OBS graduates enjoyed a successful two days at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, winning a pair of Breeders’ Cup Races, hitting the board in several more and scoring in one of the new Preview Stakes.
Shivananda Racing’s Trinniberg took home the biggest prize for OBS, capturing the $1,363,500 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). Forcing Sum of the Parts’ rapid pace right from the start, he took charge after a half in :43 3/5, opened up daylight turning for home and had no trouble holding off a late run by favored The Lumber Guy, winning by three quarters of a length after six furlongs in 1:07 flat.
The win capped a terrific 3-year-old campaign for the colt by Teuflesberg, purchased by Shivananda Parbhoo for $21,000 out of the M & H Training and Sales consignment at the 2011 OBS April Sale. After winning a pair of graded stakes at Gulfstream and Aqueduct, he set the pace in the Kentucky Derby (G1) but gave way to the winner, fellow April graduate I’ll Have Another. Winless since taking the Woody Stephens (G2) on the Belmont Stakes undercard, he added blinkers for the Sprint and scored his first grade one victory. The newest OBS millionaire, he’s now 13-5-4-0 and has earned $1,483,300.
Bluegrass Hall LLC’s Hightail was a maiden going into the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, but the 2-year-old colt by Mineshaft came out a stakes winner. Biding his time on the rail behind pace-setting fellow OBS graduate Merit Man (April ’12, October ’10), he found room on the inside and outfought Merit Man to the wire to win his first race by a nose.
Although winless prior to the Juvenile Sprint, Hightail was the most experienced horse in the race. His eight starts included three graded stakes, his best finish a fourth in Churchill’s Bashford Manner (G3) in June.
He was purchased by trainer D. Wayne Lukas on behalf of Brad Kelley’s Bluegrass Hall for $345,000 from Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, at the 2012 March Sale. The win gives him a 9-1-1-2 record and earnings of $309,979.
Michael House bought Gabriel Charles for $160,000 from Price Thoroughbreds at the 2012 OBS April Sale after the Street Hero colt worked an eighth in :10 1/5 at the Under Tack Show. Racing for House and Sam Britt, he broke his maiden at first asking at Del Mar, and then was unplaced in a pair of grade one stakes. Trying grass for the first time, he found Santa Anita’s downhill turf course to his liking in the $100,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview Stakes, rallying from just off the pace before drawing off to a 3-1/2 length victory. Now 4-2-0-0, he’s earned $102,000 to date.
Other OBS graduates were busy and productive during the two days of Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita. On Friday, in addition to Merit Man’s runnerup performance in the Juvenile Sprint, OBS March ’12 graduate Summer of Fun closed strongly to be third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and Executiveprivilege (April ’12) ran well in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) but was second best behind Beholder, who she had beaten earlier in the year in the Del Mar Debutante (G1 .
After Gabriel Charles’ win on Saturday, Unbridled’s Note ((March ’11) made the lead in the stretch of the Turf Sprint (G1) but settled for second behind Mizdirection, while Reneesgotzip (April ’11) finished a good third. In the Juvenile, Capo Bastone (March ’12) closed well from well off the pace to get up for third, and finally, Flat Out (October ’06) was far back early in the Classic (G1), rallied wide on the turn, but ended up finishing third.