CSLR Racing Partners and R.A. Hill Stable’s Iron Orchard (Authentic- Onebrethatatime, by Brethren) stepped up in class with aplomb, rallying from the outside in the stretch and holding off fellow OBS graduate Rileytole by a nose to capture the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 4, becoming one of six OBS graduates to win graded stakes the past week.
(NYRA/Coglianese/Susie Raisher photo)
Iron Orchard showed versatility in coming from off the pace to improve to 3-for-3 for trainer Danny Gargan. The daughter of Authentic earned a $30,000 credit towards entry fees for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar and earned 10 qualifying points to the 2026 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs.
“Her being able to relax with her natural speed gives her another dimension, so she ran bigger than I thought,” Gargan told NYRA publicity. “At the end, she dug in and won the race. She’s a talented filly, we’ve always known that. Today she showed another dimension, and it was really special. I think with the way she ran today, maybe in the future she might be able to go two turns.”
Iron Orchard was purchased by Bill Childs and Mark Stanton for $500,000 from the Grassroots Training and Sales consignment at the 2025 OBS April Sale where she breezed in :9 4/5.
More top-level success came Oct. 4 when Intrepido (Maximus Mischief-Overly Indulgent, by Pleasantly Perfect) and jockey Hector Berrios surged past odds-favorite and fellow OBS graduate Desert Gate in the final strides to prevail in the Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita Park. With the win, Intrepido earned a fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Oct. 31 at Del Mar.
Trained by Jeff Mullins, Intrepido won for owners Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC. He was purchased by his owners for $385,000 at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the Cardozo’s Brothers consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.
“I asked Hector, ‘Do you think this horse can rate?’ He said, ‘No problem,’” Mullins told Santa Anita publicity. “He’s a nice horse, a really nice horse.”
Saturday’s card also saw NBS Stable’s Ground Support (Army Mule-Arch Support, by Arch) lead every point of call en route to a two-length victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo at Aqueduct. The victory was the third career graded stakes win – and first since 2023 – for trainer Kelsey Danner.
Ground Support earned a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Oct. 31 at Del Mar. She was offered at the 2025 OBS March Sale from the consignment Tom McCrocklin but failed to meet her reserve after breezing in :21 1/5.
At Keeneland on Saturday, Praying (Vekoma- Pray for Leslie, Bernardini) collared fellow OBS grad Long Neck Paula at the eighth pole and assumed command at the sixteenth pole on her way to a half-length win in the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2).
Trained by Robbie Medina, Praying gave her conditioner his first Keeneland stakes victory. Winner of the Prioress (G3) in her previous start, Praying was a $410,000 purchase by Stone Bridge Farm at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the Mayberry Farm consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.
On Oct. 3 at Aqueduct, Dahman’s Bottas (Vekoma- Iadorakid, by Lemon Drop Kid) prevailed in a thrilling stretch duel to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles.
In victory, Bottas earned a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Oct. 31 at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.
Bottas was a $300,000 purchase by Case Clay Thoroughbred Management at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Paul Sharp after breezing in :10 1/5.
On Sept. 30 in Japan, Kazuo Kato’s Jasper Robusto (Khozan-Prize Informant, by Marciano) won the Hakusan Daishoten Stakes (Jpn-G3) at Kanazawa Racecourse. Trained by Hideyuki Mori, the 4-year-old son of Khozan earned his third stakes win this year.
Bred by Rivermont Farm, Jasper Robusto is a two-time OBS graduate. He was purchased by Blas Perez Stables for $27,000 out of the Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2022 OBS October Yearling Sale before selling to Mori for $265,000 out of the Blas Perez Stables consignment at the 2023 OBS March Sale after breezing in :9 4/5.
The action at Woodbine on Oct. 5 saw Cy Fair (Not This Time- Remarqued, by Arch) uncork a devastating turn of foot to propel her to victory in the $175,000 Algonquin Stakes.
It was the first stakes win for the George Weaver-trained daughter of Not This Time. Owned by Swinbank Stables, LLC, Medallion Racing and Mark Stanton, Cy Fair was purchased by Swinbank for $185,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS April Sale out of the Niall Brennan Stables consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.