Violette hopeful Upstart will have big 4-year-old season

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While Mohaymen, the 2016 Holy Bull Stakes winner, continues along the Kentucky Derby trail, Upstart, the 2015 winner, has just begun really stretching his legs in preparation for what his connections hope will be a successful 4-year-old campaign.

Upstart was every bit as impressive in capturing the Grade 2 Holy Bull last winter as Mohaymen was here last week, drawing off to a similarly convincing 5 1/2-length victory over no less a rival than Frosted while earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure. Upstart went on to finish second via a controversial disqualification in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby before finishing last of 18 in the Kentucky Derby. Upstart has not started since finishing a distant fifth in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 19.

Upstart has turned in a series of three-furlong breezes at Palm Meadows since resuming serious training this winter with trainer Rick Violette, who has been recuperating from surgery in mid-December but snuck out last weekend to watch him work.

“We never came up with a reason he ran so poorly in the Derby,” said Violette. “He had a decent summer, ran okay in the Travers and a good third in the Haskell, but I was really disappointed when he didn’t show up again in the Pennsylvania Derby. He had some little issues, some wear and tear, so we kicked him out in the paddock, gave him some time off.

“We’re really encouraged and looking forward to his 4-year-old season,” Violette added. “He’s filled out and looks fabulous now, he’s moving great, and his pedigree suggests he should get better at 4. He’s started on a work program, but we’ve got no definite goal in sight. When he gets up to a half-mile, we’ll start looking around. The mile race here in March is possible.”

Violette was referring to the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 5.

Upstart is one of two older horses Violette is hoping will impact the handicap division this year, along with Samraat, who has started just twice since his fifth-place finish in the 2014 Kentucky Derby. Samraat, owned by Leonard Riggio’s My Meadowview Farm, won the Gotham and Withers stakes prior to his second-place finish in the Wood Memorial in 2014.

“He’s a little more advanced than Upstart by a breeze or two,” said Violette. “He worked awesome the other morning. He got another crack in his right front shin after he ran one time last summer, and we did surgery, put a screw in, and he’s doing fabulous. The owner is a pretty good sportsman, and he wants to give it another shot. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return to the top of the division along with Upstart, and we’ll have two serious handicap horses this year.”

Lady Eli progressing

Another horse on the comeback trail is the undefeated Lady Eli, who has successfully recuperated from a serious case of laminitis discovered after her sixth straight victory last summer in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

“She’s been back galloping about two weeks,” trainer Chad Brown said. “She’s moving great, as good as ever. If you watched her roll, you’d be impressed. We’re going to take it week to week. I’d hope by the end of February she’d be able to start breezing again.”

Special starter stakes

The Claiming Crown in February? Not quite, but a similar program will be presented here a week from Monday, Presidents Day, with a dozen starter allowance stakes in the condition book for the special holiday program. The 12 races, five of which are carded for turf, offer purses of either $50,000 or $60,000 each and are for horses who have started for claiming prices of $12,500 to $35,000.