, who is on course for a 10th UAE champion jockey title, added, “There was a lot speed on and this horse excels in a truly run race. We were the outsider today and I said to Bhupat, 'Let's ride him accordingly.' There's no point putting him in the race and getting him in a speed duel, so we rode him like we did in the Al Garhoud Sprint [at Meydan on New Year's Day] and if he shows that turn of foot, he'd be competitive. Thankfully, it all worked and he's a horse who grew in confidence as the race went on. They were starting to stop and flounder and he was coming harder on the bridle–so it was fantastic.”
Yuga Kawada, aboard the runner-up in the last two renewals of the Shaheen, Red Le Zele, said “It was a good result. He likes to do his running at the back of the field in a 1200-metre race. That's just his style and he did the same here, and I had a very good feeling about him doing well going into this but there was too much ground to make up in the end. But, it was a good race and I'm happy with the way he went.”
A dual Grade III winner in the U.S. for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen during his sophomore year, Switzerland made a couple of trainer switches since, including a three-race stint with six-time champion trainer Satish Seemar for whom he won last year's G3 Dubawi S. at Meydan before transferring to his assistant and nephew for 2022. Kicking off the season an impressive winner in the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint, he was sixth under Adrie de Vries in his latest start in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint Feb. 26.
“He came back from Saudi Arabia with a dirty scope and he was drawn bad there,” explained O'Shea. “It was a shame I couldn't go and ride him there, but he's come back better than ever–I'd say that's a career best. It's my first Group 1 winner and I'm in the 40 club! I have a good mate Adrian Nicholls who said 'don't give up, it'll come'.”
The gelding also gave his first-term trainer his initial Group 1 victory since taking out his license last fall following his uncle's suspension.
“We'll look to bring him back next year. And you never know, even at eight there could be some more improvement in him,” added Seemar. “It's a fantastic team we have behind us and I need to thank so many people, I'm in a very privileged position.”
Pedigree Notes:
A $170,000 KEENOV weanling and $175,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, Switzerland flourished into a $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile buy. Bred by Branch Family Trust, he is the third foal out of SW Czechers (Indian Charlie), who also hit the board in a trio of Grade III turf tests in the U.S. The 17-year-old mare is also responsible for an unraced 3-year-old filly by Connect and a juvenile filly by Speightstown. Her most recent live foal, a full-brother to Switzerland, brought $350,000 at last fall's Keeneland November sale. This represents the extended family of GI Travers S. winner Willow Hour (Bold Hour). The victory gives Speightstown his 23 Group 1/Grade I victory.
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN SPONSORED BY ATLANTIS DUBAI-G1, $2,000,000, Meydan, 3-26, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:11.13, fs.
1–SWITZERLAND, 126, g, 8, by Speightstown 1st Dam: Czechers (MSW & MGSP-US, $298,349), Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â by Indian Charlie 2nd Dam: Pine Rob, by Pine Bluff 3rd Dam: Cherryrob, by Roberto 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. ($170,000 Wlg '14 KEENOV; $175,000 Ylg
'15 KEESEP; $500,000 2yo '16 FTMMAY). O-RRR Racing;
B-Branch Family Trust (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar; J-Tadhg O'Shea;
$1,160,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-US, 27-8-3-4, $1,869,052. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Red Le Zele (Jpn), 126, h, 6, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–French Noir
(Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Tokyo Horse Racing Co Ltd;
B-Shadai Farm (JPN); T-Takayuki Yasuda. $400,000.
3–Dr. Schivel, 126, c, 4, Violence–Lil Nugget, by Mining For
Money. ($37,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEEJAN). O-Red Baron's Barn
LLC, Rancho Temescal et al; B-William A. Branch & Arnold R.
Hill (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $200,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, HD.
Also Ran: Chain of Love (Jpn), Eastern World (Ire), Strongconstitution, Drain the Clock, Everfast, Manjeer (Ire), Wondrwherecraigis, Al Tariq (Fr), Mobaadel, Good Effort (Ire). Scratched: Meraas (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.Â
Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods' Olympiad (Speightstown) announced himself as a player in the handicap division with a fast-finishing score in the GIII Mineshaft S. last out at Fair Grounds, and will look for an encore as the favorite in Saturday's GII New Orleans Classic S. on the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby undercard.
Graduating at second asking in September of 2020 at Saratoga while besting future stakes winners Caddo River (Hard Spun) and Greatest Honour (Tapit), the $700,000 Keeneland September buy was laid up for 364 days and returned with a runner-up effort at the Spa Sept. 4 that earned him a 105 Beyer. Clearing his one-other-than allowance condition next out at Keeneland Oct. 14, he was a sneaky-good fourth with a wide trip in the GI Cigar Mile H. Dec. 4 at Aqueduct before running away with a Gulfstream allowance/optional claimer by 7 1/4 lengths Jan. 15. Returning to stake company in the Mineshaft, he kicked away to a 2 1/4-length score, clicking off his final five-sixteenths in a scorching :29.53 and setting a new track record for 1 1/16 miles.
Stretching out to nine furlongs for the first time, Olympiad's chief competition appears to come from Godolphin homebred Proxy (Tapit) and Woodford Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm and Rock Ridge Racing's Promise Keeper (Constitution). Proxy appeared to be a GI Kentucky Derby contender last winter when running second in the local GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S., but was shelved following somewhat disappointing fourth-place runs in the Louisiana Derby and GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Making his first start in over 10 months in a local allowance/optional claimer Feb. 25 and rallied from off the pace to triumph going away by 3 3/4 lengths.
“I couldn't be happier,” trainer Mike Stidham said. “He's had three really good works since his last race. He ran against top quality horses last year as a 3-year-old. It's just a matter of seeing if he's good enough to compete with the top horses this year, but he's given me every indication that he can. Given the way he ran in his last race, nine furlongs should absolutely be better than 1 1/16 miles for him. He was very relaxed and came home finishing nicely. I'm very much looking forward to the added distance with him.”
Promise Keeper recorded three open-lengths wins in his first five starts last year, culminating with a 2 1/4-length success in the GIII Peter Pan S. at Belmont before finishing a close fourth in the GIII Ohio Derby in his 3-year-old finale June 26 at Thistledown. Returning off the bench in the GIII Razorback H. Feb. 12 at Oaklawn, the chestnut overcame a troubled start and a wide trip, closing well to be fourth.
Grade I winner Lexitonian (Speightstown–Riviera Romper, by Tapit), new to the Lane's End roster for 2022, has his first mare confirmed in foal, the farm reported Monday.
The first mare scanned in foal to the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. hero is Grade I winner Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song), owned by Calumet Farm. She hails from the immediate family of black-type performers Galileo's Song, Great Barrier Reef, Queen
Daenerys and more.
An earner of over $700,000 in his racing career, Lexitonian stands for $10,000.
