$1.2 million purchase Instagrand wins debut by ten lengths

It's safe to say the debut of Instagrand was eagerly anticipated.

A $1.2 million (£909,000/€1.03m) purchase by Larry Best's Oxo Equine out of the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale, the juvenile Into Mischief colt has been dazzling during morning workouts for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and the tote board told the story immediately.

In a field of six for a five-furlong maiden special weight race on Friday at Los Alamitos, Instagrand opened at odds of 1-9, floated up to 2-5 at post time, and ran to his support.

After a good break from post three, Instagrand hit the front as he entered the long Los Alamitos turn, allowed a trio of challengers to advance alongside late in the bend, and spurted away from the field to hit the wire in :56 under jockey Drayden van Dyke, 32 hundredths of a second off the track record.

"I should have let him run sooner. We could have had the track record," Van Dyke said aboard the colt in the winner's circle, as track announcer Bobby Neuman shared how close they were to setting the track mark.

With a furlong to run, the margin was five lengths, and at the wire it was ten. Despite the pressure in the turn, after Instagrand ran a first quarter in :22.09, Van Dyke was confident he had plenty left underneath him.

"He was going so easy with those horses outside of him, I was just waiting to punch the gas pedal down to the floor," said Van Dyke. "You have to wait for the right time with that long stretch."

Hollendorfer was not surprised with the colt's performance, based on how he was performing during training.

"He had worked a number of times in company, and he always sticks his head out and never lets anything get past him, so I wasn't surprised that he did that," the Hall of Fame trainer said.

And what about that kick home, with a final furlong in :11.19?

"That's what we're all looking for," Hollendorfer said. "We're all looking for that extra gear."

Bred in Kentucky by Stoneway Farm, out of the Lawyer Ron mare Assets Of War, Instagrand is a brother to Stoneway homebred Aerial Assets, who broke her maiden by one and a quarter lengths at Laurel Park on Friday, just 28 minutes before Instagrand's debut at Los Alamitos.

The Kelly Breen-trained Aerial Assets, now a three-year-old, raced twice as a juvenile - a third-place debut run in a Belmont Park maiden special weight and another third in the Spendthrift Juvenile Filly Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs, both in October.

For more news on US racing, sales and bloodstock news visit bloodhorse.com