Om stays unbeaten on local turf in Mathis Brothers Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – Om will have a home on turf at Santa Anita this winter.

On Saturday, Om won his third Grade 2 stakes of the year in the $201,500 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita. The stakes wins include the Grade 2 Twilight Derby here in October.

Om ($4.40) had an ideal trip to win the Mathis Brothers Mile by 1 3/4 lengths over the 23-1 Perfectly Majestic. Om was timed in 1:35.57, wining for the fifth time in his 10-race career.

The victory left jockey Gary Stevens thinking Om can be a factor in stakes from a mile to 1 1/4 miles on turf in the coming months at Santa Anita for trainer Dan Hendricks.

“He’ll do what Dan wants him to do,” Stevens said.

Om did what Stevens wanted in the Mathis Brothers Mile. After racing near the pacesetter Acceptance for the opening furlong, Om settled into second on the backstretch and was a patient mount for Stevens.

“I wanted him to settle,” Stevens said. “He galloped down the backstretch.”

Om challenged Acceptance on the turn and took the lead entering the stretch. Perfectly Majestic, running for the first time in a graded stakes, closed from ninth in a field of 11 to be second in the stretch under jockey Kent Desormeaux.

“I thought I was an easy winner,” Desormeaux said. “I couldn’t keep up. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on my guy’s part. He was trained to the minute and so was Om.”

Vigilante, a raceday scratch from the Hollywood Derby, finished third in his stakes debut and first start in California. He finished 4 3/4 lengths behind Perfectly Majestic.

Fueled by Bourbon, an 18-1 shot, finished fourth, followed by Mister Brightside, Soul Driver, Crittenden, Ocho Ocho Ocho, Ike Walker, and Professor Berns.

Om races for K.B. Sareen and has earned $550,500. A colt by Munnings, Om is unbeaten in three starts on turf at Santa Anita, a streak that began with a win in an optional claimer on turf last May.

Om won the first stakes of his career in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in September, followed by the Twilight Derby. Om was third, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 28.

“We came home fast in his last race,” Stevens said. “He just got beat on the day.”