Upper Case Wins Dream Supreme in Stakes Debut
It was a huge stakes debut for Upper Case (4f American Pharoah x Rigged Smart, by Smart Strike) on Saturday when she easily won the Listed Dream Supreme Stakes.
Racing over six furlongs on the dirt, she sat just a few lengths off the leader early in the race. Around the turn, Evin Roman moved her closer to the front before angling her out as they approached the furlong pole. She targeted the leader at that point and dug deep to win by 1 ¼ lengths for her fourth career victory.
Trained by Paulo Lobo for OXO Equine, the 4-year-old has finished in the top two in 10 of 14 starts for nearly $400,000 in earnings.
The Thor-Bred Stables-bred is the second stakes performer out of Rigged Smart alongside the multiple stakes placed Ever Smart. Rigged Smart is a full sister to Grade I winner Battle of Midway and half-sister to stakes winner and multiple Grade II-placed Moretti. This family also includes Grade I winners Patternrecognition and Mixto.
Upper Case is the 11th stakes winner and 21st stakes performer of the year for American Pharoah, who has seen his Northern Hemisphere-foaled runners earn over $11 million.