Otago Upsets Favorite in Equistaff Sophomore Turf

Making his first start since October when fifth in a first condition allowance won by General Jim going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf, 12-1 choice Otago upset 4-5 favorite Boppy O to win the $100,000 Equistaff Sophomore Turf for owners Crown’s Way Racing LLC, NBS Stable, Edward Delava and Eli Diamant. Ridden by Antonio Gallardo, the bay colt defeated seven other rivals at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on grass.

Otago started well from post three and Gallardo allowed the bay colt to show early speed while racing to the inside of Swan Lake as those two lead the way out of the infield chute and across the finish line for the first time.

Swan Lake sprinted clear heading into the clubhouse turn with a :23.29 first quarter-mile as Otago held the rail while racing alongside Rudder’s Men in a joint second. Heathguard was just behind them on the rail in fourth as Boppy O tracked in fifth. They kept that order down the backstretch through a :48.19 half-mile as Rudder’s Men moved up to second behind Swan Lake heading into the far turn.

With three furlongs to run, Swan Lake, Rudder’s Men and Boppy O were three across the track on the lead with Otago on the rail behind them and they kept that formation to the top of the stretch. Boppy O took over on the outside as Otago lacked room on the rail until they raced past the infield chute, allowing Otago to use the extra space to surge to the front. Otago hit the wire a neck in front of Boppy O in a final time of 1:42.47 on the firm turf with Swan Lake holding on for third. Anamnestic, Heathguard, Rudder’s Men, Bold Majestic and Third Moon completed the order of finish. Otago paid $27.80 to win.

It was the first career stakes victory for the Kelsey Danner-trained Otago, who was second to future John Battaglia-winner Congruent in the $150,000 Laurel Futurity, which was taken off the turf and run on sloppy main track on Oct. 1 in his only other start against added-money competition. That race came after winning maiden special weight run on a sloppy track after being taken off the turf at Pimlico in September in his second career start.

“We had to kind of rush him up to the Laurel race after he broke his maiden, which probably wasn’t the best thing for him mentally,” Danner said. “At Keeneland, we were trying to get him to back off the bit and settle and he didn’t quite have the concept, so we gave him some time off and took everything kind of slow.”

Bred in Florida by Courtney Meagher and Speightstown Syndicate, Otago is by Speightstown out of Mom’s Deputy, by War Chant and has now won two of five starts with a second and a third while earning $129,225.

Otago was purchased for $375,000 by NBS Stable and John Ballantyne out of the L.G. consignment at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale in March after selling as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton July for $150,000.