The racing world will be watching Oaklawn Park with great interest Jan. 28, when Olivier, the full brother of 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, is scheduled to make his career debut in the fifth race, a six-furlong, $115,000 maiden special weight race.

Or, maybe they won’t.

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset said he is currently 50/50 on running this weekend after Olivier’s training schedule was greatly impacted by the winter weather that caused the Hot Springs, Ark., track to cancel racing Jan. 19-21 and close for training.

“We spent 10, 12 days in the barn jogging,” Brisset said. “It’s not the best way you want to come up to a race.”

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset. (Eclipse Sportswire)

It wouldn’t be the first time Olivier has experienced a delay in his yet-to-begin career. Brisset said that after three timed workouts at Keeneland in September 2022 as a 2-year-old, the Tapit colt out of the Grade 3-winning mare Feathered had a little setback.

“We gave him plenty of time to be a horse and come around,” Brisset said.

He reappeared on the work tab for two breezes at WinStar Training Center in February before having more time off. In October 2023, Olivier got into a weekly routine and joined Brisset’s Oaklawn string in mid-November.

On Jan. 10, Olivier worked a bullet half-mile out of the gate in :47 flat, the fastest of 40 at the distance. Brisset mentioned his team usually doesn’t crank horses up first time out, but the fast clocking was due to the expected weather.

“He’s never worked extremely fast in the past,” Brisset said. “We knew the weather was coming in. We wanted to give him a little bit of a wake-up call and get him a little fitter just before the weather. We knew we may be stuck in the barn.”

Brisset hopes on Jan. 24 he will be able to finally get Olivier back to the track as Oaklawn plans to reopen for training. After monitoring how he trains, Brisset will decide with the owners on race day whether to race or scratch.

“I just don’t know if it’s really fair to the horse when they’ve been stuck in the barn that long,” Brisset said. “We have been patient with him, I don’t see the point of rushing him to a race. As of now, I’m 50/50.”

If they decide to scratch, Brisset has complete confidence that the Oaklawn racing office will give plenty of future opportunities to all the horses who had their schedules impacted by the weather.

WinStar Farm owns the 4-year-old in partnership with Summer Wind Equine, who bred the colt, and Siena Farm. He was an RNA for $390,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in August 2021. At the time his full brother, who sold for $1 million at the same sale two years prior, was only a maiden winner.

Summer Wind Equine and Siena Farm were also part of Flightline’s ownership group. Yet Brisset feels no pressure in trying to live up to the immaculate reputation of his trainee’s brother.

“I have to treat him as what he is and not what his sibling has done,” Brisset said. “The main thing for us is to bring him to the races and give him the experience.

“Now he’s gonna have to step up and see what he’s made of.”–Sean Collins