By Alan Carasso
About 14 months ago, Upstart (Flatter) looked as dangerous as any horse getting aboard the Triple Crown trail, his dominating 5 1/2-length victory over Frosted (Tapit) in the GII Holy Bull S. in his 2015 debut suggesting that the sky could be the limit. Winless in six appearances since–with one controversial DQ sprinkled in–the handsome New York-bred gets back to work in Saturday's GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn Park.
Demoted from an apparent win in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and runner-up in the GI Florida Derby, the dark bay was eased home in the GI Kentucky Derby and raced reasonably close to an above-par pace in the GI William Hill Haskell Invitational S. before staying on for third behind HOTY American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Keen Ice (Curlin). An even fourth behind the latter after chasing a lively pace in the GI Travers S. Aug. 29, Upstart was a never-really-in-it fifth to Frosted in the GII Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 19 and called it a season. Upstart looms the class of the field, assuming he's ready to fire off the bench.
Far Right (Notional) holds a recency and a homecourt advantage over the morning-line favorite. The ridgling, winner of last year's GIII Southwest S. and second to American Pharoah in the GI Arkansas Derby, was 15th in the Run for the Roses and sixth in the Ohio and GII Indiana Derbies before calling it a year. The chestnut rallied into a strong pace to just miss in a Jan. 28 allowance going a mile over this track and most recently overcame a dawdling pace and a wide trip for a neck victory Feb. 25.
Like Far Right, Carve (First Samurai) does his best work in Hot Springs, with four of his seven career victories at the spa. Fourth to Race Day (Tapit) in this event last year, the 6-year-old returned off an August layoff to finish a good third behind upset-minded La Macchina (Malibu Moon) in the Feb. 13 Essex H.
Idolo Porteno (Arg) (Jump Start), the 2014 G1 Carlos Pellegrini winner and 2015 Horse of the Year in Argentina, has trained with purpose over this main track for Ignacio Correas, including a race-like six panels in 1:12 1/5 from the gate Mar. 2. Florent Geroux, in to pilot Untapable, sees fit to take the ride.
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