BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Otago, a winner of the $104,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park in May, goes for his second black-type victory of 2025 Saturday when he faces six other 3-year-olds and older going a mile on the turf in the $150,000 Artie Schiller during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Kelsey Danner for Crowns Way Racing LLC, NBS Stable, Edward Delava and Eli Diamant, Otago came from last of eight to win the mile-and-a-sixteenth Cliff Hanger by a half-length in his third start of the year. He then finished second to next-out United Nations (G2)-winner Redistricting (GB) in the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes at nine furlongs on the turf on June 14. He finished fifth, three-and-a-quarter lengths behind winner Air Recruit, in the $110,000 Oceanport going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Monmouth on Aug. 10 in his next race.
Most recently, Otago apparently did not take to the undulating turf course at Kentucky Downs when eighth in a $100,000 optional claiming won by Quatrocento going a mile on Sept. 10.
“I feel like he’s trained consistently this year,” Danner said of Otago. “When he was a little bit younger, he had some soundness issues. Being able to train at [Danner’s base at] Turfway with him has really worked out well. He hasn’t missed any time. [Turfway’s synthetic surface is] a little bit more consistent and a horse like him that’s really heavy, it works out better for him having his breezes on that rather than the dirt.”
Also a winner of the $100,000 Equistaff Sophmore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs in 2023, Otago has five wins, four seconds and two thirds in 19 career starts with earnings of $334,025.
He was a $375,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Sale 2-year-olds where he was consigned by L.G. and a $150,000 buy at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale in July of 2021.
Otago is by Speightstown out of Mom’s Deputy, by War Chant and was bred in Florida by Courtney Meagher and Speightstown Syndicate.
He has post four and jockey Jose Lezcano will ride the 5-year-old horse for the first time.
“He’s one that needs a pace to run into—sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t,” Danner said. “Hopefully, going a mile there will be some pace.”
Big Everest (GB) returns to his favorite course at Aqueduct where he has won five of nine including the 2022 and 2023 versions of the Artie Schiller. Last year, he was second, just a neck behind winner Running Bee, in the Artie Schiller.
“He doesn’t like Aqueduct, he loves Aqueduct,” Clement said. “Especially the mile at Aqueduct, that is very much his thing.”
The Miguel Clement-trained 7-year-old should provide the pace Danner is hoping for having won a $100,000 optional claiming in wire-to-wire fashion going a mile at Saratoga on July 18. In one start since, he pressed the pace early in the $95,000 Red Bank going a mile on the turf at Monmouth Park before fading to finishing fourth and last behind winner Cugino.
Big Everest has a career ledger of 10 wins, two seconds and two thirds with earnings of $733,750.
Manny Franco will ride the son of The Gurkha (Ire) from post six.
Also entered are Lucky Score and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., Major Dude with rider John Velazquez, Samuel Marin has the call on Sand Pipes, Horsepower will have Dylan Davis up and Lezcano is also named on Light the Way, who is entered under main track only conditions.
Return to the October 8 issue of Wire to Wire
