March, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

As Time Goes By, Merneith Retired

Leading Southern California dirt mares As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) and Merneith (American Pharoah) have been retired from racing, trainer Bob Baffert told Daily Racing Form.

Twice a Grade II winner last year as a 4-year-old, Coolmore's As Time Goes By retires on a three-race winning streak and picked up the first Grade I victory of her career last out in the Beholder Mile S. Mar. 5 at Santa Anita. A half-sister to Grade I winners Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song) and Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy) out of MGISW and champion broodmare Take Charge Lady (Dehere), she retires with a record of 14-7-3-1 and earnings of $955,600 and is slated to be bred to Into Mischief.

“Mares like that, from such a powerful family, they're so valuable,” Baffert told DRF regarding As Time Goes By. “I could have kept her [to race], but after she won the Grade I, they retired her to breed her.”

Merneith, a $600,000 OBS March purchase in 2019, was a stakes winner at three and earned successes in back-to-back renewals of the GII Santa Monica S. in 2021 and earlier this year. She retires with a record of 12-5-4-2 and earnings of $493,620. Breeding plans for the HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud-owned bay are yet to be determined.

Baffert also told DRF that GI La Brea S. heroine Kalypso (Brody's Cause) has been transferred out of his barn to a trainer at Oaklawn.

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Jockey Vazquez To Shift Tack To Southern California

Bill Castle said in early March that jockey Ramon Vazquez would be making a major circuit change in 2022. Castle, who is Vazquez's agent, just wasn't sure the direction.

“Could be north,” Castle said. “Could be south, could be east, could be west.”

A post-Oaklawn fixture in recent years at Prairie Meadows, Lone Star Park and Remington Park, Vazquez is heading west, specifically to Southern California, where he will begin riding regularly at Santa Anita April 9, Castle said Sunday morning.

Castle was originally planning to send Vazquez to Kentucky, then New York, after the Oaklawn meeting ended May 8. But the direction changed when Southern California stalwarts Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli announced in early March that they would be relocating to New York.

“We're doing it,” Castle said. “We're all in. We're looking forward to it. I think that they'll realize that this is a rider that likes to get up in the morning. He goes out and works his five, six, seven because he loves it. He loves to do it. He enjoys this business. So, I think they're going to see a very happy, very lightweight rider, that weighs 112. I think they're going to be thrilled.”

Castle said Vazquez's final day as a regular this season at Oaklawn is April 3. Vazquez is scheduled to ride Un Ojo in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1), Dream Lith in the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) and Mo Mosa in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) April 2 and Lone Rock in the $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes April 3.

Castle said he will continue to represent 2019 Oaklawn riding champion David Cohen (Kentucky and New York) and, hopefully, 7-pound apprentice Erick Medellin (next venue undecided) after the Oaklawn meeting ends. Castle said he will immediately be on the ground in Southern California to hustle business for Vazquez.

“We're flying together and our two cars are being flat bedded out there,” Castle said. “We're all in.”

Vazquez's geographical U-turn coincides with a major business uptick in the last year.

Vazquez, 38, gained national attention as the regular rider of marathon specialist Lone Rock, a millionaire multiple Grade 2 winner for 2020 Oaklawn training champion Robertino Diodoro, and scored his most lucrative career victory to date in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) aboard one-eyed Un Ojo, a 75-1 long shot, Feb. 26 at Oaklawn.

In addition to the $400,000 Brooklyn Stakes (G2) at 1 ½ miles last June at Belmont Park and $250,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) at 1 5/8 miles Nov. 6 at Del Mar (both aboard Lone Rock), Vazquez's other major 2021 victories included the $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer and $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3) at Indiana Grand and the $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) at Lone Star. Vazquez also won the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs aboard Dream Lith for Diodoro.

Vazquez entered Sunday with 34 victories at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting, including the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares Feb. 12 aboard Miss Bigly for trainer Phil D'Amato.

Castle said D'Amato and Richard Baltas are among the Southern California-based trainers expected to use Vazquez. Diodoro said Sunday morning that he will have about 12 horses this summer at Del Mar, adding Vazquez will be his “main guy.”

“I just hope and pray that they (trainers) give him support,” Castle said. “Give him the opportunity, he'll deliver. He's hungry, he wants to do it, he's looking forward to doing it and he deserves the opportunity because of the two derbies, the Brooklyn, all the things that he achieved. It's a lot. That was a very good year last year and he continued this year, Thank God.”

Vazquez has almost 3,400 victories and more than $63 million in purse earnings in his career, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. He rode his first career winner in 2002 in Puerto Rico and began riding in the United States in 2011. Vazquez has ridden each season at Oaklawn since 2012 and entered Sunday with 383 career victories in Hot Springs.

Castle said it's too early to know if Vazquez will return to Oaklawn next season.

“Great question,” Castle said. “It's going to depend on California.”

Ramon Vazquez guides Un Ojo to 75-1 upset in Rebel Stakes Feb. 26 at Oaklawn

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Star Filly Secret Oath Among Nine For Arkansas Derby

It's official. The girl will be taking on the boys for the first time in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2 at Oaklawn.

Multiple stakes winner Secret Oath was among nine horses entered Sunday for the Arkansas Derby, which is Oaklawn's final major prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Arkansas Derby will go as the 12th of 13 races, with probable post time 6:35 p.m. (CT). First post April 2 is noon.

The Arkansas Derby will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

Secret Oath, who drew post 6, has dominated 3-year-old fillies at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting, winning her three starts by a combined 23 lengths for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and breeder/owner Briland Farm (Robert and Stacy Mitchell).

