By Alan Carasso
It's never easy to predict with any confidence just how Brazilian form is going to stack up in the United States, let alone in graded stakes company. But Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has perfected the art with country code 'Brz', having conditioned the likes of American Grade I winners Redattore, Sandpit, Siphon and Fox Hill Farm's Bal a Bali in addition to other graded winners Romarin, Cagney and Out of Mind.
Fox Hill's newest import is Jolie Olimpica (Brz), a daughter of GI Belmont S. and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Drosselmeyer out of a mare by G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Trempolino. A 5 1/2-furlong trip on turf hardly seemed ideal, but Joile Olimpica–still officially six months from her official fourth birthday–overcame some paddock jitters to set a new course record in Saturday's GIII Las Cienegas S. at Santa Anita.
Alertly away from the three hole in this five-horse affair, the warm favorite chased pacesetting Kentan Road (Into Mischief) through an opening couple of furlongs in :22 flat. Content to stalk the leader from close range around the turn, Jolie Olimpica was slipped a bit of rein to claim the front-runner with Mike Smith simply swinging off her at the furlong marker and jogged home the easiest sort of winner.
“We didn't necessarily expect her to break that fast, because if you watch her replays in South America, she didn't always just leave there super quick…Mike did a great job with her,” said Gary Mandella, whose father is overseeing Pegasus preparations for Omaha Beach (War Front). “She was a little upset in the paddock. Mike got her calmed down in the post parade, had her in the right frame of mind to break well. Give all the credit to Mike on that.”
Smith rode Drosselmeyer to victory in the Belmont and the Breeders' Cup and said this is the first of the now South American-based sire's offspring he'd ever ridden.
Bred by Goncalo Torrealba's Stud T N T, Jolie Olimpica graduated by better than four lengths over 6 1/2 furlongs at Gavea last February, added a Group 3 over 7 1/2 panels in April and closed that portion of her career with a six-length success in the G1 GP Jockey Club Brasiliero in heavy ground last June (video).
Jolie Olimpica is one of a half-dozen Group 1 winners, 18 group winners and 35 black-type winners for Drosselmeyer.
Saturday, Santa Anita
LAS CIENEGAS S.-GIII, $100,000, Santa Anita, 1-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.00 (NCR), fm.
1–JOLIE OLIMPICA (BRZ), 122, f, 4, by Drosselmeyer
1st Dam: Jolie Celina (Brz) (G1SP-Brz), by Trempolino
2nd Dam: China Empress, by Wavering Monarch
3rd Dam: Autumn Rythym, by Slew o' Gold
O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc.; B-Stud T N T (BRZ); T-Richard E.
Mandella; J-Mike E. Smith. $60,000. Lifetime Record:
G1SW-Brz, 4-4-0-0, $111,520. *1/2 to Rock in Bage (Brz) (Roi
Normand), G1SP-Arg, $278,073; Domenica (Brz) (Redattore
{Brz}), MGSW-Brz & SP-Arg. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Kentan Road, 120, m, 6, Into Mischief–Western Rush, by
West by West. O/B-Keith Abrahams (KY); T-John W. Sadler.
$20,000.
3–Storm the Hill, 120, m, 6, Get Stormy–Thornhill, by Good and
Tough. ($275,000 3yo '17 KEENOV). O-Alastar Thoroughbred
Company LLC & Michael Valdes; B-Kimberly S. & William B.
Bradley (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 1.20, 5.90, 1.50.
Also Ran: An Eddie Surprise, Free Cover. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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