Month: March 2023

After winning his March 16 comeback at Oaklawn, trainer Kenny McPeek said Smile Happy would likely make his next start in the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles April 22.

Instead, Smile Happy is among seven older horses entered in Saturday's $400,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3). Probable post time for the Oaklawn Mile, which goes as the fifth of 13 races, is 2:32 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 12:30 p.m.

Smile Happy will be cutting back to a mile after capturing an allowance race last month at 1 1/8 miles, which marked his first start since finishing eighth in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

“I can't tell you I'm absolutely thrilled with the switch in the distance, but the horse is tricky to train,” McPeek said. “I would almost rather run him than trying to figure out how to get him to work out. We're still looking at the Oaklawn Handicap. He's a really nice horse to be around, but he's tricky to train. He'll gallop the wrong way real well and some days he gallops perfectly and some days he says, 'Not today.' A bit of a challenge, but high level talent. He's not the first horse that was ever like this. He won't be the last.”

The projected Oaklawn Mile field from the rail out: Smile Happy, Francisco Arrieta to ride, 121 pounds, 9-5 on the morning line; Necker Island, Mitchell Murrill, 117, 15-1; Hero Status, Cristian Torres, 117, 12-1; Silver Prospector, Tyler Gaffalione, 121, 8-1; Caddo River, Ricardo Santana Jr., 121, 4-1; Atoka, Mickaelle Michel, 117, 20-1; and Hopper, John Velazquez, 117, 7-5.

Smile Happy was among the country's leading Kentucky Derby prospects last year after winning both starts 2, including the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles, by a combined 8 ¾ lengths.

After finishing second in two major Kentucky Derby preps to open his 3-year-old campaign, Smile Happy didn't run again in 2022 after being beaten 10 lengths by Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby. McPeek said he decided to stop on Smile Happy because of bone bruising and point the son of champion Runhappy to a 4-year-old campaign.

Smile Happy recorded a 1 ¼-length victory in his comeback, covering 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy track in a meet-best 1:48.95.

“Looks like he's well drawn in there,” McPeek said. “Looks like he'll be tough in there, but I do think I would rather have the extra eighth of a mile. But he's the kind of horse that could win anyway.”

After finishing second in 2020 (Improbable) and 2022 (Cezanne), Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert bids for his first Oaklawn Mile victory with Hopper, the Southern California-based program favorite.

Hopper, who removes blinkers, will be cutting back to a mile after finishing fourth in the $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) for older horses at 1 ¼ miles March 4 at Santa Anita. The Oaklawn Mile will be Hopper's first start outside California.

“Hopper, he's a big, strong horse,” Baffert said. “There's nothing here for a little bit in California. I want to see how he ships. It's a good purse and he's a two-turn kind of horse. I would have liked to have drawn on the inside there, but he's got a lot of speed for a big, powerful horse.”

Hopper recorded his biggest career victory to date in the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles last June at Santa Anita. He also finished second, beaten a length by Newgrange, in the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles Jan. 28 at Santa Anita. The San Pasqual marked Hopper's first start since the Affirmed.

“The break is so important, being on the outside there,” Baffert said, referring to the Oaklawn Mile. “He needs to break well. Like I said, he has speed. He's quick. He's a super thick, massive horse, but he's light on his feet.”

Caddo River returns to stakes company after winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance race Feb. 25 at Oaklawn in his first start for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Caddo River, a homebred for Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony, won the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 mile in 2021 at Oaklawn for trainer Brad Cox.

“Caddo, that's his thing,” Lukas said. “Let's put it this way: A mile is very much in his wheelhouse. I mean it really is probably, the little I've been able to evaluate him and everything, I think that's his best distance.”

Necker Island (trainer Chris Hartman) and Silver Prospector (Steve Asmussen) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in last year's Oaklawn Mile.

The post ‘Tricky To Train’ Smile Happy Cuts Back In Distance For Saturday’s Oaklawn Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin LLC's homebred Wet Paint can become just the second horse to sweep what are now Oaklawn's three Kentucky Oaks points races with a victory in Saturday's $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

Probable post time for the Fantasy, the 10th of 13 races, is 5:35 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 12:30 p.m. The Fantasy will offer 200 points to the top five finishers (100-40-30-20-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

Program favorite Wet Paint (70 points) has already secured a spot in the Kentucky Oaks after winning Oaklawn's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28 and the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25. Only one horse, Eight Belles in 2008, has swept the Martha Washington (second division), Honeybee and Fantasy.

