From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, CA (May 29, 2023)—Old Pal served notice for trainer Mark Glatt Sunday when uncorking a furious rally in the final furlong to win his stakes debut in the Snow Chief Stakes presented by City National Bank for 3-year-old statebreds going 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Sent off as the 5-2 second choice, Old Pal raced near the rear of the field while saving ground throughout under Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez. With Clouseau showing the way up front, Old Pal began to steadily improve his position on the second turn. Then when the field reached the stretch, it was “go” time for Old Pal. The Grazen gelding responded, sizzling the final furlong in under 12 seconds to reel in a game Clouseau for trainer Ian Kruljac.
Old Pal crossed the wire in 1:50.14 on a firm course to win by three-quarters of a length. He returned $7.40 as the second choice in the wagering. Boss Sully, the 8-5 favorite who had beaten Old Pal in their most recent start when going a mile, checked in third.
“That was a very good performance,” Glatt said Monday morning. “We’d been looking to see how he’d do with more ground. He got a mile-and-an-eighth yesterday and it looked like he was just warming up. The distance obviously benefited him, but he’s just a quality animal.”
Old Pal is out of the winning English Channel mare Athina Lee. He was bred in California by Ken W. Miles and Sheridan Jones. Old Pal was entered in the 2021 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale where he was bought by Blinkers On Racing for $160,000. Blinkers On campaigns the colt as part of an extensive ownership group.
Old Pal was making just his fourth start in the Snow Chief, all coming on turf. He was second on debut here sprinting Feb. 18 and five weeks later earned his diploma against statebred maidens when stretched out to a mile. Prior to the Snow Chief, he was third in a statebred allowance at a mile that was won by Boss Sully.
Glatt noted from the Winner’s Circle and again Monday morning the excellent temperament of Old Pal. It has been a key to his success, Glatt added.
“From Day one, the horses that tend to be the better ones they have a bit of class to them with their personality. You can judge kind of how they are going to accept stress. They just have a way about them early on. You don’t know how much ability they have at that point. But usually if they have the right mental frame of mind that’s the first sign of a potentially really good racehorse.”
While there are no immediate plans for Old Pal, Glatt is expecting big things from the colt moving forward.
“I think he’ll get better as he gets older,” Glatt said. “If he can stay on course, he’s probably going to be an even better 4-year-old.
“It was very good. We’d been looking to see how he’d do with more ground. He got a mile-and-an-eighth yesterday and it looked like he was just warming up. The distance obviously benefited him, but he’s just a quality animal.”