Gutsy Move Gets Abel Tasman CCA Oaks Win

With a gusty move to the front of the six-horse field in the backstretch, Abel Tasman and jockey Mike Smith earned the Quality Road   filly her third consecutive grade 1 victory in the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course July 23.

In the 1 1/8-mile test, favored Abel Tasman and second choice Salty broke slow, as Summer Luck assumed the lead and took the field through the first turn. Not up for waiting behind an even pace, Smith asked Abel Tasman to move up and the duo took over as the group approached a half-mile into the race. Into the stretch, Salty launched a mild bid on the far outside and Elate charged down the rail, but the Bob Baffert trainee dug in and held off the bold challenge to cross the wire first. 

"There was no pace in the race. Everyone threw the anchor out and went to slow down," Smith said. "She got into such a pretty stride and felt so good. I didn't want to get in the way of it. If I did, I felt like I'd hurt her more than help her. Once she gets in that big, beautiful stride, that's where you want her. It was there. I took it."

China Horse Club International and Clearsky Farms' runner survived an inquiry into the strech run and picked up her fourth grade 1 win overall. Elate settled for second and Salty finished third. The final time was 1:51.74 over a track rated fast. 

"It's just good, old-fashioned race riding," Smith said. "By no means did I put (Elate) in any harm. My filly really waits. Once she was in there, she was engaged. I made sure that I didn't touch (Elate). I made it tight, but there's no rules that say you can't make it tight. They make it tight on me all the time and I'm too old for that. It's a questionable move that I would have questioned myself if I got beat. But I didn't, so I liked it."

Salty hopped out of the gate and raced at the back of the field as Summer Luck lead through the first quarter-mile in :23.81. Smith sent Abel Tasman ahead and they led the field of sophomore fillies through a half-mile in :48.83 and six furlongs in 1:13.92. Under jockey Jose Ortiz, Elate surged up the rail and battled Abel Tasman in the stretch, but was second best as the multiple grade 1 winner got a head in front at the finish. Salty finished third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the top two and seven lengths ahead of Berned in fourth. 

Daddys Lil Darling, Summer Luck, and Corporate Queen completed the order of finish. Sent off at odds of 4-5, Abel Tasman returned $3.60, $2.50, and $2.10 across the board. Elate paid $4.80 and $3.20, while Salty was worth $2.50 to show. 

The victory was a high point in what has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs for Smith and Baffert over the last 24 hours.

"It's funny how things will turn around," Smith said of his puzzling fourth-place finish aboard Arrogate in the TVG San Diego Handicap (G2) July 22. "We went from yesterday being a total shock—we don't know, we're just going to draw a line through it—but to come back ... that's what is great about this sport. It's an emotional rollercoaster.

"It felt like it was a 15-hour flight (to get from California to Saratoga) but man, it's going to be sweet going home." 

But for now, the team is riding high on the achievements of their top-class filly. 

"'Abel' is a phenomenal filly," said Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes. "It's her third grade 1 in a row. We're blessed to have her. She's come through each and every time. She's had to travel three times now and that says a lot for her. To pick up from your home track, go to Churchill, go to Belmont with the big sandy track, and then come here on opening weekend—it's very exciting for us."

Abel Tasman's last two wins also came at the highest level. Most recently, she vaulted to a one-length victory in the Acorn Stakes (G1) June 10 at Belmont Park after she raced near the back of the pack in the early stages of the one-mile race, while rival Salty checked in second. 

One race prior, the bay runner showed that an off track wasn't too much for her to handle, as she rallied from last to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a sloppy Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). She finished second in two other graded tries at Santa Anita Park this year and was moved from trainer Simon Callaghan to Baffert in March. 

Sunday's win was her fourth grade 1, as she also took the Starlet Stakes (G1) in December at Los Alamitos as a juvenile. 

Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms out of the Deputy Minister mare Vargas Girl, Abel Tasman was a $65,000 RNA at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale. She now boasts a 6-2-0 record from nine starts with earnings of $1,467,060.