Oleksandra turns on afterburners in the stretch to win Jaipur

In less than an hour on Saturday, trainer Neil Drysdale’s year started looking a whole lot brighter.

First he sent out the comebacking Toinette to a victory in the Grade 3 Wilshire at Santa Anita, then he settled in and watched Oleksandra rally from last to first to beat the boys in the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur Stakes for turf sprinters at Belmont Park.

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The Jaipur is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland, where Oleksandra won the Franklin County in her 2019 finale.

“Good day. Very nice,” Drysdale said. “The first part of the year has been a disaster.”

Drysdale is based at Santa Anita, where racing was suspended earlier this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic, and Drysdale, whose barn tends toward grass runners, couldn’t get any momentum going. Oleksandra almost was added to his list of 2020 disasters, as she was clobbered leaving the gate and trailed for the first half-mile of the six-furlong race.

“She was further back than usual,” Drysdale said. “Normally she’s tracking, but she’s so courageous, she was able to overcome it.”

It was a combination of her own talent – she is a first-rate turf sprinter – plus a sharp pace that softened up the front-runners over a course she absolutely adores. Oleksandra made up 7 1/2 lengths during a final quarter-mile that was 23.18 seconds, so her actual split was around 22 seconds. She needed that acceleration, as she got up close to home under Joel Rosario to beat the comebacking Kanthaka by a neck.

“Even at the eighth pole I didn’t think she was going to make it,” Drysdale said.

Oleksandra ($6.50), sent off the favorite, was timed in 1:06.80.

The race had a troubled start. Not only was Oleksandra away poorly, but the 9-year-old Pure Sensation, in his first outing of the year, broke awkwardly and then rushed up.

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Pure Sensation moved quickly to engage Hidden Scroll as they sped through the opening quarter in 21.33 seconds and half in 43.62 seconds, but both were done by the time the field reached the top of the stretch.

Stubbins had been sitting a perfect trip in third, but he failed to go on with it. Texas Wedge had a narrow advantage with a furlong to go, but was overtaken by Kanthaka, who couldn’t hold off Oleksandra.

Texas Wedge finished 1 1/4 lengths behind Kanthaka in third, then came, in order, Stubbins, White Flag, Lonhtwist, Pure Sensation, and Hidden Scroll.

Oleksandra won a pair of six-furlong turf sprints last year at Belmont Park, where she is unbeaten. She made her first start of 2020 on May 25 at Santa Anita, finishing an unlucky second in her first start in seven months in the Grade 2 Monrovia going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf against females.

Oleksandra, 6, is a daughter of Animal Kingdom who was bred in Australia by her owners, the Team Valor International operation run by Barry Irwin. She came to this country in 2018 still a maiden. She has now won seven times in 12 starts in this country, all for Drysdale, all on Lasix, which is banned in Australia.

Drysdale said Oleksandra would remain on the East Coast. Last summer, she won the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga.