Obliteration brings perfect record to G2 Saratoga Special

Leland Ackerley Racing’s Obliteration will look to double up on graded scores at the Spa in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Violence colt won his first two outings in prominent fashion by a combined 18 lengths, beginning with a key 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint score under Erik Asmussen on June 12 at Churchill Downs that distant runners-up Curtain Call and Clocker Special exited to graduate next out.

Obliteration [post 6, Flavien Prat] enters from an impressive Saratoga debut in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford on July 5, overcoming a bobbled start under returning rider Flavien Prat to show the way through splits of 22.74 seconds and 45.56 en route to a 10 1/2-length romp in a final time of 1:10.65. The winning effort registered a field-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure – a 10-point improvement on his maiden win.

“I cannot tell you how impressed I've been with both of his races, it's very exciting,” Asmussen said. “Both of his races have been ideal, and we always reward a horse with a successful jump with a higher fence.

“His maiden win was very impressive and what's made it even more impressive is the couple of winners that have come out of it since,” Asmussen added. “The Sanford - he looked like we were hoping he would.”

The $200,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase worked a bullet five-eighths in 1:01.41 on July 21 over the Oklahoma dirt training track and Asmussen said he hopes Obliterate will replicate the path of another Churchill Downs maiden winner in Jackie's Warrior, who captured both the Saratoga Special and Grade 1 Hopeful here in 2020.

“He's trained really well,” Asmussen said. “He's very proud of himself. Ideally, he would be a similar 2-year-old to what Jackie's Warrior was for us up here a few years ago. That's what we will try to emulate with him through the Saratoga meet.”

A win by Obliteration would bring Asmussen into a tie with Hall of Famer James G. Rowe, Sr. for most Saratoga Special wins with six, following past success with Cuvee [2003], Kodiak Kowboy [2007], Kantharos [2010], Copper Bullet [2017] and Jackie’s Warrior [2020].

Bred in Kentucky by Ocala Stud, Obliteration, out of the stakes-placed Master Command mare I’mclassyandsassy, is a half-brother to stakes-winners Sassy Beast and Pure Class, Grade 3-placed Big and Classy and stakes-placed Family Biz. 

Ewing [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] dunked on his four rivals in a sparkling July 5 debut here in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight, opening up by 7 1/2-lengths at the stretch call and bounding through the wire a 12-length winner in a final time of 1:04.42.

Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse for D.J. Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Kenneth Freirich, the Knicks Go colt earned a lofty 88 Beyer for his winning effort.

“This is where you find out if you have a man or a boy,” Casse said. “It's an extremely tough group - Obliteration has a little more experience than we have. This is just a step forward and we're hoping he's a Breeders' Cup horse.”

The $585,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, bred in Kentucky by John Gardiner, worked back a half-mile in 48.66 seconds July 24 over the Spa main track.

"He's a happy horse and he wants to show you that he's happy," Casse said. "He went in 48 and 3 and would have went in 46 if he'd dropped his head. He came out of the race great. He does everything just effortlessly.

“When we bought him, I gave him an 'A' and I don't give a lot of 'A's,'” Casse added. “He's an athlete. He's more like a good running back than a basketball player. He's average sized, great neck and shoulder. He's big when he gets on the track.”

Late Night Stables’ Dazzle d’Oro [post 4, Jose Ortiz] was piloted by Jose Ortiz to a rapid debut score in a six-furlong maiden on June 29 at Churchill Downs, leading through splits of 21.33 seconds and 44.47 en route to a three-length score in a final time of 1:08.65.

The Tom Amoss-trained son of Bolt d’Oro, out of the multiple stakes-placed First Defence mare Sunnysammi, earned an 84 Beyer for the stellar performance in a field of 11.

“I really liked him going into the debut, but the race had been built up with what we thought was a lot of good horses,” Amoss said. “I think it panned out that way as well. I can't say that I thought we were going to run that quick, but I was pleased with his performance, and he ran to his works, for sure.”

The $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase worked back a pair of swift half-miles over the Spa main track, including in 47.25 on July 13 that was fourth best of 155 timed works; and in 47.60 on July 19 that ranked second of 98 works at the distance on the day.

Despite the swift works, Amoss said Dazzle d’Oro won’t necessarily be challenging for the lead.

“I strongly believe he's very versatile in terms of what he does out of the gate,” Amoss said. “Yes, he went to the lead in that race, but as Jose said - not only when he worked him before the race, but after the race - 'this horse has a great mind, I can do what I want with him.' So, by no means are we married to trying to make the lead out of the gate.”

Amoss also said the added distance shouldn’t be problematic for Dazzle d’Oro in the Saratoga Special, a major stepping stone towards the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on Closing Day September 1 of the Spa summer meet.

“I think this is a good distance for him and like anybody that has a good 2-year-old right now, we're ‘hopeful’ about the distance,” said Amoss, with a laugh.

A talented field includes the Eddie Kenneally-trained Comport [post 2, Luis Saez], who enters from a runner-up effort to well-regarded Romeo in the Listed Bashford Manor on June 29 at Churchill Downs; the Florida-bred Camigol [post 5, Jose Lezcano], who arrives from a second-out state-bred maiden score sprinting 4 1/2-furlongs on June 26 at Gulfstream Park for conditioner Antonio Sano; and last-out maiden winner Thunder Chuck [post 3, Madison Olver], who scored by 1 1/4-lengths traveling five furlongs over a muddy track on June 22 at Monmouth Park for trainer Jorge Delgado.

The Saratoga Special is slated as Race 3 on Saturday’s stacked 13-race card which is headlined by the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney in Race 11, a storied nine-furlong test for older horses, and one of four Grade 1s on the card. Completing the top-level Whitney Day races will be the $750,000 FanDuel Fourstardave in Race 8; the $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational in Race 9 and the seven-furlong $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster in Race 10. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

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