DAY 13 of 57
SATURDAY'S ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 20,500
SATURDAY'S TOTAL HANDLE $5,067,073
SATURDAY'S ON-TRACK HANDLE $1,221,813
SATURDAY'S OFF-TRACK HANDLE $3,845,260
TODAY'S POST TIME 1:30 p.m. (Gates open 11 a.m.)
ADMISSION General admission, free; Reserved seating, $4.50
PARKING $2 until 4 p.m.
TODAY'S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Aqueduct, 11:20 a.m.; Laurel Park, 11:25 a.m.; Gulfstream Park, 11:35 a.m.; Tampa Bay, 11:35 a.m.; Fair Grounds, 12:30 p.m.; Santa Anita, 2:30 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.
SATURDAY'S STARS
Martin Garcia and Joseph Talamo won two races. Garcia won the second race with Sycamore Run ($3.20, $2.40, $2.20), covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.38. He won the eighth race with Mojo Man ($24.80, $9.80, $6.60), covering 6 furlongs in 1:09.48. On the season, he is tied for second with Orlando Mojica with 11 victories.
Talamo won the the sixth race with Something Natural ($6.00, $3.40, $2.80), covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.43. He also won the Dixie Belle Stakes with Ring Leader ($10.00, $3.60), covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.46. On the season, Talamo is in fourth place in the jockey standings with 10 victories in 66 starts.
Trainer Brad Cox won two races to improve his season totals to nine victories in 33 starts. He won the sixth race with Something Natural and the 10th race with Bonny South ($16.80, $6.40, $4.40), covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.93.
CHARGING FOR VICTORY
Warrior's Charge, a 4-year-old colt, is scheduled to make his 2020 debut in Monday's $500,000 Razorback Handicap.
Warrior's Charge returns to Oaklawn after a front-running, 2-length allowance comeback victory Dec. 18 at Fair Grounds. Warrior's Charge started four times last year, winning twice at 1 1/16 miles.
"Last year was kind of interesting," co-owner Clay Sanders said. "We always had high hopes for this horse, but we didn't even nominate him for the Triple Crown because of the way he was bred. Even if you look at him physically, he looks more like a sprinter than a router. We were kind of pulling our hair out, as far as we thought, over his lack of success sprinting. He was running well, but he wasn't breaking his maiden. He really didn't start flourishing until we stretched him out, which was kind of counter to what everyone thought he was."
Warrior's Charge finished third in his first three career starts -- races at 6½ furlongs, 6 furlongs and 1 mile -- before breaking his maiden by 6 lengths in March on the under card of the split $750,000 Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds. Warrior's Charge then won an allowance race by 6½ lengths in April, the day before the $1 million Arkansas Derby.
Warrior's Charge never had a chance to prove himself in other major races after the Preakness because of a health scare (colic). Cox decided to train up to the Razorback after Warrior's Charge's comeback victory at 1 1/16 miles, the colt's first start against older horses.
JEREMIAH'S JOURNEY
Jeremiah Englehart's first career Oaklawn winner will try to become his first career Oaklawn stakes winner when the trainer sends out lightly raced Villainous in the $750,000 Southwest for 3-year-olds Monday.
The New York-based Englehart is wintering at Oaklawn for the first time and has two victories from five starters at the meet, the first being Jan. 24 maiden special weights graduate Villainous for owner Harold Lerner.
"So far, we've gotten off to a pretty good start," Englehart said. "I'm probably about two weeks behind, like everything where I wanted them to be. I was kind of hoping we would be a little bit more ready for the first [condition] book, but it looks more like the second book with the majority of the other horses."
Villainous, a Wicked Strong colt, will be making his third career start in the Southwest, a 1 1/16-mile event that is Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races. Englehart also sent out Belews Gold, a 3-year-old Goldencents colt, to win his Feb. 1 career debut.
Englehart has around 24 horses at Oaklawn, including Three Technique, runner-up in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 24 in his 3-year-old and two-turn debut. Owned by two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells, Three Technique is pointing for the $1 million Rebel Stakes on March 14, Oaklawn's final major prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 11.
Critical Value, another promising 3-year-old for Englehart, has had two works this month at Oaklawn in advance of her 2020 debut.
Information for this report was contributed by Oaklawn media department
Sports on 02/16/2020