Olympiad Goes for Gold in Alysheba
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Photo: Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
Olympiad wins the New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds Race Course
Kentucky Oaks Day primarily features stakes races for females, naturally topped by the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) for 3-year-old fillies and the La Troienne Stakes Presented by Signify Health (G1) for older fillies and mares.
But the colts, geldings, and horses competing in the $500,000 Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) May 6 should see to it that not all male equines are overshadowed during the afternoon. The eight-horse lineup includes grade 1 winners Max Player and Happy Saver , plus Olympiad , whose stellar recent form suggests he has the potential to succeed at the highest stakes level. All three runners start for Hall of Fame trainers.
It is Olympiad who is favored at 9-5 odds in the Alysheba, coming after three consecutive victories this year, capped by triumphs in record or near-record time in the Feb. 19 Mineshaft Stakes (G3) and the March 26 New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) in recent months at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Video: New Orleans Classic S. (G2)
His natural speed should leave him well-positioned in a prominent early position under Junior Alvarado in a race short of pace.
Bill Mott trains the 4-year-old son of Speightstown for owners Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, and LNJ Foxwoods.
George Hall and Annestes Racing's Max Player tops the field with a $1.3 million bankroll. In his only prior appearance at Churchill Downs, Max Player ran fifth in the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) when it was contested in September amid the initial year COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021 as a 4-year-old, he blossomed during the summer, winning the Suburban Stakes (G2) in the slop at Belmont Park before adding the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. He is unraced since running eighth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 6.
"A mile and a sixteenth is not ideal for him, but he has come back beautifully. Bigger and stronger," trainer Steve Asmussen said. "I thought he ran a solid race in the Derby when it was run here in the fall (of 2020) in his only run over (Churchill). But a mile and a sixteenth is not perfect for him, but I think it's a very good starting point for a horse that will move from here to Belmont, to New York, where he has had huge success."
Ricardo Santana Jr. rides the 5-2 second favorite.
Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver, the 2020 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner and pegged at 7-2 odds, ran third to Max Player in the Suburban last year and second to him in the 2021 Jockey Club Gold Cup. He capped last season with a runner-up finish behind Maxfield in the Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill during the fall and has been away since.
"We were thinking about going to Saudi (Arabia) but he had a little hiccup, so had to regroup. So targeting this," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "He ran well in the Clark, likes the track. I'm looking forward to getting his season underway."
Irad Ortiz Jr. is aboard.
Up to an inch of rain is forecast for the area on Friday, according to a May 3 report from the National Weather Service.
Max Player is 2-for-2 on sloppy tracks, while Happy Saver ran third in the Suburban in his only race over off going. Olympiad has raced strictly on fast surfaces.
Rounding out the field are Weyburn , Militarist , Soy Tapatio , Fulsome , and Title Ready .
Sir Shackleton Stakes Presented by New Holland winner Weyburn and Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3) victor Fulsome also have won in the slop.
Churchill Downs, Friday, May 06, 2022, Race 7Entries: Alysheba S. presented by Sentient Jet (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Max Player (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Steven M. Asmussen
5/2
2
2Weyburn (ON)
Tyler Gaffalione
118
Brendan P. Walsh
5/1
3
3Militarist (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Carlo Vaccarezza
20/1
4
4Soy Tapatio (KY)
Flavien Prat
118
Doug F. O'Neill
15/1
5
5Olympiad (KY)
Junior Alvarado
120
William I. Mott
9/5
6
6Fulsome (KY)
Florent Geroux
118
Brad H. Cox
8/1
7
7Happy Saver (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Todd A. Pletcher
7/2
8
8Title Ready (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Dallas Stewart
20/1
