Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) certainly lived up to his name Saturday, upsetting the Oaklawn S. at a whopping 46-1. The bay raced well back off the pace early with just two rivals behind him as Gold Street (Street Boss) zipped through a :22.07 first quarter and a :45.47 half-mile. Given plenty of encouragement by pilot Gabriel Saez on the backstretch, the $95,000 FTKOCT buy made steady progress down the three-path to be within striking distance approaching the bend. Five wide on the far turn, Mr. Big News took control in mid-stretch and outlasted a late-charging Farmington Road (Quality Road) to score. Favored MGSW Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) fell to his knees at the start, nearly unseating rider Joe Talamo, and lost all chance, finishing 11th.
It took Mr. Big News four tries to break his maiden, getting it done by a nose at Fair Grounds Jan. 20 and he was fifth next out in the division of that venue's GII Risen Star S. that was won by Modernist (Uncle Mo) Feb. 15.
Pedigree Notes:
Mr. Big News is the 192nd stakes winner for his legendary late sire Giant's Causeway and is the 169th stakes winner out of a daughter of the mighty Galileo (Ire). Don Alberto bought the winner's dam Unappeased for $675,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale in foal to Speightstown. She is also responsible for the juvenile filly Andavete (Declaration of War) and a yearling colt by Carpe Diem. She was bred back to Mendelssohn last term. This is also the family of Canadian Horse of the Year and MGISW Glorious Song (Halo); champion Singspiel (Ire) (In the Wings {GB}); and Grade I-winning sire Sligo Bay (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).
Saturday, Oaklawn Park
OAKLAWN S., $200,000, Oaklawn, 4-11, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.89, sy.
1–MR. BIG NEWS, 118, c, 3, by Giant's Causeway
1st Dam: Unappeased (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Angelic Song, by Halo
3rd Dam: Ballade, by Herbager
($95,000 Ylg '18 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Allied
Racing Stable, LLC; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-W. Bret
Calhoun; J-Gabriel Saez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-0,
$167,053.
2–Farmington Road, 118, c, 3, Quality Road–Silver La Belle, by
Langfuhr. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Chrysalis Stables
LLC & Robert V. LaPenta; B-Chrysalis Stables (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $40,000.
3–Taishan, 121, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Grace Phil, by
Philanthropist. ($22,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '19
OBSMAR). O-Calvin Nguyen & Joey Tran, Joey; B-Nursery
Place, Donaldson & Broadbent (KY); T-Richard Baltas. $20,000.
Margins: HF, 3 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 46.80, 6.30, 2.70.
Also Ran: Basin, Shoplifted, Digital, Coach Bahe, Gold Street, Background, Something Natural, Thousand Words, Flap Jack, Sir Rick. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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