Arch Colt Much the 'Best' in Lecomte

Instilled Regard | Lou Hodges

California invader Instilled Regard (Arch) provided his owner, OXO Equine's Larry Best, with his first graded stakes win with a decisive victory over previously undefeated “TDN Rising Star” and 6-5 favorite Principe Guilherme (Tapit) in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds. The winner earned 10 points towards a start in the GI Kentucky Derby.

Sent off as the 2-1 second-choice, the $1.05 million OBS March purchase was aggressively ridden from the 10-hole by Javier Castellano to sit in a tracking third as regally-bred Believe in Royalty (Tapit–Believe You Can) was chased by turf stakes winner Snapper Sinclair (City Zip) through an opening quarter in :23.48. Passed by a pair of rivals to his inside, the dark bay maintained a close watch on the leaders from a two-wide fifth through a half in :47.52.

Instilled Regard swiftly gained ground up the outside to be even with new leader Snapper Sinclair turning for home as Believe in Royalty called it a day and Principe Guilherme ranged up on the outside. The Jerry Hollendorfer pupil seized control in early stretch and a game Snapper Sinclair tried to run with him for a few strides, but proved no match for his rival. Instilled Regard kicked it into overdrive in the final sixteenth, powering clear to a 3 3/4-length victory. Principe Guilherme, who broke from post 12, overtook Snapper Sinclair late to be second.

Instilled Regard missed by just a half-length on debut at Del Mar Sept. 2 when second to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)'s full-brother St. Patrick's Day. Third next out behind GSP “TDN Rising Star” and Smarty Jones S. contender Mourinho (Super Saver) next out sprinting at Santa Anita Sept. 30, the dark bay graduated by 4 1/4 lengths when stretched to 1 1/16 miles next out in Arcadia Oct. 29. He finished a close third behind GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Solomini (Curlin) and “TDN Rising Star” McKinzie (Street Sense), who won last weekend's GIII Sham S., in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity S. last time Dec. 9, but was promoted to second when the winner was disqualified for interference.

Larry Best, who spent many years working for Boston Scientific, burst onto the Thoroughbred racing scene at the 2016 Keeneland September sale when he purchased a full-sister to recent $1.6 million Keeneland January sale topper Mrs. McDougal (Medaglia d'Oro) for $750,000. The filly is now a 3-year-old named Moi, who most recently finished third in an Aqueduct maiden special weight for trainer Chad Brown.

That was just the first of many high-priced purchases for the Boston native's OXO Equine. Best went to $1.05 million for Instilled Regard, who RNA'd for $110,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale, at last term's OBS March sale after the colt breezed in :20 4/5. He snapped up Beyond Ambition (Tapit), who, like Instilled Regard, was from the consignment of Tom McCrocklin and is now trained by Hollendorfer, for $1.1 million at the same sale.

Best has had five horses race with just two wins in 12 starts, both coming from Instilled Regard. Cutter Helm (Super Saver), a $150,000 KEESEP buy trained by Mike Stidham, crossed the wire first on debut at the Fair Grounds Nov. 18, but was disqualified to second and was most recently fifth in NOLA Dec. 22.

Pedigree Notes:

Instilled Regard is the 37th graded stakes winner for the late Arch, who passed away in January of 2016 at the age of 21 due to a heart attack. The winner is out of the Phipps-bred Enhancing, a daughter of champion Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold); and half-sister to MGISW millionaire Good Reward (Storm Cat) and GSW Pure Prize (Storm Cat). Enhancing RNA'd for $235,000 carrying a foal by Hard Spun at the 2015 Keeneland November sale and the resulting foal is the now-2-year-old filly Heavenly Sis. The 10-year-old mare produced a colt by three-time Eclipse winner American Pharoah Apr. 20 and failed to get in foal when bred back to Lemon Drop Kid.

Instilled Regard traces his lineage back to Grade I winners Persistently (Smoke Glacken), Oh What a Windfall (Seeking the Gold), Dancing Forever (Rahy, Furlough (Easy Goer), Dancing Spree (Nijinsky II), Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector) and Finder's Fee (Storm Cat). This is also the family SW & MGISP Faithfully (Smart Strike); and GSWs Stays in Vegas (City Zip) and Carrumba (Bernardini).

 

LECOMTE S.-GIII, $200,000, FG, 1-13, 3yo, 1m 70y, 1:42.59, ft.
1–INSTILLED REGARD, 116, c, 3, by Arch
1st Dam: Enhancing, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Heavenly Prize, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($110,000
RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $1,050,000 2yo '17 OBSMAR). O-OXO
Equine LLC; B-KatieRich Farms (KY); T-Jerry Hollendorfer;
J-Javier Castellano. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 5-2-2-1,
$228,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for eNicks report & 5- cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Principe Guilherme, 120, c, 3, Tapit–Aubby K, by Street
Sense. ($600,000 Wlg '15 FTKNOV). 'TDN RISING STAR' O/B-Three Chimneys Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$40,000.[bullet ad=”bridlewood-farm-training-graduate”]3–Snapper Sinclair, 122, c, 3, City Zip–True Addiction, by Yes It's
True. ($30,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $180,000 2yo '17 OBSAPR).
O-Bloom Racing Stable LLC (Jeffrey Bloom); B-K & G Stables
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $20,000.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-sales-grad”]Margins: 3 3/4, NK, 3. Odds: 2.30, 1.20, 28.00.
Also Ran: Zing Zang, Kowboy Karma, Ebben, Prince Lucky, Night Strike, Lone Sailor, Zeke, Analyze This Jet, Believe in Royalty, Trigger Warning. Scratched: Ciaran, Wonder Gadot. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

 

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