Olympiad goes for the gold in New Orleans Classic
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NEW ORLEANS – The 32nd Olympiad was supposed to take place in Tokyo in 2020, but got delayed a year by COVID. The cleverly named Olympiad, a 2-year-old of 2020, also had a postponement to his time in the spotlight, but he’s making up for it these days.
After being off for almost exactly a year before returning to action last September, Olympiad has won three of his last four starts, his most recent a track-record performance when winning the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes here at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19. The Mineshaft is the prep for the Grade 2, $500,000 New Orleans Classic on Saturday, and Olympiad will be heavily favored to capture another gold medal.
Speed figures, current form, and pace – all three factors favor Olympiad against five rivals as he stretches out to 1 1/8 miles following two victories at 1 1/16 miles.
Olympiad is the only horse in the field who has turned in Beyer Speed Figures of 100 or better, and he’s done it three times, including a 102 in the Mineshaft. He’s the only horse coming off consecutive victories, and the only one who captured a stakes last time. And unless Promise Keeper to his inside, or Super Stock to his outside, are encouraged to beat him to the first turn, he should control the pace, and even if they go, he’s shown the ability to stalk and finish.
“We thought a lot of him as a 2-year-old,” said his trainer, Bill Mott. Olympiad – by Speightstown out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Tokyo Time – won his second start at 2. And then he was gone from racing, from Sept. 5, 2020, until Sept. 4 last year.
“He missed most of his 3-year-old year because of minor injuries,” Mott said.
In the Mineshaft, he covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.01. No one has ever gone faster at that distance in the history of this track, which is celebrating its 150th season.
Olympiad’s biggest threat could be Proxy, who pummeled allowance company Feb. 25 in his first start in more than 10 months, looking like the colt who hinted at that kind of promise last winter before bone bruising sent him to the sidelines.
Promise Keeper, winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan last year, was fourth in the Grade 3 Razorback on Feb. 12 at Oaklawn in his first start since June. A rough start took him out of his game.
“He didn’t run badly, considering he was taken out of his element,” said his trainer, Todd Pletcher.
Super Stock, best known for winning last year’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby going 1 1/8 miles, was eighth in the Razorback. Since then, trainer Steve Asmussen relocated him to Fair Grounds, where he has worked twice.
“He’s capable of better,” Asmussen said. “This is a good spot over a distance he likes.”
Happy American, fifth in the Mineshaft, and Chess Chief, who beat Happy American by a nose in the Tenacious here Dec. 26 before finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, complete the field.