Olympiad added to his 2022 hot streak with his third straight win Saturday in the GII New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds. The heavy favorite stalked from second as Promise Keeper put up early splits of :23.69 and :47.25. Seizing command in early stretch, Olympiad rolled clear in the lane for a facile score over Proxy. Promise Keeper held third. Olympiad's final time of 1:47.74 just missed the track record for nine furlongs of 1:47.64.
Olympiad won a Keeneland allowance in October, for which he earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure and a chance at graded company next out. Stepped up in class big time for the GI Cigar Mile Dec. 4 at the Big A, the bay checked in fourth to Americanrevolution (Constitution). Kicking off this term with a 7 1/4-length tour de force at Gulfstream Jan. 15, he was a decisive winner of this venue's GIII Mineshaft S. last out Feb. 19, breaking the track record in the process.
Pedigree Notes:
Olympiad is one of 128 black-type scorers and 63 graded winners for his timeless sire Speightstown. The $700,000 KEESEP buy is bred on the same Speightstown/Medaglia d'Oro cross as MGISW Rock Fall. Olympiad is out of GSP Tokyo Time, who is a half to MGSW Hungry Island and GSW Soaring Empire. This is also the family of GISW Preservationist (Arch). Tokyo Time is also responsible for a juvenile filly by War Front, who brought $450,000 at KEESEP, and a yearling colt by American Pharoah. She was bred back to Quality Road.
Saturday, Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC S.-GII, $485,000, Fair Grounds, 3-26, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.74, ft.
1–OLYMPIAD, 122, c, 4, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Tokyo Time (GSP, $249,177), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
($700,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne
Stable, LLC and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY);
T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $300,000. Lifetime
Record: GSW, 8-5-1-1, $648,440. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Proxy, 118, c, 4, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include.
O/B-Godolphin, LLC; T-Michael Stidham. $100,000.
3–Promise Keeper, 118, c, 4, Constitution–Mira Alta, by Curlin.
($160,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC,
WinStar Farm LLC and Rock Ridge Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $50,000.
Margins: 2, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.60, 3.80, 3.90.
Also Ran: Super Stock, Happy American, Chess Chief. 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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