O Besos roared into 2022 with a comeback triumph Sunday at Fair Grounds, ridden confidently as an odds-favorite and holding on to win the decisive nose bob. The fifth-place finisher in the ’21 Kentucky Derby, O Besos was racing for the first time since running second in June’s Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes.

“We got that under his belt,” trainer Greg Foley said Monday. “He looked great this morning, licked his tub, he didn’t act like it took anything out of him. The horse looks amazing. He’s put on 150 pounds of muscle in the right places. I couldn’t be any happier with the way he looks.”

Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., O Besos improved to 3-for-5 lifetime at the New Orleans track, where he will likely return to stakes company next time out.

BloodHorse: O Besos Secures Nose Victory in Return