Irish-bred Ocean Road, making her third start in North America, picked up her first stakes win at the highest level with a last-to-first score in Monday's GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita.
Graduating second out on the Lingfield all-weather in December of 2020, the bay was third in a pair of British stakes before shipping in for Hugo Palmer to run sixth after a slow start in the GI Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf before finishing full of run to get up in the last stride of a Keeneland allowance first out for this barn Apr. 15 Pegged as the third choice behind odds-on Going Global in this six-horse group, Ocean Road broke awkwardly under Umberto Rispoli and settled in last behind a loose longshot leader through fractions of :23.49 and :47.81. Picking it up while swinging five wide at the top of the lane started to reel in the leaders at the sixteenth pole and closed determinedly to just tag Going to Vegas in the shadow of the wire.
“I think there's some more improvement in her and I can't see why she wouldn't keep going forward,” said winning trainer Brendan Walsh, who is based in Kentucky and flew in earlier Sunday from Lexington. “Umberto had her in a nice spot and he was able to creep in a little closer going to the [far] turn. There were a couple nice fillies in this race and we knew we weren't going to get by them too easy. She showed a nice kick and it's always good to see that from a horse coming over here to run in this country. The guys that came out with her here to Santa Anita have been telling me all week how good she's been doing, that she's just blossomed out here. Today, she had a bit of a swagger about her. I knew she was going to run a good race, whether it was going to be good enough or not remained to be seen.”
“It's very special,” added Rispoli, who despite relocating in early April to Kentucky, opted to return to Santa Anita recently. “Sheikh Fahad [owner, Qatar Racing] always was a big supporter of mine when I was in France and even overseas a couple of times, he came to run in Hong Kong with a couple of horses and I was always pleased to wear his colors … Coming back and having a Grade I win here makes me very happy.”
Pedigree Notes:
With the win, Ocean Road becomes the fifth Grade I/Group 1 winner, 26th stakes winner and 16th graded stakes winner for Coolmore's Australia. She is the third black-type winner out of her dam, following MGISW Wigmore Hall and German stakes winner Lady Liberty (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}). Out of a Canadian GSW, Love And Laughter has a yearling colt by Saxon Warrior (Jpn).
Monday, Santa Anita
GAMELY S.-GI, $400,500, Santa Anita, 5-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.66, fm.
1–OCEAN ROAD (IRE), 122, f, 4, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Love And Laughter (Ire), by Theatrical (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hoh Dear (Ire), by Sri Pekan
3rd Dam: Miss Kristin (Ire), by Alzao
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. (140,000gns Wlg '18 TATFOA; 150,000gns Ylg '19
TATOCT). O-Qatar Racing Limited; B-K. & Mrs Cullen (IRE);
T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Umberto Rispoli. $240,000. Lifetime
Record: GSP-Eng, 8-3-1-2, $351,772. *1/2 to Wigmore Hall
(IRE) (High Chaparral (IRE)), Hwt. Colt-Eng- at 9 1/2 – 11f,
MGISW-Can, GSW & G1SP-UAE, GISP-USA, MGSP-Eng,
$2,099,316. Werk Nick Rating: C.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Going to Vegas, 124, m, 5, by Goldencents
1st Dam: Hard to Resist (SW, $284,538), by Johannesburg
2nd Dam: Anja, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Knoosh, by Storm Bird
O-Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Medallion Racing & MyRacehorse;
B-J. Kirk Robison & Judy Robison (KY); T-Philip D'Amato.
$80,000.
3–Going Global (Ire), 124, f, 4, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Wrood, by Invasor (Arg)
2nd Dam: Ras Shaikh, by Sheikh Albadou (GB)
3rd Dam: Aneesati (GB), by Kris (GB)
(€15,500 Ylg '19 GOFSPT). O-CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul
Gevertz, Michael Nentwig & Ray Pagano; B-N. Hartery (IRE);
T-Philip D'Amato. $48,000.
Margins: HF, 1, 1. Odds: 5.10, 2.10, 0.80.
Also Ran: Canoodling, Eddie's New Dream, Thrumps Dream (Ire). Scratched: England's Rose, Neige Blanche (Fr). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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