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Aragorn strolls at Oak Tree Ballygallon Stud's homebred ARAGORN (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) won as a 1-5 favorite should in Saturday's $249,000 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G2), extending his winning streak to four, pushing him past the $1 million mark in earnings and setting him up for the November 4 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). Corey Nakatani guided the four-year-old chestnut through the firm-turf mile at Santa Anita in 1:32 4/5. Aragorn tracked the early tempo set by Wild Buddy (Line in the Sand), who dictated rapid splits of :22 2/5 and :45 4/5. On the far turn, Aragorn smoothly moved up to take command on the outside and stamped his considerable authority on the race, getting six furlongs in 1:09 1/5 and seven-eighths in 1:21 as he opened up by two lengths under a hand ride. Once the victory was safely in the bag, Nakatani did not ask the Neil Drysdale charge for further effort in deep stretch. "He's just a tremendous horse, a tremendous athlete," Nakatani said. "When you ask him, he gives it to you, and takes the race to them at that point. He went fast and was just under a hand ride today. You don't want to squeeze the lemon dry too soon. We were trying to get an easy win under his belt and make sure he was getting enough out of it at the same time." "It was an ideal trip," Drysdale said. "(Nakatani) never hit him or anything. It was an easy race for him. It was a very nice prep (for the Breeders' Cup Mile)." Courtnall (Cherokee Run) reduced the winner's margin to one length without presenting a serious menace, with Irish invader Lord Admiral (El Prado [Ire]) another half-length astern in third. Next came Buckland Manor (Bien Bien), Wild Buddy, Salty Humor (Distorted Humor) and That's an Outrage (Quiet American). Apalachee Tiger (Tiger Ridge) was withdrawn. The winner paid $2.40, $2.20 and $2.10. The 12-1 Courtnall furnished mutuels of $4.60 and $2.10, and Lord Admiral returned $2.10 to show at odds of 10-1. The $1 exotics were worth $5.60 (exacta), $32.90 (trifecta) and $92.70 (3-1-7-5 superfecta). Aragorn has advanced his record to 13-6-4-1 with a bankroll totaling $1,095,325. He had earned his first stakes score here in the Oak Tree Derby (G2) last October. After kicking off his 2006 campaign with a pair of seconds, a narrow loss in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) and a runner-up effort in the San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G2), he turned the corner with his stylish win in the Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). The chestnut then established his dominance in Southern California with emphatic victories in the Eddie Read H. (G1) and Del Mar Breeders' Cup Mile H. (G2). The Irish-bred winner is out of Onaga (Mr. Prospector), who has a juvenile filly named Kaseema (Storm Cat), a recent winner in her career debut in England; a yearling colt named Omnicat (Storm Cat); and a 2006 filly by Giant's Causeway, a full sister to Aragorn, named Catigo. Onaga is a full sister to Grade 2 winner and French classic-placed Sha Tha, who is herself the dam of French Group 2 winner and highweight State Shinto (Pleasant Colony). Another full sister, Tacha, is the dam of 2003 European champion two-year-old colt One Cool Cat (Storm Cat). Onaga's dam, Savannah Dancer (Northern Dancer), winner of the 1985 Del Mar Oaks (G2) along with three other stakes, is a daughter of 1966 Irish champion three-year-old filly and dual classic heroine *Valoris II (*Tiziano II).
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