CONGRATS three-year-old Oligarch became his sires’ sixth stakeswinner from his epic first crop after running his rivals ragged to win the Tropical Park Derby on turf in Miami on the weekend.
The well-bred colt was tuned up for his Derby mission with a third placing in Listed Needles Stakes also run on turf at Calder last month.
Oligarch swapped bronze for gold this time with a sweeping all-the-way win in a race that was taken out in 2006 by the ill-fated champion galloper, Barbaro.
”When this horse ran in the Needles Stakes last time out, he hadn’t run in two months and he wasn’t 100 percent fit,” winning jockey Daniel Centeno said.
”He set a faster pace that day, too, and got tired.
”Today he was a fitter horse and I was able to get him on the lead running comfortably.”
Trainer Rodolfo Garcia was naturally delighted with the colt’s effort.
”This didn’t surprise me at all,” Garcia said,”I felt very confident going into this race. Going a mile and an eighth with a horse that likes to go to the lead, you can set an easier pace.
”When I saw 51 and one (51 1/5 seconds for the half-mile), even over the yielding course, I knew we were in business today.
” I don’t know what’s next yet – I’ll look at the options.”
This was the third win on turf by Oligarch who is from the stakeswinning Cox’s Ridge grand-daughter, For All Who Dream, who won twice at two including the Calder J.J’s Dream Stakes.
