Oscar Season provides value with a strong chance in featured allowance

Who was the best North American-based 3-year-old turf horse of 2024? Probably Trikari, whose Beyer Speed Figures of 98 and 96 were the two best stakes numbers among that subset of horses. Truth is, the division lacked depth and standouts as evidenced by the fact that three horses in Keeneland’s featured seventh race Thursday defeated Trikari in the Bryan Station Stakes last October.

Those are Depiction, Herchee, and Evade, and they’re among an overflow field in the Thursday feature, a second-level allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Morning-line favoritism falls to a 4-year-old who didn’t race in North America last year. Intellect makes his American debut Thursday and first start for Chad Brown, and if Intellect gets bet to his line, 7-2, that confers value on other stronger contenders.

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Intellect hasn’t raced in a year and would never have been sold to North American interests on the strength of his first eight starts. But in his ninth and most recent, he set the pace and held on by a neck on April 25, 2024, in a minor seven-furlong stakes at Longchamp. Closing hard but falling short was Havana Cigar, a Peter Brant-owned colt who a couple months later finished second in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat. The Prat these days, last year especially, is a mushy Group 1, and Havana Cigar in any case was making his first start after a layoff when Intellect beat him. Post 11 further enhances Intellect’s underlay status.

As for the three out of the Bryan Station, where Trikari checked in sixth, Depiction finished second, Herchee third, and Evade fourth. Herchee clearly ran the strongest race. The Bryan Station unfolded at a breakneck pace, Herchee sitting a relatively close third, probably asked for run earlier than ideal. The other pace players finished nowhere, while Herchee held gamely, and the horse looked like he was over the top returning in November at Churchill Downs. He can run well fresh and contend Thursday.

Depiction got a great setup coming from last for second in the Bryan Station, while Evade, not for the first time, looked like he doesn’t really stay 1 1/16 miles.

Other 4-year-olds participate. El Rezeen’s 93 Beyer tied for fourth-best in 3-year-old turf stakes last year, but that came over 1 3/8 miles and El Rezeen’s first start since October probably serves as a bridge to a longer race.

Not so for Oscar Season, a well-meant, fair-priced contender for trainer Brendan Walsh. Oscar Season won his debut at Kentucky Downs, had a somewhat odd trip finishing third in the Hawthorne Derby, and third time out was moved too soon into a strong pace when a close second in a November allowance race at Churchill. The colt ran so well winning a first-level allowance Dec. 7 at Gulfstream that Walsh decided to wait and hunt bigger game.

Checked hard before the first turn, which caused him to lose all early position, Oscar Season sizzled his final 2 1/2 furlongs in 28.83 to get up over the Brown-trained Clever Mischief, who beat solid rivals March 1 at Gulfstream winning a first-level allowance with an 87 Beyer. Workout video of Oscar Season’s breezes this spring showed the same improving horse who won that day.

“That race was a nice step forward for him, and then we decided we’d put him away for the winter and give him a chance. It looks like he can run with better horses. I think he could be a good horse as the year goes on,” Walsh said.

And, quite possibly, a good enough horse to win Thursday at Keeneland.

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