Opulent Restraint dug in gamely to turn back Rare Art and post a nose victory in the Listed $150,000 Chelsey Flower Stakes at Belmont at the Big A on Sunday, 20 October.
It was the first Stakes win for the two-year-old Dubawi filly, who improved her record to two wins in three career starts.
At the start, it was Grace and Grit that was hustled to the lead from her outside post five, with rival Mangetsu also under pressure for the lead from her inside rail position. She’s Our Tiz followed in third, with Opulent Restraint and Rare Art trailing as the field raced in single file.
Jockey Flavien Prat angled Opulent Restraint to the outside on the backstretch as Grace and Grit attempted to open up on the field heading into the far turn. Opulent Restraint continued to gain ground on the leader through the far turn, with Rare Art hot on her heels.
Opulent Restraint took command at the top of the stretch and had enough in reserve to hold off the late bid from Rare Art to earn the nose victory.
Bred in Ireland by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, Opulent Restraint is the first foal out of the mare, Significant Form (Creative Cause), a multiple Graded Stakes-winner who captured the G2 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga during her racing career. Significant Form is a half-sister to Graded Stakes winner, Hay Dakota (Haynesfield), and hails from the family of fellow Graded Stakes winners Hello Liberty and Zandon (G1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes).
Opulent Restraint became Dubawi’s 32nd individual Black Type winner so far this year. Of those four are top flight winners – Notable Speech and Ezeliya who are both Classic winners, his amazing globe-trotting son, Rebel’s Romance, has notched up three G1 wins this year and Master of the Seas landed the G1 Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland.
