HOT SPRINGS -- Weather was the theme from start to finish for the $300,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, particularly for the winner.
Far Right, guided by Racing Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, sliced through the slop to the rail with an eighth of mile to go in the 1 1/16th-mile race and splashed past 22-1 shot The Truth or Else and 2-1 favorite Mr. Z to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:47.50.
AT THE POST
DAY 24
ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 6,000
ON-TRACK WAGERING $500,143
OFF-TRACK WAGERING $3,142,281
TOTAL WAGERING $3,642,424
THURSDAY’S POST TIME 1:30 p.m.
CLASSIX CARRYOVER $3,310
THURSDAY’S TELEVISION TVG (full card)
TODAY’S WAGERING MENU Win-placeshow, exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagering offered on all races. Daily double (races 1-2, 8-9).
CLASSIX (races 3-8). Pick-3 (rolling begins with race 2). Pick-4 (races 2-5 races 6-9).
TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE 11:25 a.m. Tampa Bay, 11:40 a.m. Gulfstream Park, 12:20 p.m. Aqueduct, 1:25 p.m. Fair Grounds, 2:45 p.m. Golden Gate, 3 p.m. Santa Anita, 5 p.m. Penn National, 5:30 p.m. Delta Downs, 6 p.m. Charles Town
SUNDAY’S STARS
Cliff Berry won two races: Motivare ($9.40) in the first and Browneyed Bachelor ($14.80) in the seventh. Trainer Donnie Von Hemel sent out a first-time starter to win in the sixth when Julep ($11.20) scored by 1½ lengths under Luis Quinonez in the $61,000 maiden allowance race. Julep is a filly by Quality Road. Bullero ($12.20) in the fourth, broke his maiden in a $12,500 Arkansas-bred claimer. It was the 24th career start for Bullero, a 6-year-old gelded son of Southern Forest who has earned $84,820 for owner Stacy Jackson. The victory was the first for trainer Richard Jackson in 15 starts this year after going 0 for 29 in 2014. Jackson had 4 victories in 43 starts in 2013.
PURSE INCREASE II
Oaklawn will increase all overnight purses between $1,000 and $3,000 starting Thursday. Maiden Special Weights and Allowances races are increasing by $3,000, bringing maidens to $64,000 and Allowances to as high as $69,000. Oaklawn, which has among the highest average field size in the country currently with 9.6 horses per race through Feb. 21, has enjoyed increases in off-track wagering as well as strong business in its newly expanded game room despite losing four race days to winter weather. It is the second purse increase the track has announced this season.
The Truth of Else, making his first start since a sixth-place finish in the Grade II Remsen on Nov. 29 at Aqueduct in New York, nosed out Mr. Z for the place.
The victory was worth $180,000 for Far Right's connections, co-owners Harry Rosenblum of Little Rock and Robert Lapenta, and Far Right (22) picked up 10 points to move to sixth place on the Road to the Derby points standings, which help determine the pecking order for the Kentucky Derby if more than 20 horses are entered.
The Southwest distributed fewer points than two races run Saturday -- The Fountain of Youth and the Risen Star -- because it was originally scheduled in the Road to the Derby Prep series.
But the Southwest was postponed last Monday because of snow and ice and pushed back to Sunday.
The weather wasn't much better this weekend.
Heavy rain hit Saturday morning, followed by a steady, cold drizzle Sunday that led to a sloppy track as the reshuffled field of 11 stepped to the post.
It Far Right's first start on an off track, and trainer Ron Moquett said the sloppy surface provided room for concern.
"I didn't know how he would handle it, because we'd never done it," Moquett said. "I don't think he loved it; I just think he's classy enough and he tries hard enough that he wasn't going to let that be an excuse."
Many of those in attendance at Oaklawn, an estimated crowd 0f 6,000 was announced, were aware via weather radar of yet another line of snow and ice bearing down on Hot Springs from the nearby Ouachita Mountains. But it waited for an hour after the Southwest to strike.
Favored Mr. Z and 5-1 Hillbilly Royalty were first to pounce out of the gate.
They ran 1-2, with Mr. Z and jockey Corey Nakatani 1 1/2 lengths in front through opening fractions of 23.61 and 47.90, when Mr. Z began to pull away.
That's when Smith put the winner to work and Calvin Borel swooped wide on the outside with The Truth Or Else.
"I thought Calvin made the winning the move there," Smith said. "I was patient and just hoping an opening would open up, and it did.
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he was pleased with the effort of Mr. Z, who broke on top out of post 11, led until mid stretch, and battled all the way to the finish.
"I thought he ran a hell of a race, maybe the best race he's run so far," Lukas said. "He took it to them all the way. I was very pleased."
Smith said he did not think Far Right, a chestnut Kentucky bred colt by Notional, handled the mud as well as he expected.
Nevertheless, he sounded confident in his colt's ability to advance further along the trail to the Triple Crown, beginning with the Kentucky Derby.
"He's a hard worker," Smith said. "Hopefully today we opened some eyes."
The Truth Or Else did, coming up less than 1 length behind the winner after a nearly three-month layoff.
"Super race," trainer Ken McPeek said. "This is a whole lot of racehorse and Calvin's really fond of him. I think he improves 5 lengths just off this race."
Whether The Truth Or Else gets another shot at Far Right and Mr. Z in the Grade II Rebel on March 14 is very uncertain.
Rosenblum said the plan for Far Right all along was to race in the Jan. 19 Smarty Jones and the Southwest Stakes, skip the Rebel, but come back for the April 11 Arkansas Derby.
"That way we would have a fresh horse headed to Kentucky," he said.
Rosenblum watched the Southwest replay on a television near the paddock. He said he wasn't surprised to see Far Right far back after the opening half mile, but he could not hide his excitement as the horses turned for home.
"Look here, look here, look how wide he is," Rosenblum said. "Now, watch this move, watch this move. This is a championship ride. What a ride."
"That ride makes a trainer look smart," Moquett said.
Smith's ride might not have happened if Oaklawn officials had not decided to push the race back to Sunday, after training was cancelled on Tuesday.
That allowed Smith to ride War Story (second in the Risen Star) on Saturday, and after a short flight to Little Rock, also ride Far Right.
"We would've had to put Mike in a situation where he would've had to make a decision," Rosenblum said. "We're thankful we didn't have to put him in that position."
Sports on 02/23/2015