Arrogate half-sister Osare breaks maiden at Belmont Park

The record-setting unveiling of Arrogate in the Travers Stakes was still a catalogue update when Bridlewood Farm general manager George Isaacs went shopping at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and Hip 226 caught his eye.

The Medaglia D'Oro filly consigned by Clearsky Farms was then just a half-sister to an impressive Grade 1 winner, and Isaacs landed her with a $300,000 (£226,000/€258,000) bid. But as Arrogate's legend grew, so did the residual value of the second foal out of the Distorted Humor mare Bubbler.

Now named Osare, the three-year-old filly broke her maiden on Thursday at Belmont Park in a 1m2f maiden special weight on the inner turf course, taking a markedly different route than the dirt campaign her half-brother had to become the all-time leading money earner in North America.

"When I picked her out as a yearling, she was a half to Arrogate, but when I bought her after he won the Travers, it wasn't even in the catalogue, him being a Grade 1 winner," Isaacs recalled.

"They announced it, of course, at Keeneland, but it was mostly a case of me being in the right place at the right time. Most people probably thought she'd bring a lot more, but I got lucky and stole the candy that day.

"Needless to say, with Arrogate going on and doing what he did on the racetrack, her residual value grew astronomically after I purchased her."

Making her second start Thursday, the Jonathan Thomas-trained Osare rated fourth on the inside under Javier Castellano until the five-sixteenths pole, was tipped outside to the four path, mustered up a strong kick with a sixteenth remaining, and closed rapidly to edge the frontrunning Windjammer by a head. The final time was 2:02.75, and she earned $90,000.

"Certainly we're very happy with the performance today," said Isaac. "She made us very proud. That was a complete team effort. We're elated we have the 'W' next to her name, and now we'll set our goals high again and say we'd certainly like to get a black-type 'W' next to her name."

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