HOT SPRINGS — Coastal Charm and Ryvit each ended their 2022-2023 season at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort with three wins from four starts with their respective front-running victories in the $150,000 Dig a Diamond Stakes and $150,000 Bachelor Stakes on Saturday before an on-track crowd of approximately 25,000.
In the Dig a Diamond, jockey Martin Garcia allowed Coastal Charm to take an easy lead and proceeded to set fractions of :24 and :48 3/5 for the first half-mile while holding a half-length advantage. As the field entered the stretch, the winner began to open up on her competition and coasted home to a 2 1/4-length victory over Gunning. Butterbean was third, a neck in front of even-money favorite Lovely Ride. The winning time was 1:39 flat for one mile over a muddy track.
Coastal Charm, who was claimed out of her maiden victory by trainer Steve Hobby for $30,000 last September at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., has now won four of nine career starts and earned $249,480. On Saturday, the 4-year-old Ghostzapper mare returned $19.60, $6.60 and $4.20 at odds of 8-1, the second highest in the field.
“I really didn’t expect to get the lead in that race, but we had the rail and she broke sharp,” Hobby said. “She ran well. We’ve had a great meet.”
Garcia said he let the filly dictate the race.
“Steve told me just to break and see where she put me and then if I got the lead easy, then take it. If not, take her back and just stalk from there,” Garcia said. “When I warmed her up, she was really sharp. I just let her break and she took me to the lead. They let me make my own pace. I know it’s 1 mile and it’s a short stretch. When I asked her to go, she just extended and kept going.”
In the next race, Ryvit and jockey Keith Asmussen followed similar tactics in the Bachelor Stakes, going right to the front and leading the field through fractions of :21 4/5 and :45 3/5 for the first half-mile.
The Competitive Edge colt had a comfortable lead entering the stretch and had plenty left to hold off the fast closing Mo Strike, the 8-5 favorite, for a two-length victory in 1:11 for six furlongs over a muddy track. Arman was third.
Ryvit won for the third straight time, climbing right up the ranks from maiden winner to stakes winner within that span. He returned $7.40, $3.20 and $2.60 at odds of 5-2.
“He ran well last year and had worked really nice over the winter,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He didn’t run as expected the first maiden race here. Then, maybe just fate. I kind of put him in Keith’s hands off the disappointing run the first time we ran him here.
“It’s a University of Texas victory, with [owners] Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt and Keith all being UT alums.”
Keith Asmussen, the trainer’s son, said he was confident in Ryvit from the start.
“Admittedly, the horse is so push button, it wasn’t like strict instructions,” Keith Asmussen said. “Hopefully, he gets away from there and goes straight. I mean, he’s so incredible. He puts you in such a good spot. It’s impossible not to be confident with where he was.”
Oaklawn’s live racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first post. After that, there are only three more live racing days for the 2022-2023 season. There will be racing May 4-6, concluding on Kentucky Derby day.