The racing world will be watching Oaklawn Park With great interest January 28, when Olivier full brother of the 2022 Horse of the Year Flight line is scheduled to make his career debut in Race Five, a $115,000 six-furlong special weight race.
Or maybe they won't.
Trainer Rudy Brissett said he is currently 50/50 on running this weekend after Olivier's training schedule was significantly affected by the winter weather that caused Oaklawn to cancel the Jan. 19-21 race and close it for training.
“We spent 10 or 12 days running around the barn,” Brissett said. “It's not the best way you want to get into the race.”
This wouldn't be the first time Olivier has suffered a delay in his yet-to-be-started career. After three exercises specified in Keeneland In September 2022 when he was 2 years old, Brissett said Carpets Colt had a small setback.
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“We gave him a lot of time to be a horse and come in,” Brissett said.
He reappeared on the work tab for two days at the WinStar Training Center in February before taking further time off. In October 2023, Olivier got into a weekly routine and joined Brisset's Oaklawn Series in mid-November.
On January 10, Olivier fired a shot half a mile from the gate on a flat: 47, the fastest of the 40 shots at the distance. Brissett said his team usually doesn't get the horses up the first time, but the fast time record was due to the forecast weather.
“It hasn't worked very quickly in the past,” Brissett said. “We knew the weather was coming. We wanted to give him a little wake up call and get him in shape right before the weather. We knew we might be stuck in the barn.”
Brissett hopes on January 24 he can finally get Olivier back on track as Oaklawn plans to reopen for training. After observing how he is trained, Brissett will decide with the owners on race day whether he will race or scratch.
“I don’t know if it’s really fair for a horse to be stuck in the barn for so long,” Brissette said. “We've been patient with him, and I don't see any point in pushing him into the race. So far, I'm 50/50.”
If they decide to scratch, Brissett has every confidence that Oaklawn's racing office will provide plenty of future opportunities for all the horses whose schedules have been affected by the weather.
WinStar Farm owns the 4-year-old in partnership with Summer Wind Equine, who bred the colt, and Siena Farm. RNA was for $390,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in August 2021. At the time, his full brother, who sold for $1 million at the same auction two years earlier, was only the first winner.
Summer Wind Equine and Siena Farm were also part of Flightline's ownership group. However, Brisset feels no pressure trying to live up to his apprentice brother's good reputation.
“I have to treat him as he is, not as his brother did,” Brisset said. “The main thing for us is to bring him to the races and give him experience.
“Now he has to step up and see what he's made of.”