After securing a spot in the Kentucky Oaks – the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies – with a 7 ½-length victory in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 26, Lukas began targeting the Arkansas Derby, which he won in 1984 and 1985.

Lukas won the 1984 Arkansas Derby with Althea, a week after she finished second in the Fantasy. Lukas finished third in the 1986 Arkansas Derby with another filly, Family Style, a week after she finished fourth in the Fantasy. Althea and Family Style were both Eclipse Award winners at 2. He won the 1985 edition with Tank's Prospect.

The projected Arkansas Derby field from the rail out: Kavod, Mitchell Murrill to ride, 122 pounds; Chasing Time, Jose Lezcano, 122; Barber Road, Reylu Gutierrez, 122; Doppelganger, John Velazquez, 122; Un Ojo, Ramon Vazquez, 122; Secret Oath, Luis Contreras, 117; Ben Diesel, Jon Court, 122; Cyberknife, Florent Geroux, 122; and We the People, Flavien Prat, 122.

Barber Road had his final workout for the Arkansas Derby over a fast track Sunday morning for trainer John Ortiz.

Barber Road breezed after the surface renovation break, covering a half-mile in :49.40 under exercise rider Elexander Aguilar. Clockers caught Barber Road in :25.20 for his opening quarter and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:01.80. Barber Road worked by himself Sunday after breezing in company leading up to his prior starts this year.

“We were just doing maintenance work with him,” Ortiz said. “He's more than fit. He's run over this course three times already. We drilled him pretty hard going into his last race. We know he can get the distance; we know he's fit as can be and there nothing else that I can do, except to just keep him happy and on his toes. It's funny. Turning him around to go to his workout, he gave us a little Lipizzan leap in front of the grandstand. So, he's on his toes.”

Barber Road, who races for former Walmart executive William Simon, was breezing for the second time since finishing third, beaten a half-length, in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26. The Rebel was Oaklawn's final major prep for the Arkansas Derby.

The consistent Barber Road finished second in Oaklawn's first two Kentucky Derby points races – $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 mile Jan. 1 and $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29 – and has never finished worse than fourth in his seven-race career. Barber Road ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 18 points, according to Churchill Downs. A top four finish in the Arkansas Derby likely would secure Barber Road a spot in the Kentucky Derby.

Also returning from the Rebel are Un Ojo, Kavod, Chasing Time and Ben Diesel, the 1-4-5-8 finishers, respectively, while We the People is unbeaten in two career starts at the meeting for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Cyberknife was a sharp allowance winner Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds in his last start for two-time reigning Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox.

The Southern California-based Doppelganger had been with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – a four-time Arkansas Derby winner – before being moved earlier this week to Tim Yakteen, a former assistant. Doppelganger exits a runner-up finish in his two-turn debut, the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2), March 5 at Santa Anita.

Call Me Jamal, a two-time winner at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting, wasn't entered in the Arkansas Derby after emerging from a 6-furlong work Sunday morning with a physical issue.

In addition to the Arkansas Derby and $600,000 Fantasy (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, post positions also were drawn Sunday for two other April 2 stakes races – $400,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses and the $200,000 Carousel for fillies and mares at 6 furlongs. A third stakes race scheduled April 2, the $150,000 Temperence Hill for older horses at 1 ½ miles, will be brought back April 3 after not filling.

Dream Lith, Magic Circle, Eda and Yuugiri were among nine entered in the Fantasy.

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Fanning Remembers The Last Lion

Group 1 winner and former sire The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) sustained a fatal injury in a six-furlong all-weather handicap at Kempton Park on Saturday. A winner of the Brocklesby in 2016, the bay was eight.

The Last Lion enjoyed a rigorous campaign in his 2-year-old year, and after winning the Brocklesby in early April, ran second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, his fourth start of the year. Successful in the Listed Dragon S. later that summer, he then reported home second in the G3 Molecomb S. in July and dropped to third in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York. He added the G3 Sirenia S. over the Kempton all-weather in September, and was second in the G2 Flying Childers S. back at Doncaster. Sent to Newmarket for the first time, the colt won the G1 Middle Park S. by three-quarters of a length.

“It was sad and he didn't deserve that,” said jockey Joe Fanning. “Coming round the bend it just happened quickly, it was one of those things.

“He was moving OK and just on the bend, I wasn't 100% happy then he just went. It was one of those things and you couldn't blame the track or anything like that.”

The Barronstown Stud and Mrs. T. Stack-bred retired to stud for the 2017 season at Darley's Kildangan Stud in Ireland. The Last Lion was later moved to Hedgeholme Stud. His fertility decreased and he was gelded. From just 96 foals over four crops, he had sired 49 runners and 16 winners, with one black-type placed horse to date. Prior to Saturday's engagement, he had been brought back in the spring of 2021 and made three more starts for trainers Mark and Charlie Johnston.

“He was a great horse and he was my first Group 1 winner,” the rider continued. “He was a lovely gentleman of a horse, he was good to do anything with. As a 2-year-old he was a tough horse, he won the Brocklesby then he had about 10 races that year. He was tough as old boots.

“He just seemed to get better the more racing he had as a 2-year-old. That day at Newmarket was great, I wouldn't have retired happy if I hadn't ridden a Group 1 winner, so that was a bit of a relief that day–he was a lovely horse.

“He was an old gentleman and it is sad it has ended like that. He was rusty the first couple of runs since he came back, he missed the kick a couple of times and he was never like that before. He seemed to sharpen up a bit and seemed to be enjoying life.”

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