Oscar Performance Keeps Rolling in Secretariat

Oscar Performance | Four Footed Fotos

Oscar Performance cemented his status as this country's best sophomore turf runner with a comprehensive success in Saturday's GI Secretariat S. at Arlington International, but the race was marred by a catastrophic injury to 2-1 second choice Permian (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) as the field was completing the race.

Sonic Boom (More Than Ready), last-out winner of the GIII American Derby, was fastest away and set a modest early tempo beneath Julien Leparoux as Oscar Performance was only to happy to stalk that one to its outside. French raider and G2 Prix Eugene Adam runner-up Afandem, slow to go from gate one, mustered to sit behind the pacesetters from third, tracked along by G2 King Edward VII S. hero Permian. There was no change in the plot down the back of the course as Sonic Boom continued to enjoy a reasonably soft time of it up front, but whereas the two fancied European runners came under a ride entering the second turn, Oscar Performance was still traveling comfortably, waiting for his cue from Jose Ortiz. The top two put a few lengths on the second flight with a quarter-mile to travel, and Oscar Performance easily claimed Sonic Boom at the three-sixteenths before striding home a much-the-best winner. Taj Mahal ran on from the tail to be second ahead of a one-paced Afandem in third. Permian began to lose touch with the field in the stretch and was not persevered with, but broke down before the finish, casting jockey William Buick to the turf. Permian could not be saved after suffering a fractured left front cannon bone.

Winner of three of his four starts at two, including the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Oscar Performance was fifth on seasonal debut in the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland and 10th after setting the pace in the GII American Turf S. with Lasix on for the first time. With the bleeding medication back off, he put those efforts behind in no uncertain terms with a front-running defeat of subsequent GII Jim Dandy S. hero Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) in the GIII Pennine Ridge S. June 3 and with a two-length tally in the GI Belmont Derby in his first try at this distance.

Pedigree Notes:
Oscar Performance is the second winner of the Secretariat for his sire (Admiral Kitten, 2013), who carried Jerry Bailey to a 3 1/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite in this event in 2004. Kitten's Joy was second to Powerscourt (GB) when trying to follow up in the 2005 Million. Dam sire Theatrical (Ire) made two appearances in the Arlington Million, finishing 10th to Estrapade in 1986 and third to Manila the following season. John and Jerry Amerman campaigned Oscar Performance's dam to three wins from six starts, including the Santa Lucia S. The winner's third dam, a full-sister to GISW Dramatic Gold, produced Sorcerer's Stone (Gulch), winner of this track's GIII Arlington-Washington Futurity. Devine Actress is the dam of 2-year-old filly Emmy Performance (Point of Entry), a yearling colt by Ghostzapper and was barren to Flatter for 2017.

Saturday, Arlington Park
SECRETARIAT S.-GI, $400,000, AP, 8-12, 3yo, 1 1/4mT, 2:01.79, fm.
1–OSCAR PERFORMANCE, 126, r, 3, by Kitten's Joy
1st Dam: Devine Actress (SW, $107,300), by Theatrical (Ire)
2nd Dam: Devine Beauty, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Magical Holiday, by Slew o' Gold
'TDN Rising Star' O-Amerman Racing LLC; B-Jerry Amerman
(KY); T-Brian A. Lynch; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $240,000. Lifetime
Record: 9-6-0-0, $1,737,632. *Full to Oscar Nominated, GSW &
GISP, $812,195. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”berkelhammer-received-early-preparation-at-abracadabra-farms”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]

2–Taj Mahal (Ire), 119, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–You'resothrilling, by
Storm Cat. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael B.
Tabor; B-You'resothrilling Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan P. O'Brien.
$80,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]3–Afandem (Fr), 119, c, 3, Zoffany (Ire)–Miryale (Fr), by Anabaa.
(€130,000 Ylg '15 ARAUG). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Erwan
& Mickael Robin (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. $40,000.[bullet ad=”mandore-purchased-by”]Margins: 2 1/4, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 7.90, 3.20.
Also Ran: Sonic Boom, Gorgeous Kitten, Permian (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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