For the second Saturday in a row a 3-year-old by leading Second-Crop sire Outwork produced a stakes victory, the latest coming when Abrogate won a stretch-long duel to take the $200,000 Purple Martin S. at Oaklawn Park.
With Outadore winning last Saturday’s Animal Kingdom S., Outwork now has a total of six stakes horses in 2021, most among sires of his generation.
Abrogate didn’t get a break at any point of Saturday’s six-furlong affair for fillies. She chased odds-on favorite and undefeated Windmill through a half-mile in a lively :45.12, setting up the stretch battle. Abrogate got her head in front with a furlong to run and was quickly joined by Joyful Cadence on her outside. The trio raced to the wire together, with Abrogate winning by a half-length over Joyful Cadence and Windmill another half back in third.
The final time on the fast track was 1:10.54.
“She showed the quality she has under very good conditions,” Abrogate’s trainer Steve Asmussen said of the filly’s first stakes win. “She’s a very good filly and we see good things in her future.”
Abrogate, owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, improved her record to three wins from four starts and has now earned $234,492.
The Lieblongs purchased Abrogate for $270,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling sale. She was bred in the Bluegrass State by Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm and is from the same family as champion sprinter Big Drama and multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama.
