Idolo Porteno meets Upstart in Razorback Handicap
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Idolo Porteno arguably is the most interesting horse stabled at Oaklawn Park and will be in action for the first time at this meet Saturday in the Grade 3, $350,000 Razorback Handicap. The 1 1/16-mile race is the launching pad for his season and serves the same purpose for a notable member of last year’s 3-year-old class, Upstart.
The horses are part of a field of 10 for the Razorback, the final local stepping-stone to the Grade 2, $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap. Others set to start include Carve, who is close to $1 million in career earnings; Smack Smack, a multiple stakes winner; and Shotgun Kowboy, the winner of last year’s Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.
But all eyes will be on Idolo Porteno, the 2014 Horse of the Year in Argentina, and Upstart, the runner-up in last season’s Florida Derby. Saturday’s race will be the first in North America for Idolo Porteno, a Group 1 winner on dirt and turf who in 2014 defeated 20 rivals by four lengths in the biggest race in Argentina, the Carlos Pellegrini.
“We’re ready to start his career in the U.S.,” said trainer Ignacio Correas. “Hopefully, he’ll take us for a good ride. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Razorback (Race 8)
KEY CONTENDERS
Idolo Porteno, by Jump Start
No Beyers
◗ Idolo Porteno will be making his first start since June 27, when he was fifth as the favorite in the Estrellas Classic, which Correas likened to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The horse arrived in North America in September and, after time at a farm, has been training in Kentucky and Arkansas.
“I think that he has a good foundation,” said Correas. “I think that the way it’s going to play [out] is depending on how the track is – if it’s fast, if it’s slow. I don’t know if he’s going to like a slow track. I think he’s going to love a fast track.”
◗ Idolo Porteno, to be ridden by Florent Geroux, will tote 117 pounds. He won the Pellegrini while carrying 132 pounds and last out carried 134. In another plus, Idolo Porteno will add Lasix.
Upstart, by Flatter
Last 3 Beyers: 86-98-100
◗ The winner of last year’s Grade 2 Holy Bull, he will be making his first start since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby last September.
“He had a long, hard season as a 3-year-old, and we thought it best to give him some time off,” said trainer Rick Violette. “He is bigger, stronger. He’s filled out – what you would hope for.”
◗ Violette said the Razorback became the target for Upstart because he was a few weeks behind while trying to make his initial goal of the Gulfstream Park Handicap.
“We wanted to wait those extra two weeks and do what we needed to do,” he said. “He’s firing on all cylinders right now, and he’s ready to roll. We’re tickled to death the way he is, and we’re just hoping what we see in the morning shows up in the afternoon.”
◗ Joe Bravo has the mount on the 120-pound highweight.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Upstart. Trainer Rick Violette is 19-2-3-2 with a $0.91 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes following a layoff of 120 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Far Right, by Notional
Last 3 Beyers: 88-85-78
◗ He was up for a neck win in an optional $50,000 claiming race at the Razorback distance Feb. 28 at Oaklawn.
“He’s doing well,” said trainer Ron Moquett. “He’s happy. He’s sitting on a good race third start off a layoff at a racetrack he loves.”
◗ Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Shotgun Kowboy. Trainer Bret Calhoun is 41-11-9-6 with a $3.56 ROI over the past two years going sprint to route in the second start following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan