HOT SPRINGS -- Tommy Vance's sense of timing is good, claiming a stakes victory Saturday at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort during the 50th anniversary season of one of his father's greatest training feats.
David Vance set the bar high for future horsemen with 50 victories in Oaklawn's 50-day 1974 season. His clients including Arkansas native Dan Lasater. Vance became so feared that other trainers would think twice about claiming his horses. Meanwhile, backed by Lasater's deep pockets, he plucked horses from other barns at will. It took the late Cole Norman to break some of his records.
Vance. 83, long in a wheelchair after a near-fatal automobile crash near Cincinnati while returning home from Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., retired last year.
Tommy Vance scored a win in the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders' on Saturday at Oaklawn with Bohemian Bo, a 4-year-old Gentleman's Bet colt owned by Texas breeder Michsel and Linda Mazoch, whose charge earned $83,250.
Vance received program credit for Hillary G's 2021 Rainbow Miss victory for the Mazochs and trainer Austin Gustafson.
"But I only had her for a week," he said, "so this is actually my first stakes win [at Oaklawn] with a horse I've trained all along."
A two-time meet winner and that has won three of six at Oaklawn, Bohemian Bo carried leading rider Cristian Torres to a 1 1/2-length victory in the race for older Arkansas-bred male sprinters. Bohemian Bo led wire to wire over seven opponents in a fast-rated 1:09.90 under sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s.
"He likes this racetrack," Vance said, who added he was confident after early splits of 22.34 and 45.69 seconds. "I thought then he would be really hard to beat."
Starting from post three, the favored winner crossed the wire in 1:09.98 and paid $6.20, $4.20 and $3 in the race named for the career leader in earnings by an Arkansas-bred male horse.
Bohemian Bo has done a lot before he turns 4 by the calendar May 21. Second by 3 1/2 lengths in the Rainbow last April 8, he led every step in a May 6 allowance race over the track with Torres aboard. Kept in training after nine races at 3, the colt was sharp Jan. 6 in the first of two races over a wet track, winning by 4 1/4 lengths with a front-running trip. He could not hold on against open rivals Feb. 3, fading to sixth behind winner Secret Pocket with Justin Leparoux aboard.
"He perked up when he got back to this track," Vance said.
Bohemian Bo avenged his Rainbow defeat to winner King Peanut in his only previous stakes effort. Willow Creek Road, an Oaklawn stakes winner last year around two turns for trainer Mac Robertson, finished a closing second in the Nodouble. Lochmoor, a Jan. 1 meet winner for trainer Bruce Riecken, was third. The Laurie's Rocket 5-year-old is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Weast Hill.
DOWNTHEDUSTYROAD
Kantex beats stablemate
Connie K., a previous stakes winner at Oaklawn, looked home free in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders' on Saturday. The final 16th of a mile proved her undoing as Kantex, her favored stablemate, took the win in the race for Arkansas-bred older female sprinters.
Under Rafael Bejarano's right-handed stick, one Street Strategy runner beat another with Connie K. finishing third in the race for the second straight year. Mozingo, owned by Hot Springs native Jerry Caroom, passed Connie K and Emmanuel Esquivel from outside.
Kaboom Baby, second in the race last March 4 and winner of the $150,000 Natural State Breeders' at one mile last May, finished out of the money under Luis Quinonez for only the fourth time in 18 local starts for trainer Ernie Witt.
A neck in front at the wire, Kantex paid $4.40, $3.20 and $2.80, running six furlongs in 1:11.64.