Upstart ready for 1st start of the year (1112 Views)

Upstart to Return in Oaklawn’s Razorback

Thursday, March 10, 2016| Lauren King

Ralph Evans and WinStar Farm’s Upstart (Flatter) is set to make his 4-year-old debut in the GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn Park Mar. 19, trainer Rick Violette Jr. confirmed Thursday.

Runner-up to Daredevil (More Than Ready) in the 2014 GI Champagne S. and a wide-trip third to Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the handsome dark bay was the smashing winner of the GII Holy Bull S. to kick off his classic campaign. Controversially disqualified from the victory in the GII Fountain of Youth S., the New York-bred could not reel in loose-on-the-lead Materiality (Afleet Alex) and settled for second in the GI Florida Derby. Effectively eased home in the GI Kentucky Derby, Upstart was third to future Horse of the Year American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI William Hill Haskell Invitational S. and fourth to Keen Ice (Curlin) in the GI Travers S. He was most recently a distant fifth behind Frosted (Tapit) in the GII Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 18, and though he had trained with vim and vigor of late, was forced to miss the GII Gulfstream Park H. Mar. 5.

“I was a couple of weeks behind,” Violette said. “This looks like a pretty good spot. It’s a lot of money, it’s a good race, a good place to run. We’ll find out if he likes the race track and if we want to head back for the [$750,000 GII Oaklawn] Handicap [Apr. 16].”