Wilshire Stakes (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
April 30, 2023

A strong field lined up for the running of the Wilshire Stakes, and it seemed like it would be a pretty evenly matched race. That was not the case on the odds board, as two horses essentially took all of the money, leaving the rest of the field to have double digit odds. Omnibus was one of those with high odds, going off at 11/1 despite being our pick to win. We’ll certainly take those odds, and trainer High Voltage will take the win as his five-year-old mare pulled it off by nearly a full length after running on or near the lead for the duration of the race. It’s the first win in the race for High Voltage, and the second victory for jockey U Rispoli in the Wilshire. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.93, the second quickest in the history of the race. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :22.57)- It’s a clean start for everyone in the field, and after a handful of them may have wanted the early advantage, we would have two horses ultimately pull away from the rest of the field. On the lead, we would have Bad Party King, jumping out well for Night Rider Stables, but she would have the eventual race winner, High Voltage’s Omnibus, running within a half-length of her while on the rail. In the stalking position behind them, it’s Midnight Liquor, saddled by Winning Link Stables, and alongside her, it’s Coconut Milk, for Wood Duck Stables. Go back another length or so for the next group, and here they are three wide, with The Nation (Arindel) on the outside, Ginger Lucy (The Sidley Stud) in the middle, and Catawba (Sccj Stables) on the rail. Trailing are Genghis Rose (Ajm Stables) and Shes One Of A Kind (Mo Mentum Farm).

(1/2 Mile- :45.50)- Bad Party King leads as they go around the opening turn, but that would quickly change at the top of the backstretch, as Omnibus makes the pass to the inside, and wastes no time pulling about a full length ahead of that rival. Bad Party King will remain second for now. There are still two stalkers behind them, but one them has changed. Midnight Liquor is still there and looking good at this time, but she is joined now by The Nation, who had a good run along the outside. A notable gap is created behind them of at least two and a half lengths, and that is where Coconut Milk has dropped too. Ginger Lucy leads the rest of the field as they go down the backstretch.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Omnibus looks dominant in the turn, cruising right along as she puts away Bad Party King in a convincing manner. She will now enter the stretch with a length and a half lead over Midnight Liquor, who has shown the ability to be the only horse that run at about the same pace. Bad Party King, as well as The Nation were dropping out of it, and there was no one new coming from the back of the pack. Catawba was two-year-old the best out of any of these, but she would still have a lot of ground to cover.

(Finish- 1:32.93)- If the rest of the field was hoping Omnibus was going to come back to them, they were going to be very disappointed. She was able to maintain her stride all the way to the wire, looking very comfortable en route to this win. No one really made a bid on her, as while Midnight Liquor did get about a length back, there was never a point where she looked like she might get the win. Catawba ran well late to get up for third, and to her credit, she nearly snagged second in the closing moments. Behind her though, it was two lengths to the rest of the field, and Ginger Lucy picks up a best of the rest fourth place check. The rest of the finishing order will read: Shes One Of A Kind, Genghis Rose, Bad Party King, The Nation, and Coconut Milk.

About The Winner- Omnibus, trained by High Voltage and ridden by U Rispoli, is a five-year-old mare by Chai Bus and is out of Vandervoort. She was bred in the great breeding state of Pennsylvania as a third quarter two-year-old by Tacaro Farm and was acquired by High Voltage in July 2020 when she was still unraced in a $28.000 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her sixth in 22 starts, her second stake win and first graded win. Her career earnings are now $357.150.

Track: Firm
Time: :22²  :45²  1:09   1:32⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 3 Paid 183.70
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 3 – 2 Paid 1,155.90

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES