DAY 17 of 56
FIVE-DAY WEEK Today will be the second of five consecutive scheduled days of racing, concluding with a holiday card Monday, with the Grade III $500,000 Southwest Stakes the main attraction. TODAY’S FIRST POST 1:30 p.m.
THURSDAY’S ON-TRACK WAGERING $270,006
THURSDAY’S TOTAL HANDLE $2,100,453 CLASSIX CARRYOVER $5,904.14
WAGERING MENU Win-place-show ($2 minimum), exacta ($1 minimum), trifecta ($0.50 minimum), and superfecta ($0.10 minimum) wagering on all races. $1 daily double on the first two races and the eighth and ninth races. $1 CLASSIX (races three through eight). $0.50 Pick-3 (rolling begins with race 2), $0.50 Pick 4 (races 2-5, 6-9).
TODAY’S SIMULCAST MENU 11:25 a.m. Laurel Park; 11:25 a.m. Tampa Bay; 11:35 a.m. Gulfstream Park; 1:25 p.m. Fair Grounds; 2:45 p.m. Golden Gate; 3 p.m. Santa Anita; 5:15 p.m. Turfway Park; 5:40 p.m. Delta Downs; 6 p.m. Charles Town; 6 p.m. Palm Beach (greyhounds); 6:25 p.m Daytona Beach (greyhounds); 7:10 p.m. Sam Houston; 7:30 p.m. Southland (greyhounds); 9 p.m. Los Alamitos.
THURSDAY’S STARS
There were no multiple winners among trainers and jockeys. However, Ricardo Santana Jr. extended his lead in the jockey standings to 16 victories in 89 starts (18 percent) when he rode Hunter Henry, an Arkansas-bred horse in the first race, a 6-furlong maiden claiming race worth $21,000 for owner Southern Springs Stable with Ron Moquett as the trainer. Moquett is the leading trainer at Oaklawn with 10 victories in 47 starts (21 percent). Hunter Henry ran the race in 1:15.01, finishing 2 1/4-lengths ahead of Goingtogive’emhale and paid $3.20, $2.80 and 2.20. Jon Court (second with 12 victories in 62 starts), Corey Nakatani (third, 11 victories in 53 starts), Walter de La Cruz (fourth, 10 victories in 69 starts) and Channing Hill (fifth, nine victories in 47 starts) also won Thursday.
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
Trainer John Servis, who was Smarty Jones’ trainer in 2004 when the horse won the Southwest Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, was the winning trainer in the eighth race when Nasa, ridden by Joshua Navarro, won the 1 1/16 feature race worth $71,000. Nasa won in 1:45.79 and finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Bold Conquest. Nasa paid $15.20, $5.80 and $3.40.
SOUTHWEST WINDS
Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope expects 13 horses for Monday’s $500,000 Southwest Stakes. Post positions will be drawn today. Pope expects American Dubai, Bird of Trey, Collected, Cutacorner, Discreetness, Gordy Florida, Luna de Loco, Suddenbreakingnews, Synchrony, Torrontes, War Stroll, Whitmore and Z Royal to enter. … American Dubai is entered in an entry-level allowance race Saturday, but owner Richard Keith said he and trainer Rodney Richards are “just covering our bases.” Discreetness, Gordy Florida, Synchrony and Luna de Loco finished 1-2-3-4 in the $150,000 Southwest Stakes on Jan. 18 at Oaklawn. Gordy Florida worked a half mile in :47.4 over a fast track Thursday morning. Collected, based in Southern California with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, is expected to be flown to Arkansas today, Pope said. He won the $100,000 Sham Stakes on Jan. 9 at Santa Anita in his last start and will be looking to give Baffert his fifth Southwest victory since 2010. ... Four probable Southwest entrants — Whitmore (Ron Moquett), Z Royal (D. Wayne Lukas), Suddenbreakingnews (Donnie
K. Von Hemel) and Torrontes (Kellyn Gorder) — worked Monday. Z Royal breezed 5 furlongs in 1:01. Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens will have the mount in the Southwest, Lukas said. Suddenbreakingnews worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 after the track’s renovation break. Torrontes worked 5 furlongs in 1:02.20 under jockey Channing Hill for Gorder. … Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Whitmore, co-owner Harry Rosenblum told the Oaklawn media department Monday. Smith was the regular rider for Smarty Jones and Southwest winner Far Right last year, for co-owner Rosenblum and trainer Moquett. Whitmore was a 3 ¼-length entry-level allowance/optional claiming winner sprinting Jan. 16 at Oaklawn under Didiel Osorio. It was the 3-year-old debut for Whitmore, who wore blinkers for the first time. Whitmore won his Nov. 6 career debut sprinting at Churchill Downs, then ran fifth in the Grade III $1 million Delta Jackpot Stakes Nov. 21 at Delta Downs in his final start at 2.
FINAL FURLONG
Seven older horses including multiple stakes winner Cougar Ridge are entered in the $100,000 Essex Handicap on Saturday at Oaklawn. Probable post time for the 1 1/16-mile race is 5:09 p.m. … Cougar Ridge, a 6-year-old Johannesburg gelding trained by Randy Morse, will be going for his fifth consecutive victory. He has won three stakes races during the streak, including the $250,000 Delta Mile Nov. 21 at Delta Downs in his last start. … Morse claimed the gelding for $62,500 on April 8 at Keeneland. Cougar Ridge was beaten by a head in the race by Noble Bird, who would win the $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap on June 13 at Churchill Downs. … Mo for the Money became the first Oaklawn winner sired by champion Uncle Mo when the 3-year-old cleared his first allowance condition by 51/2 lengths sprinting Sunday under Joe Rocco Jr.. … Street Strategy, winner of the $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes Jan. 16 at Oaklawn, “will be out a while” with a broken bone in a foot, Morse said Thursday. … Street Strategy was preparing for the $300,000 Razorback Handicap on March 19 at Oaklawn.
Essex Handicap
post positions
Purse $100,000, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles. Post time, 5:09 p.m. Saturday
PP HORSE JOCKEY ODDS
1 LaMacchina Hill 15-1 2 Midnight Hawk Court 9-5 3 Sharm Birzer 20-1 4 Carve Santana 5-2 5 Texas Bling Corbett 15-1 6 Ain’t Got Time Cintron 5-1 7 Cougar Ridge Nakatani 5-2