Robert Yates

At Oaklawn on Saturday, the one hundred fifty thousand dollar Renaissance Stakes for three-year-olds went the way of Obliteration, a moniker that proved apt for the thoroughbred. Turning for home, the lead was taken and the gap swelled to seven and one-half lengths over six furlongs—for example, the kind of daylight seen in a blowout.

With the tempo made by Advent Stakes winner Dirty Rich along with Strong Potential, the decisive move was launched by Obliteration after the bend. The winner was timed in 1:10.03 following that burst, a stakes sprint where pace pressure mattered. Swung, a longshot, finished second, then Dirty Rich, Canned Heat, How Bout That Curt, and Strong Potential in that sequence.

Handled by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and piloted by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Obliteration ($3.40) went to the gate as the three-to-five choice in a half‑dozen‑runner field. His first outing at age three arrived after a two‑year‑old campaign in which he captured two of six starts, ran second three times, and banked $505,800. By Violence, he added $87,750 on Saturday, lifting the career sum to $593,550—for instance, the type of jump one expects from a stakes purse.

The signature moments from that freshman season included a ten‑and‑one‑half‑length romp in July’s G3-Sanford Stakes and a runner‑up effort in the G2-Saratoga Special. Subsequently, three grass dashes were attempted, and the year wrapped with fourth in the G1-Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, an example of top-level company.

Among two supporting features on Oaklawn’s card of eleven, the Renaissance took its place on Saturday. The program also showcased the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes—the first of four local preps that award Kentucky Derby qualifying points in horse racing.