Multiple Grade 1 Winner Obviously Retired

The retirement of Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino's Obviously brought the end of an era in Barn 24 on the Santa Anita Park backside.

Not only was the 9-year-old gelding massively successful on the racetrack, with 13 wins (nine graded and three grade 1) and more than $2.3 million in earnings, but the speedy son of Choisir now trained by Phil D'Amato was the last horse still in training from the barn of the late Mike Mitchell.

"He gave Mike a grade 1 (in the 2013 Shoemaker Mile) and gave me my first grade 1 (in the 2014 Shoemaker Mile), so he's a special horse to all of us," said D'Amato, who served as Mitchell's assistant.

ANGST: Obviously Repeats in Shoemaker Mile Stakes

Nominated for the July 4 American Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita—a race he's won twice—Obviously was training steadily for a return to racing following his score in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), but came out of his last work June 27 with bone bruising, according to D'Amato.

ANGST: Veteran Obviously Scores in Turf Sprint

"I had him 90% fit and almost ready to go, but we found some bone bruising coming out of his last work," D'Amato said. "At his age, and with what he's done for us, we got together and felt the best thing to do was to retire him.

"We were looking forward to gearing him up, to see if he'd like five furlongs at Del Mar (for the 2017 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint) and defend his title. It was a very minor (injury), but we decided it's time."

Along with his 13 wins, Obviously placed in six other graded grass events, including third-place finishes in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) and the 2015 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T). The grass mile was likely his best distance, as he won 9 of his 18 starts at eight furlongs, including the two Shoemaker victories, the pair of American scores, two more in the grade 2 Del Mar Mile (2012 and 2013), and single wins in the 2012 Arroyo Seco Mile Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita and the 2016 Poker Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park.

D'Amato indicated Obviously's second career might include off-track work, but also said he could become a stable pony, as his temperament has mellowed as he's grown older.

"We might make him a pony, because he loves being around the barn, but if that doesn't work out, we'll find a spot for him to go where he can be happy," D'Amato said. "For all he's done, that's what he deserves."