The Malibu Stakes (G1)—the final graded stakes of the yr restricted to 3-year-olds on filth—had a moderately odd run-up. Bob Baffert declared 5 for the occasion, however one in all his runners, Barnes , the morning-line favourite, was scratched with a strained tendon, which proved to be a career-ending damage. His place out there was taken by one other Baffert trainee, Cornucopian , however he exited the occasion minutes earlier than the beginning after rearing up within the paddock and coming down awkwardly, and though he was unhurt, that made him an computerized vet scratch.
That left a 3rd Baffert runner, Objective Oriented , as market selection, and with due respect to Barnes and Cornucopian, Objective Oriented duly delivered in a mode that prompt he would have been very powerful for that duo to deal with. Flying residence from off the tempo, he scored by a size, masking 7 furlongs in a really quick 1:20.97, and operating a career-high Beyer Velocity Determine of 108, a quantity surpassed by solely Sovereignty and Dec. 27 runaway Aqueduct Racetrack allowance non-compulsory claiming scorer Moe Eighty Eight among the many 3-year-olds of 2025.
Objective Oriented got here into the Malibu showing to be completely uncovered, however it’s price noting that the Malibu was his first one-turn contest since his debut, which noticed him win a 6-furlong Santa Anita Park maiden particular weight contest in early April. A front-running winner of a 1 1/16-mile Churchill Downs allowance non-compulsory claimer on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard, Objective Oriented made a leap into the best echelons of competitors together with his third begin, seeing him sort out the Preakness Stakes (G1). There, he suffered a significant bump as Journalism squeezed between rivals early within the stretch, and wound up fourth, crushed 6 3/4 lengths. Objective Oriented confronted the Preakness 1-2, Journalism and Gosger , within the Haskell Stakes (G1), and got here a lot nearer, lacking by a half-length and a neck as Journalism and Gosger once more occupied the primary two locations. Objective Oriented’s different two begins had been a 3rd, crushed 4 1/4 lengths to Baeza and Magnitude within the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), and a distant sixth within the Breeders’ Cup Dust Mile (G1), fading after a large journey.
We have mentioned Objective Oriented’s sire, Not This Time , greater than as soon as on this column in current instances. Winner of the 2016 Iroquois Stakes (G3) and runner-up within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in his solely season to race, Not This Time is a Big’s Causeway half brother to profitable sire Liam’s Map . Retired to Taylor Made Stallions close to Nicholasville, Ky., for the 2017 breeding season, Not This Time was represented by 17 particular person stakes winners in his first crop. He has traced an virtually unbroken upward trajectory since then, and for 2026, his charge is $250,000.
Photograph: Courtesy of Taylor Made/Jon SiegelNot This TimeSign up for BloodHorse Day by day
Objective Oriented is his fifteenth particular person stakes winner from his present crop of 3-year-olds, and his present juvenile crop, which has already produced 9 particular person stakes winners, has taken him to the brink of a title as main sire of 2-year-olds for 2025. By way of Dec. 29, Not This Time holds a $121,539 benefit over Into Mischief with juvenile entries for each stallions Dec. 31. Objective Oriented is the eleventh grade 1 winner for Not This Time, the others together with 2022 champion 3-year-old male Epicenter and 2023 champion turf male As much as the Mark .
Objective Oriented’s dam, Bizzy Caroline (by Afleet Alex), was an achieved runner, successful the 2011 Remorse Stakes (G3T) and 2012 Mint Julep Handicap (G3T), and putting in 4 different black-type occasions. She was half sister to Woman Eli , champion turf feminine in 2017, in addition to to Sacre Caroline, dam of Sacred , a three-time group winner in England and second in opposition to males within the 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot. Regardless of these credentials, Bizzy Caroline has hitherto been a considerably disappointing producer, as though seven of her different eight named foals had reached the races, solely three had received, none had earned as a lot as a spot in black-type firm.
The second dam, of Objective Oriented, Sacre Coeur, was a successful 2-year-old daughter of Saint Ballado. Her personal dam, the French-bred Kazadancoa, additionally produced graded stakes winners Jacodra’s Satan (by Saint Ballado’s brother, Satan’s Bag), Altering Methods, and Jacodra. General, Kazadancoa seems as ancestress of a complete of 25 stakes winners, and along with Objective Oriented, her group and grade 1-winning descendants embrace Palace Episode; Spring within the Air , champion 2-year-old filly in Canada in 2012; Candy Loretta ; and Spiced Perfection .
A daughter of Inexperienced Dancer, Kazadancoa is a sister to The Dancer, a black-type winner who additionally took third within the 1980 Epsom Oaks (G1). Dam of three stakes winners, The Dancer additionally seems as third dam of 2000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) victor The Deputy, and that horse’s half brother, King Kamehameha, a champion in Japan and a breed-shaping sire there. Kazadancoa is out of the classically bred Khazaeen, a daughter of the 1960 Prix du Jockey Membership (French Derby) victor Charlottesville, and is a half sister to the dam of champion racehorse and excellent sire Blushing Groom.
Objective Oriented owns a moderately intriguing pedigree sample. His granddam, Sacre Coeur, is by Saint Ballado, and as we have famous, her dam is out of a half sister to the dam of Blushing Groom. Not This Time’s sire, Big’s Causeway, is out of a mare by Rahy, who’s by Blushing Groom out of champion Superb Tune, a sister to Saint Ballado. So as to add to this, Big’s Causeway is a grandson of Storm Hen, and Sacre Coeur is out of a mare by a son of Nijinsky II, a horse with important pedigree similarities to Storm Hen. Because of this, 11 of the 16 ancestors within the fourth era of the pedigree of the second dam of Objective Oriented are additionally discovered within the pedigree of his grandsire, Big’s Causeway.
General, the mixture of the siblings Superb Tune and Saint Ballado appears to be a really efficient one for Not This Time, as from 14 starters with that sample, he has six stakes winners, 5 graded, together with a second grade 1 winner within the form of Cogburn . He is additionally sired grade 3 winner Dream On from two starters out of mares carrying Satan’s Bag, one other sibling to Superb Tune and Saint Ballado.