Who’s Up gets up in Generous

Who’s Up would not be denied in the Generous (Benoit Photos) M Racing’s WHO’S UP (Graeme Hall) was sent off the 9-1 fourth pick in Saturday’s $100,000 Generous S. (G3) at Hollywood Park, but ran like a favorite when easily overhauling the betting public’s 2-5 choice, Bridgetown (Speightstown), in the stretch run. Pulling away to be 1 3/4 lengths clear on the line under jockey Victor Espinoza, the Kathy Walsh trainee finished up one mile on the firm turf in 1:34 1/5. Who’s Up settled into a stalking position just outside and behind the front-running Bridgetown, who established splits of :24 2/5, :48 and 1:11 1/5. The pair continued their battle into the stretch run, but by this point Espinoza had given Who’s Up his cue. Ranging up to run in tandem with Bridgetown, the chestnut colt easily pulled away as his rival faltered and faded along the rail. Who’s Up continued his momentum all the way to the wire, never threatened by a closing Marcello (Johannesburg), who took second by a half-length over Lucky Rave (GB) (Lucky Story). “I’ve been working with this horse since he started training and it’s paid off,” Espinoza said. “He used to get a little bit rank and scared because he got all pumped up, but now he’s coming along very well. I thought he was going to run very big today. I was most afraid of the one (Bridgetown) because he ran second in the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf [G2]). I had to go after that horse on the turn to put some pressure on him.”

Who’s Up paid $21.80, $8.40 and $6.40 for this, his first stakes victory.
Marcello, off at 22-1, gave back $13.20 and $9 while ending the $133.90 exacta
($1). Lucky Rave was worth $10.40 at 29-1, and completed the $1,982.40 trifecta
($1). Bridgetown faded badly in the stretch, winding up fourth to cap the
3-5-6-1 superfecta ($1) that returned $5,546.40.

“I really don’t know what happened,” said Garrett Gomez, who had piloting
duties on Bridgetown. “He relaxed well. He quickened to a certain extent, but
when that other horse got up by his head he seemed to collapse on me. When we
started to sprint for home, he was done.”

Ace of Aces (Ire) (Antonius Pius), Alfarabi (Yes It’s True), Coloursoftheglen
(Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori) and Summer Movie (Holy Bull) followed the top four
under the line.

Bred in Florida by Andrew Cant, Who’s Up brought $55,000 as a Keeneland
November weanling, $95,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and then RNAd for
$170,000 as an OBS March two-year-old. The two-year-old began his career at Del
Mar, running second in his debut and seventh in the Del Mar Futurity (G1),
before moving over to Santa Anita and breaking through with his first win. This
victory improved his resume to 4-2-1-0, $93,000.

“We probably ran him back too soon at Del Mar,” Walsh said. “We jumped him
into the Futurity just 16 days after he broke his maiden and you just can’t do
that with a young horse. I know he’s two-for-two on turf, but I don’t really
think he’s strictly a turf horse. When you buy them out of a two-year-old in
training sale, they have one object; they have to push them to go real fast.
Fortunately, this horse came around real quick.

“My boys at the barn, Victor (Espinoza) and Rodriguez (exercise rider) have
worked hard to get this horse to relax and they’ve done a great job. I’ve got
him so now that he settles and settles and settles, then down the lane he really
picks it up.”

Who’s Up is the first foal to race from the winning Divine Rockette (Is It
True), who has numerous black-type producing half-sisters. Some names of note in
the family include dual German highweight and Group 2 winner Royal Fantasy (Ger)
(Monsun), Grade 3 victor E Z Warrior (Exploit), Grade 3-placed multiple stakes
heroine J Z Warrior (Harlan’s Holiday) and Grade 1 runner-up Coronet of a Baron
(Pure Prize).