Obliteration may not live up to his name as often these days as he did at the start of his career.
Last year, in his first two starts as a 2-year-old, he broke his maiden by 7 1/2 lengths and then captured the Sanford Stakes (G3) by an even more lopsided 10 1/2 lengths.
That was truly obliteration.
Since then, he has only prevailed once by more than 3 1/2 lengths.
Yet in that time, trainer Steve Asmussen has turned him into one of the best and most consistent 3-year-old male sprinters on any surface or continent.
"He's a very nice horse who is capable of running very fast," Asmussen said about the son of Violence .
Stakes-placed on turf and dirt and in North America and Asia, Leland Ackerley Racing, Jode Shupe, John Cilia, and James Sherwood's Obliteration will return to the site of his Sanford victory July 31 when he headlines a field of eight in the 6 1/2-furlong $250,000 Amsterdam Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course.
"The Amsterdam is an excellent spot for him," Asmussen said. "He's a fast horse who was also second (at a mile) in the Saudi Derby. The distance is within his scope."
For Obliteration, and most likely some others in the field, the Amsterdam is a prep for the Aug. 29 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) at the Spa. There he likely will meet up again with 3-year-old sprint division leader Englishman, the Cherie DeVaux-trained speedster who won the June 6 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga by 5 3/4 lengths over Crude Velocity with Obliteration another nose back in third.
"We are very fortunate to have Obliteration because of his ability and versatility, and he has accumulated quite a bit of money," Asmussen said about the $1,043,550 earner. "But I honestly think his best days are still ahead of him. He's had success at Saratoga and obviously we expect him to have it again. Surfaces and places don't seem to bother him at all."
The grade 3-winning Obliteration was bred in Kentucky by Ocala Stud and purchased for $200,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Like Obliteration, Chris Fountoukis' Solitude Dude will be making his first start Friday since running in the Woody Stephens. Only he will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing try in the grade 1 stakes when he set the early pace but faded to seventh more than 20 lengths behind.
Prior to that, the son of Yaupon was 4-for-4 at distances of 7 furlongs or less with stakes wins in the Bay Shore and Swale stakes for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Pin Oak Stud's Gilded Bandit made his stakes debut in the Woody Stephens, moving up from last in the field of nine to finish fourth, 5 1/4 lengths behind Obliteration.
The son of Charlatan is trained by Bill Mott.
Gervais Racing's American Man, a Maclean's Music colt, ships in from Kentucky after finishing second in the Maxfield Stakes (G3) for trainer Dallas Stewart.
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, July 31, 2026, Race 9Entries: Amsterdam S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1American Man (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Dallas Stewart 6/1 2 2Local Knowledge (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 Todd A. Pletcher 5/1 3 3Solitude Dude (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 4/1 4 4Gilded Bandit (KY) Junior Alvarado 120 William I. Mott 9/2 5 5White Smoke Rising (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 Charlton Baker 12/1 6 6Lincoln's Law (KY) Luis Saez 120 Philip A. Bauer 15/1 7 7Obliteration (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Steven M. Asmussen 7/5 8 8Rockies Balboa (FL) Manuel Franco 120 Dale L. Romans 30/1
