THURSDAY'S ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 1,000
THURSDAY'S TOTAL HANDLE $3,842,086
THURSDAY'S ON-TRACK HANDLE $128,683
THURSDAY'S OFF-TRACK HANDLE $3,713,403
TODAY'S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Laurel Park, 11:25 a.m.; Tampa Bay, 11:35 a.m.; Gulfstream Park, 12:10 p.m.; Aqueduct, 12:20 p.m.; Fair Grounds, 1 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.; Santa Anita, 3 p.m.
THURSDAY'S STARS
Jockey Elvin Gonzalez and trainer Jason Barkley each won two races Thursday. The two teamed up to win the third race with Big in the City ($12.80, $7.00, $4.00), covering 6 furlongs in 1:11.37.
Gonzalez also won the first race with Amelia's Bonnet ($15.20, $7.20, $5.40), covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:49.65, and Barkley also won the sixth race with French Rose ($13.00, $5.80, $4.40), covering 6 furlongs in 1:11.21.
McPEEK WELL REPRESENTED
It's all about the girls the next two weekends at Oaklawn for trainer Kenny McPeek, who is scheduled to send out Tabor Hall and Oliviaofthedesert in Saturday's $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (Grade III) for 3-year-old fillies and Envoutante in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (Grade II) for older fillies and mares March 13.
The three horses were vanned from Florida, their winter base, arriving at 7:30 p.m. Central on Wednesday. And McPeek said he could send another filly, a big-name filly, to Oaklawn before the meeting ends May 1 in Eclipse Award winner Swiss Skydiver.
Envoutante closed her 3-year-old campaign with dominant victories in the $100,000 Remington Park Oaks (Grade III) Sept. 27 at Remington Park and the $200,000 Falls City Stakes (Grade II) Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs. McPeek said Brian Hernandez Jr. will have the mount in the 1 1/16-mile Azeri, the final major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (Grade I) April 17.
"Her last race was a beast race," McPeek said Wednesday afternoon. "She and Swiss have been getting ready down here and I've been trying to keep them separated. I made a decision and it looks like Swiss is going to California. It's a high-level problem. I'm pretty heavy on fillies this year, for some odd, unusual reason."
McPeek said he's pointing Swiss Skydiver, the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2020, to the $300,000 Beholder Mile (Grade I) March 13 at Santa Anita, adding the race could lead to a return trip to Oaklawn. Swiss Skydiver is already a stakes winner in Hot Springs, claiming the $400,000 Fantasy (Grade III) last May. She later won the $500,000 Alabama Stakes (Grade I) at Saratoga, finished second in the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs and toppled males, including future Horse of the Year Authentic, in the Preakness, the third leg of the revamped Triple Crown (covid-19), Oct. 3 at Pimlico.
"Possibly," McPeek said, when asked if Swiss Skydiver could be seen at Oaklawn. "Yeah, it's possible. I think the timing is pretty good for both of them to run back there."
Oliviaofthedesert and Tabor Hall will be looking for Kentucky Oaks points in the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee.
Oliviaofthedesert is the more accomplished of the duo, winning an allowance Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs and the $60,000 Trapeze Stakes Dec. 18 at Remington Park in her final two starts last year. A daughter of Bernardini, Oliviaofthedesert was purchased for $320,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tabor Hall, in her last start, was a front-running 1 ½-length maiden winner Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park.
Information for this report was provided by the Oaklawn media department.