Mott keeping Speaker's Corner and Olympiad at home
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Speaker’s Corner and Olympiad, both trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, have combined to win all four of their starts to begin their 4-year-old campaigns, three in graded stakes.
While either one could have been considered for lucrative races in Dubai at the end of the month, Mott said Thursday that both will make their next start domestically. Speaker’s Corner, coming off a pair of strong graded stakes victories at Gulfstream Park, will make his next start in the Grade 1, $300,0000 Carter Handicap on April 9 at Aqueduct. Olympiad, winner of the Grade 3 Mineshaft at Fair Grounds last month, will return to New Orleans for the Grade 2, $500,000 New Orleans Classic on March 26.
Mott said both Speaker’s Corner and Olympiad were offered invitations to Dubai, but they were declined.
Speaker’s Corner, a son of Street Sense owned and bred by Godolphin Racing, won the Grade 3 Fred Hooper on Jan. 29 and came back five weeks later to win the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile, earning a 106 Beyer Speed Figure. Both races were at a mile, and the Godolphin Mile at Dubai was under consideration for Speaker’s Corner. In the Carter, Speaker’s Corner will be turning back to seven furlongs, a distance at which he is 2 for 2.
“I thought both of his races were very good down here, both at a mile,” Mott said by phone from Florida. “How effective is he backing up to seven-eighths? I think it could be a good distance for him.”
Speaker’s Corner’s finished second, beaten a half-length by Miles D, in the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct. That race and the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, in which Speaker’s Corner finished sixth, were both at 1 1/8 miles around two turns.
Olympiad, a son of Speightstown, has proven successful in races run around two turns. After finishing fourth to Americanrevolution in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 4, Olympiad won a second-level allowance by 7 1/4 lengths on Jan. 15 at Gulfstream before his 2 1/2-length score in the Mineshaft.
Mott said the Dubai World Cup at 1 1/4 miles was briefly discussed, but that Olympiad has not yet run beyond 1 1/16 miles.
“Dubai, in all reality, looks like a fairly deep field this year, and he’s not the most seasoned horse,” Mott said. “When you stop and think about it, he’s fairly lightly raced. Everybody agreed to take this route, keep him in the domestic races this year, and see where we go. If he’s around next year, we may give [Dubai] a try then.”
Mott did say that Gilded Age, third behind Early Voting and Un Ojo in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes here Feb. 5, will go to Dubai for the $2 million UAE Derby.
Meanwhile, Mott said that High Oak and Galt, both of whom stumbled and lost their rider approaching the top of the stretch in the Fountain of Youth, have returned to the track. High Oak, winner of the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last summer, will be considered for the Wood Memorial here April 9. Galt, fourth in the Holy Bull before the Fountain of Youth, is possible for next Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.