Oscar Performance (foaled April 6, 2014) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at age two.
After recovering from a bout of colic, he made his four-year-old debut in June 2018 in the Poker Stakes, winning in track-record time.
In his next start as the favorite in the Arlington Million, he was pulled up after taking a bad step, but he rebounded to win the Woodbine Mile in September.
[2] Oscar Performance made his first start on the turf course at Saratoga in a maiden special weight race on July 23, 2016, finishing fifth after trailing the field early and making a mild rally in the stretch.
The performance caught the attention of many turf writers, earning him the "TDN Rising Star" designation from the Thoroughbred Daily News.
[7] The win earned Oscar Performance a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, where he was made the 6–1 third choice in the betting.
Down the stretch, he opened up a comfortable lead then withstood a late run by Lancaster Bomber to win by 1+1⁄4 lengths.
[13] John Amerman also thought that the colt did not respond well to the raceday medication Lasix (furosemide), which was administered for the first and only time before the American Stakes.
[14] Oscar Performance returned to form on June 3 in the Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park, where he took the lead soon after the start and won by 1+1⁄2 lengths.
[17] He faced even more daunting competition in the Breeders' Cup Turf on November 4, where the European contingent included defending champion Highland Reel.
[19][20] Oscar Performance's return to the track was delayed by a bout of colic and did not make his four-year-old debut until June 17, 2018 in the Poker Stakes at Belmont Park.
Around the far turn, he was bumped by Robert Bruce, the eventual race winner, then recovered his stride and started to make up ground.
After breaking slowly, Ortiz urged him to the lead, then slowed down the pace, completing the first half mile in 48.78 seconds.