Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Morris Bailey and William Rucker Oxymore his bet turned into a win in the $150,000 Skidmore Stakes on August 19, a 5 1/2 Mellon junior sprint, at Racecourse Saratoga.
Oxymore, by Astern was bought privately after his impressive first score in the six-run sprint lasted past Belmont Park turf on July 1 for former owner/air conditioner Adam Rice. The $30,000 purchase of Keeneland September Yearling Sale was transferred to Chad Brown conditioner and trained consistently during his Spa debut on the Oklahoma Training turf.
“It’s a good buy. It looks like he’ll be gone a little longer as well, that’s what we were hoping for,” said Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables. “It’s really fun. We have a large group of people here, some of whom have never been in races before. This is what it’s all about.”
When the pilot returned Jose Ortiz up, Oxymore marked the split: 21.75 and: 44.77 on solid grass under pressure from Jeremy’s Jet with No Nay Hudson comfortably behind the pace in third place under Hall of Fame racer John Velazquez.
Oxymore took command during the turn when No Nay Hudson called with his bid, quickly dominating the extended call, as the two opponents battled each other for the length of the run. But Oxymore found another gear later to get a score of 1/4 the length in a final time of 1:02.74.
No Nay Hudson interrupted the rally Private Creed by three quarters of the length to complete it correctly.
Brown said: “I was a little nervous when I got to the track, but this horse showed his heart. Adam Rice, who has trained this horse before, did a great job.” “This ownership group bought the horse and then passed it on to me. I was impressed. The horse was healthy and well prepared and we just kept it moving forward. Jose knows horses very well. He rode it on his debut and he knows what to do there.
“I was impressed with his heart and his stamina to keep going,” Brown added. “When you look at the horse, he doesn’t look like a sprinter, so I was delighted to take him out from afar.”
Brown notes that Oxymore will only arrive a mile Nownownow Stakes on September 17 at Monmouth Park.
“I’ve been looking at that race since they sent me this horse,” Brown said. “On a two-way stretch with this horse and a much different pace at the time, it was quite interesting.”
Wesley Ward-trained player No Nay Hudson made his grass debut in Skidmore after a stellar first win in April at Keeneland and the fourth time in Tremont on June 9 at Belmont Park.
Ortiz said he was surprised when Oxymore turned his back after his first score.
“I think he is a beautiful horse,” Ortiz said. “I don’t think Chad is going to want to support him until five and a half, but he’s the most popular in this stake and he’s run a lot so he decided to come here and the horse ran a race. He’s a game. kindness and to be honest he would have been better off in the end if he had gone a little longer.”
Raised in Kentucky by Philip Ray Robertson, Oxymore racked up an $82,500 win, while remaining flawless through two starts. He paid $4.50 for a $2 winning ticket.
Video: Skidmore S. (BT)
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse Staff.
