Track's big day a graded exam

HOT SPRINGS -- Assuming there isn't a flood, one of Oaklawn Park's most significant race days should go off as scheduled today.

The Rebel Stakes, a Grade II race for 3-year-olds at 1 and 1/16th miles, is the main event, but the 11-race card also includes two of the track's most prestigious races that aren't run during the Racing Festival of the South -- the Grade II Azeri Stakes and the Grade III Razorback Handicap.

"We lost opening day and we lost Presidents Day," said David Longinotti, Oaklawn's director of racing who considers Rebel Stakes day one of the track's four most important days. "We were able to run the stakes races that were on those days, but it's not the same."

Severe cold cancelled opening day and the rest of the first weekend. Snow and ice fell across Arkansas the morning of Feb. 16 and canceled that holiday card, although the Southwest Stakes took place six days later.

The National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent chance of rain and a high of 64 degrees today in Hot Springs, but rain doesn't stop horses and it won't stop the Rebel from taking place.

"A postponed Southwest isn't as exciting as a Southwest on Presidents Day," Longinotti said. "So this is our first big race that we're running as planned. So, yeah, this is big."

The Rebel has become an increasingly important stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby as its purse has nearly quadrupled since Smarty Jones won the 2004 race, which had a $200,000 purse.

Post time is scheduled for 6:06 p.m. with a field of seven, including 2-year-old champion American Pharoah, racing for a purse of $750,000 and valuable points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The Rebel awards points to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 scale, making a second-place finish a satisfying one for horses aspiring to run in the Derby. Twenty points has been enough to qualify for the Kentucky Derby since the points system was installed before the 2013 race.

But today isn't just about the Rebel.

Trainers Kenny McPeek and Steve Asmussen, a six-time training champion at Oaklawn, have horses entered in all three of today's graded stakes. Southern California-based trainer Bob Baffert has shipped in American Pharoah for the Rebel and Midnight Hawk for the Razorback. Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher vanned in entrants from south Florida for the Razorback and the Rebel.

McPeek, who moved his entire stable from Florida to Oaklawn this season, has The Truth or Else entered in the Rebel, Flashy American in the Azeri and Golden Ticket in the Razorback.

"It's an absolute adrenalin rush going into the big races," McPeek said. "I think it's like drinking fine wine. Once you've had a good bottle, that's all you want. Once you've tasted those high-level races, you crave them. It's really neat stuff. It's what's great about the sport."

McPeek knows all about big days at the track. He won graded stakes races last season with Flashy American, Frac Daddy, Lawn Ranger, and the Grade I Ashland Stakes at Kenneland with Rosalind. Sarava, trained by McPeek, won the 2002 Belmont Stakes.

Asmussen, who has been one of the nation's top trainers for more than a decade, has Untapable -- the 2014 Eclipse Award winner as the nation's top 3-year-old filly and the 1-2 morning-line favorite -- in the $300,000 Azeri, Tapiture in the Razorback and Bold Conquest in the Rebel.

Untapable stands out to McPeek.

"If Untapable comes in in top form, and I'm sure Steve will have her ready, I mean she's got a chance to be one of the top handicap mares in the nation," McPeek said. "I'm not thrilled that she's in there. It makes the task that much more difficult, but these type of races aren't supposed to be easy."

Untapable has not raced since Oct. 31, when she capped her season by winning the Breeders Cup Distaff, the equivalent of the Super Bowl for fillies and mares.

"My expectations to beat her are not that high," McPeek said.

McPeek's Flashy American is the third choice on the morning line at 5-1, behind Dan Peitz-trained Mufajaah at 4-1. Mufajaah was the winner by a neck over Flashy American in the Grade III Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 15.

The chance for a showdown between last season's Eclipse Award winning 2-year-old colt and 2-year-old filly was eliminated when filly Take Charge Brandi turned up Tuesday with a nondisplaced chip in her right knee. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Take Charge Brandi is expected to miss 60 days.

But American Pharoah, trained by Baffert, arrived at Oaklawn on Wednesday and is the 1-2 favorite on the morning line.

McPeek will counter with The Truth of Else, who finished second to Far Right in the Grade III Southwest on Feb. 22. It was the first start for The Truth of Else, by of Yes It's True, since Nov. 29.

McPeek said The Truth or Else jockey Calvin Borel returned to the paddock upset about his trip in the Southwest in which he was forced wide around both turns of the mile race.

"Calvin came back and said he thought he would have won by three or four lengths if he had decent trip," McPeek said. "He's going to need that this weekend. I guess the touted horse is American Pharoah, but you could say this is a different deal."

It will be a new track for American Pharoah, whose previous three races were run in California, and his first race since he won the Grade I Front Runner Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Sept. 27.

"My horse is extremely solid and ready and has shown he can handle adversity," McPeek said. "I think he's prepared to run a big race."

Sports on 03/14/2015