Santa Anita: Florida stakes winner Oligarch pulls 24-1 upset for Mulhall

ARCADIA, Calif. - For the record, trainer Kristin Mulhall did not have even a token wager on Oligarch when the Florida stakes winner pulled an upset at 24-1 in an optional claimer on Friday.

Oligarch, who won the Tropical Park Derby in 2011, led throughout the race over 1 1/8 miles on turf, winning by three-quarters of a length over Causeihertz. Oligarch paid $51.60 as the longest shot in the field.

“I can’t believe they let him go off at such a big price,” Mulhall said. “I was kind of shocked. Oh, well.”

Oligarch, a 4-year-old by Congrats, has won 4 of 16 starts and $145,096. Third in the Our Dear Peggy Stakes at Calder on Sept. 8, Oligarch was acquired last month and raced for a $62,500 claiming price on Friday.

Mulhall said there are no major goals for Oligarch.

“We’ll regroup and look at a little stakes,” she said.

Mulhall does have Breeders’ Cup aspirations for another recent Florida import, Tale of a Champion. Fifth in the Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course on Sept. 28 under jockey Garrett Gomez, Tale of a Champion is a candidate for the BC Turf Sprint over the same course.

Mulhall wants to give Tale of a Champion another try on the course, which sometimes requires experience.

“He ran well down the hill,” she said. “Garrett said he was a little lost crossing over the dirt. He thought he needed the race.”

One of the leading contenders for the race is Unbridled’s Note, who won the Eddie D Stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen.