Upstart scores authoritatively in Holy Bull

An Upstart no longer: the Champagne runner-up and BC Juvenile third was the class of the field (Adam Coglianese Photography) Ralph M. Evans’ Upstart (Flatter) brought the strongest resume into Saturday’s $400,000 Holy Bull (G2), and the promising sophomore enhanced it with a decisive, 5 1/2-length victory at Gulfstream Park. Last seen finishing third in the November 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita, the 2-1 second choice attended the early pace before sailing clear and adding 10 more points toward the Kentucky Derby. Frosted (Tapit), the 3-2 favorite, settled for second. Longtime leader Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat) held third from 81-1 longshot Juan and Bina (Indian Charlie). With regular rider Jose Ortiz aboard, Upstart raced in a prompting third on the outside. Bluegrass Singer was carving out tepid splits of :24 2/5 and :48 4/5, pressed by First Down (Street Cry), who could not maintain his position and began to retreat. That left Upstart as the lone challenger to Bluegrass Singer, but the match race didn’t last for long. After six furlongs in 1:12 2/5, Upstart readily put the pacesetter away and opened up. The Rick Violette trainee reached the mile split in 1:37 and completed 1 1/16 miles on the fast track in 1:43 3/5.

“I thought it (the pace) would be much quicker,” Violette said. “One speed
scratched and Kiaran’s horse (Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Frosted) was between a
rock and a hard place (from the rail). They were coming off the bench too.

“When they went :24, I said, ‘We’re in a good spot.’ When they went :48, I
said, ‘We’re in exactly the right spot.’ You couldn’t have asked for a better
ride.

“With his post position (8) — and this was a tough race — if you tap on the
breaks a little bit, you’re six wide and you’re going to be widest on both
turns. He needed to be a little more aggressive leaving there to get position,
and Jose did the right thing.”

“The horse broke very well,” Ortiz recapped, “and I was in the position where
me and Rick planned to be. It was perfect. By the half-mile pole I let him go
and said, ‘Let’s see what we have here,’ and when we turned for home we rolled.
He was very good. He jumped into the bit, and I knew he was ready.

“When I saw him today in the paddock, I was very surprised because he looked
so much bigger and so much stronger. I think he wants to go a mile and a
quarter, so we will hopefully make the Kentucky Derby with him.”

Frosted, who was always within striking position from his rail post, kept on
well without ever threatening the winner. The runner-up had 2 1/4 lengths to
spare over Bluegrass Singer.

“We were second-best today,” McLaughlin said of Frosted. “The one hole wasn’t
ideal. We thought it was good to save ground, but we were in a little tight and
took some dirt. But, it was a good race. We were just second-best.

Jockey Jose Ortiz defeated brother Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode runner-up Frosted (Lauren King/Adam Coglianese Photography) “(Jockey) Irad (Ortiz Jr., brother of winning rider Jose) had to wait a little bit and figure out which way he was going to go, but you have to get educated as you go along this trail. The winner was impressive.” Juan and Bina, Keen Ice (Curlin), Frammento (Midshipman), First Down and Decision Day (Macho Uno) rounded out the order under the wire. High Noon Rider (Distorted Humor) was eased out of the race, but walked off. Dom the Bomb (Bring the Heat) was scratched in favor of the Hutcheson (G3) earlier on the card, where he was eased and did not finish. Upstart’s first graded score improved his record to 5-3-1-1, $701,880. The ridgling opened his career with two victories versus New York-breds at Saratoga — a 5 1/4-length success in an August 15 maiden, followed nine days later by a gritty score in the Funny Cide. Stepping up in class thereafter, he finished second to Daredevil (More Than Ready) in the October 4 Champagne (G1) at Belmont. Upstart had a tough trip from post 11 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and did well for third, missing second by a nose to Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway). Having earned four Derby points in the Champagne and two in the Juvenile, he now has a total of 16 after the Holy Bull.

Violette is considering a jaunt back to New York for Upstart, but could stay
on Gulfstream’s road to the Derby. is options for his colt’s next start are the
$400,000 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth or the Gotham ,

“I hope it wasn’t too fast,” the trainer said of Upstart’s Holy Bull effort.
That’s one of the advantages of running today — you have two weeks to play
with. We can go up to the Gotham ([G3] at Aqueduct on March 7) or we can come
back here in four weeks in the Fountain of Youth ([G2] at Gulfstream on February
21. There is a cushion there if we came off the bench a little strong.

“We got some points today. If we ran in the Withers ([G3] on February 7 at
Aqueduct) we would have been locked in to four weeks, four weeks, four weeks
(between preps to the Derby) and there is no wiggle room. So this is a good
spot.

“We’ll see how he bounces off this and follow his lead. It could be that
we’ll stay here (for the Florida Derby [G1] on March 28) to give us the extra
two weeks going into the (Kentucky) Derby. That might be the thing to do. It’s
nice to have that option.”

Bred by Mrs. Gerald A. Nielsen in the Empire State, Upstart went to his
current connections for $130,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred
Sale. His dam, the unraced Party Silks (Touch Gold), is a half-sister to Grade 2
heroine Josh’s Madelyn (Quiet American).

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