Outstrip flies late in Juvenile Turf

"He's not a bad little horse, is he," Appleby said. "I was so pleased to see

Mike Smith win the last race (the Marathon on London Bridge). There's no better

jock around here. I'm grateful to Godolphin for giving me the chance to train

horses like this."

Sent off as the 6-1 third choice, Outstrip was anchored near the back of the

strung-out field as Bobby's Kitten tore to the front. The overeager favorite

zipped through quick fractions of :22 1/5 and :45 3/5 on the firm turf, chased

by All Cash and Home School. Giovanni Boldini, the 4-1 second choice, was

traveling beautifully in a rail-skimming fourth.

As Bobby's Kitten roared through six furlongs in 1:09 2/5, Giovanni Boldini

went after him, setting up a terrific stretch drive. Bobby's Kitten tried to

fend off the Irish invader, but Giovanni Boldini had too many gears. The

Ballydoyle colt forged ahead in hopes of giving O'Brien his third consecutive

winner of this race.

Just when Giovanni Boldini and Bobby's Kitten appeared to have opened up an

insurmountable lead over the field, Outstrip began to rev up and into the

picture. Smith had given him a superb passage around the far turn, and the gray

colt responded to pick off rivals and advance into third.

"I'm very disappointed. He's only two (years old) going out in 1:09 and

change -- that's ridiculous," Brown said.

"He broke sharp out of the gate, he felt good," jockey Javier Castellano

said. "Unfortunately, he ran off a little bit and he never settled. "

There was a

3 3/4-length gap back to Bon Accord, who rounded out the superfecta in fourth.

Next came Got Shades; Bashart; Aotearoa; Poker Player; O'Brien's other runner,

Wilshire Boulevard; Ontology; Shamshon; Home School; and All Cash.

Outstrip now sports a mark of 5-3-1-1, $731,043. A good-looking debut winner

over Newmarket's July Course on June 22, the British-bred son of champion

Australian sire Exceed and Excel almost upset unbeaten star Toormore in the July

31 Vintage at Glorious Goodwood. Outstrip easily scored a Group 2 laurel in the

September 14 Champagne at Doncaster, and looked primed to make a mark at the

highest level. He skipped the October 6 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere when the ground

came up soft at Longchamp and instead went to the Dewhurst, only to find softish

going at Newmarket as well. Failing to summon his usual acceleration when

encountering the "dip" on the Rowley Mile, he plugged on for third to War

Command, but left that effort well behind on Friday.

The Darley homebred is out of Asi Siempre, a Grade 1-winning daughter of El

Prado who earned her signature score in the 2006 Spinster. She won four other

stakes -- the Prix Madame Jean Couturie at Vichy, the Valley View on the

Keeneland turf and the Doubledogdare on the Polytrack at the same venue, and the

De La Rose at Saratoga. Her seven stakes placings include the Garden City, Jenny

Wiley, Fleur de Lis, Ballston Spa, Louisville Breeders' Cup and the Prix de

Royaumont.

Asi Siempre was disqualified from what would have been her most notable

runner-up effort, a second in the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff. She was demoted to

fourth for causing interference, but her son Outstrip gave her a much happier

Breeders' Cup memory.

Outstrip's third dam, multiple Group 3 vixen Turkish Treasure, produced Group

3 winner Magic Mirror. She is also the ancestress of Group 2 hero Almushtarak,

multiple Hong Kong stakes scorer Tiber and multiple Turkish champion Ribella,

among others.

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