B. Wayne Hughes’ homebred OSIDY (Storm Cat) made his second U.S. start a
winning one when taking Saturday’s $109,900
Will Rogers S. (G3) at Hollywood
Park.
Rating off a heated pace contested by Texcess (In Excess [Ire]), Willow O Wisp
(Misnomer) and Moth Ball (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]), Osidy and jockey Alex Solis
ran midpack through fractions of :23 2/5, :46 3/5 for the half and
three-quarters in 1:10. Turning for home, Solis angled his mount three wide but
still had to run down both Willow O Wisp and Moth Ball, who had held on
valiantly despite running on the front end throughout. From the far outside, Osidy began picking off horses, and at the wire the Richard Mandella-conditioned
sophomore was just up by a head, stopping the clock in 1:34 3/5. Willow O Wisp
held on for a respectable second, 1 1/2 lengths clear of Eastern Sand (Line in
the Sand), who sat just off the leaders for the majority of the one-mile firm
turf event.
The winner started $1 exotics of $39.70 (exacta), $101.50 (trifecta)
and $510.30 (5-7-3-8 superfecta) while returning $4.80, $3.40 and $2.80 as the
7-5 post-time favorite. Willow O Wisp, the second-longest shot on the board at
18-1, rewarded his backers with $11 and $5.80 and Eastern Sand gave back $2.60
for the show. Moth Ball completed the superfecta and was followed under the line
by Texcess, Sunny Sky (Fr) (Septieme Ciel), Talking to John (Souvenier Copy) and
Claymont (Bernstein). Juliessugardaddy (Unusual Heat) was scratched from the
race.
Osidy is the first registered foal out of the multiple Group 2-winning Que
Belle (Seattle Dancer), and has an unnamed two-year-old half-brother by A.P. Indy, an
unnamed
yearling half-brother by War Chant and a 2005 half-sister by Cat Thief. With this, her first stakes win,
Osidy increases her career earnings to
$133,256 to go with a line of 7-3-1-1.