$150,000 Renaissance Stakes

The aptly-named Obliteration dominated Saturday’s $150,000 Renaissance Stakes at Oaklawn, taking the lead at the top of the stretch and drawing away to a 7 ½-length victory in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds.

After stalking the early pace set by Advent Stakes winner Dirty Rich and Strong Potential, Obliteration surged to the front coming out of the turn and drew away from there, stopping the clock in 1:10.03. Longshot Swung finished second, followed by Dirty Rich, Canned Heat, How Bout That Curt and Strong Potential.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Obliteration ($3.40) was sent to post as the 3-5 favorite in the six-horse field. The son of Violence was making his 3-year-old debut following a successful 2-year-old campaign that saw him win two of six races to go along with three runner-up finishes and earn $505,800. He earned $87,750 Saturday to increase his career bankroll to $593,550.

The highlight of Obliteration’s freshman campaign was a 10 ½-length victory the G3-Sanford Stakes in July and a runner-up finish in the G2-Saratoga Special. Following those efforts, Obliteration started in three turf sprint races and ended his campaign with a fourth-place finish in the G1-Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar.

The Renaissance was one of two supporting stakes races on Oaklawn’s 11-race card Saturday that also featured the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, the first of four Oaklawn races that offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points.