Obligatory starts 5-year-old season in Inside Information
Obligatory, a Grade 1 winner last year at 4, is back for another campaign in 2023, one she kicks off in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Inside Information Stakes for fillies and mares going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.
Garrett O’Rourke, the racing manager for Juddmonte, the owner and breeder of Obligatory, said the plan is for the daughter of Curlin to race the entire year, barring injury or dramatic signs of tailing off. O’Rourke acknowledged the depth of the female sprint division, topped by Goodnight Olive and Echo Zulu, who finished one-two in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with Obligatory fifth. He said the primary objective for Obligatory is a repeat of her Grade 1 victory in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, where she is a three-time graded stakes winner.
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“It’s so hard to get Grade 1 horses of this caliber,” O’Rourke said. “You retire them and try to replace them, you might go a few years before you get the next one.”
While Obligatory, trained by Bill Mott, may be 3 for 3 at Churchill Downs, she is 2 for 2 at Gulfstream Park, including a victory in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie here last March leading to her Derby City Distaff victory.
Obligatory thrives when there’s pace, something she hopes to get with R Adios Jersey and Miss Speedy in the 10-horse field.
Jose Ortiz rides from post 4.
Trainer Brad Cox won this race last year with Just One Time and on Saturday sends out Famed, a half-sister to multiple Eclipse champion Essential Quality. Though Famed’s pedigree suggests she’ll go long and she did win a two-turn stakes at Remington Park in her last start, Cox believes “one turn is better for her.”
“The last time had more to do with the field she caught,” he said.
Famed drew the rail Saturday, the fifth time in 10 starts she has started from that post. She has won three of her starts from the fence.
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Maryquitecontrary has won 5 of 6 starts, all at Gulfstream, including the Rampart Stakes last out. This looks to be the toughest field she has caught.
Completing the field are Colorful Mischief, second to Maryquitecontrary in the Rampart, Fire On Time, Jag Warrior, Diamond Wow, and Last Leaf.
Joseph sends four in Hooper
About two hours before he sends out three runners in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will start four horses in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Fred Hooper Stakes for older horses going one mile.
The streaking Picking Up Pennies heads the quartet, which includes Mish, The Reds, and Twelve Volt Man. Picking Up Pennies has won three consecutive allowance races since being stretched out to a mile, the distance of the Hooper. Mish also has improved since being stretched out in distance.
“Since both of them stretched out to a one-turn mile, they’ve both become better horses,” Joseph said. “Picking Up Pennies, we ran him 5 1/2 because we always thought he demanded the lead and figured going a mile he’ll make the lead. It was trial and error and it worked out.
“Last time, jumping from the [first-level allowance] to the [second], I wasn’t sure he could beat that company, but he stepped right up and did it again.”
The problem may be that Picking Up Pennies and Mish have a similar front-running style that could impede both their chances.
Joseph said he is experimenting with The Reds, cutting him back to a one-turn mile after racing him four times around two turns since he got him last summer.
“If you could tell me he’ll handle one turn as well as he has two turns, I’d tell you he has a pretty good shot in there,” Joseph said.
Twelve Volt Man, who breaks from the outside under Frankie Dettori in this 13-horse field, comes off a runner-up finish to Picking Up Pennies on Jan. 7.
Miles D, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, makes his first start in 11 months, or since he finished third behind Olympiad in the Grade 3 Mineshaft at Fair Grounds. Trainer Chad Brown hits at a high success rate bringing horses back off layoffs such as this.
Dean Delivers comes off a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector, his sixth second-place finish in 11 starts.
Endorsed, who finished fourth at 85-1 in last year’s Pegasus, broke a 23-race losing streak with an allowance win going seven furlongs.
Black Belt has won three straight since Peter Walder claimed him for $16,000 last July.
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