Patience Means Progress for Arrogate Half Sister Osare

On a foggy morning at Saratoga Race Course, Bridlewood Farm's Osare ambled to the main track with a faithful stable pony at her side.

The dark bay filly made a wrong-way circuit of the oval at an easy jog Aug. 5, then stood in the gate under the watchful eye of trainer Jonathan Thomas without turning a hair. But the brilliant athleticism that runs in her family was on full display for a few seconds back at the barn, when she kicked up her heels high above the walls of a sturdy round pen next to Barn 19.

Arrogate 's little half sister has some fire in her veins.

While Unbridled's Song infused his champion son with a wicked turn of foot on the main track, breeder Clearsky Farms sent Arrogate's dam, the Distorted Humor  mare Bubbler, to Medaglia d'Oro  to produce her second foal. The turf is where 3-year-old Osare broke her maiden June 21 going 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park after she ran fourth in her April 15 debut at Tampa Bay Downs. Next she'll try the turf course at Saratoga Aug. 6 in a 1 3/8-mile allowance for fillies and mares 3 and older.

"I think the difference between her first and second start is that she started to put it together, which is what we've been training her to do," Thomas said. "I think she's probably strengthened up a bit. I don't know if that's a product of racing or the time, because she's a little bit of a later-developing filly. We're almost treating this like her 2-year-old season. At 2, she was like a yearling. She was a big, growthy horse, and that's why we took our time with her. I'm guessing from the strength standpoint, she's going to be at her best next year."

Bridlewood purchased Osare for $300,000 from Clearsky's consignment to the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when she had an impressive catalog update—a big brother who won the Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in record time—but before Arrogate emerged as a force to be reckoned with and became the richest Thoroughbred in North American history.

"Pedigree, no pedigree, price tag, no price tag—each horse needs to be treated as an individual. And they have to stand on their own merit to justify being a useful horse," Thomas said. "The Medaglia d'Oro in her leaned us in the turf direction. I'm not sure she can't run on the dirt, but I think we're giving her a chance to get strong. … She doesn't have to negotiate a lot of kickback, and she can learn. Dirt could be in her future, but if she runs well—tomorrow especially—we will probably keep her on the turf for the rest of the year."

Everything has been a learning experience for Osare, and Bridlewood has given Thomas the luxury of time to develop the big filly. 

"I feel like she's done well," the trainer said. "We've been very calculated and patient with her. She's probably going to be the sort of horse that gets better through racing and experience. I love the distance for her tomorrow. The turf could be a little soft, and I don't know how she's going to navigate that, but she's progressing."

Thomas said the temptation to step Osare up to stakes company remains, but his anticipation of her 2019 campaign tempers that enthusiasm.



"It depends on how she runs tomorrow, really," he said. "Do you tackle stakes company? Obviously, some black type would be fantastic. Or, because she's 3, do you just spot her conservatively, give her some time to mature, and come back guns blazing as a 4-year-old? I think that probably makes more sense, seeing how she's progressed.

"Tomorrow we hope we can get a barometer on her, if she's going to be a good horse. She doesn't have to win, but we're expecting a good showing."