The projected 10-horse Fantasy field from the rail out: She's Lookin Lucky, Cristian Torres to ride, 119 pounds, 5-2 on the morning line; Grand Love, Tyler Gaffalione, 119, 8-1; Towhead, Isaac Castillo, 119, 10-1; Taxed, Rafael Bejarano, 119, 30-1; Take Charge Briana, Reylu Gutierrez, 119, 20-1; Wet Paint, Flavien Prat, 122, 8-5; Pate, Florent Geroux, 119, 20-1; Royal Spa, Ricardo Santana Jr., 119, 4-1; Olivia Twist, David Cabrera, 122, 20-1; and Condensation, Francisco Arrieta, 119, 10-1.

Wet Paint, a daughter of champion and 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame, is perfect in three career starts on dirt. All three races, including the Martha Washington and Honeybee, have been around two turns and over off tracks.

Wet Paint rallied from 10th after three-quarters of a mile in the Honeybee, storming to the lead just inside the sixteenth pole under Prat. Wet Paint received a Beyer Speed Figure of 83 for her three-length Honeybee victory after generating a 67 for her Oct. 26 maiden victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis and a retroactively adjusted 83 for the Martha Washington.

“Her works have been impressive throughout the winter on a fast track, so I'm optimistic that she'll be as good on a fast track as she is on a wet track,” trainer Brad Cox said. “It looks the like the race dynamics could play in her favor, based off the (past performances) and how much speed appears to be the race. We obviously don't know until they run the opening quarter, opening half, but I like what I see.”

The Fantasy also brings back Condensation, Grand Love, Towhead, Take Charge Briana, Olivia Twist and Taxed, 2-3-5-7-8-9, respectively, in the Honeybee.

Condensation, at odds of 21-1, set the pace in the Honeybee before being overhauled by Wet Paint. Condensation was a front-running winner of her previous start, a first-level allowance at 1 mile Feb. 11 at Oaklawn, for trainer Chris Hartman.

“She ran a respectable race off a two-week layoff,” Hartman said, referring to the Honeybee. “Hopefully, we can get this thing penciled in the right way. She's running good, so we'll see what happens.”

Grand Love, beaten 3 ¾ lengths, was making her first start since finishing sixth in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 4 at Keeneland for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“She's always been so impressive to train,” Asmussen said. “I like the fact that she finally settled a little bit, and I think she got plenty out of it (Honeybee). And we'll go from there. She deserves this opportunity.”

Take Charge Briana adds blinkers and switches to newly minted Fair Grounds riding champion Reylu Gutierrez for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and owner Willis Horton Racing (Kevin Horton of Marshall, Ark.). Take Charge Briana finished fourth in the Martha Washington, seventh in the Honeybee and second, beaten a neck, in a March 19 allowance race at 1 1/16 miles.

“We know she's fit,” Lukas said. “A successful day for her would be if we could run third. We'll try to get that black type on a very expensive filly, so we're going to try something different.”

New shooters include lightly raced Royal Spa for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who saddled Yuugiri to win last year's Fantasy, and She's Lookin Lucky for trainer Matt Shirer.

Royal Spa, a daughter of Violence, won her career debut sprinting Nov. 18 at Churchill Downs, then stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) Dec. 3 at Aqueduct in her next start and finished fourth, beaten 4 ¾ lengths. Royal Spa resurfaced in a first-level allowance sprint March 2 at Oaklawn and drew off by 1 ¾ lengths under Santana. She tries two turns again Saturday.

“I loved what I saw the other day,” Brisset said. “Based on her works and her maturation, I was kind of hoping to see a different horse and I think we did. She stuck in a pocket, in :21 and change, :45 and change, I think, and when the hole opened, she just exploded. And she needed the race, too. I love this spot for her.”

She's Lookin Lucky broke her maiden by 13 ¼ lengths in a 1 mile and 70-yard off-the-turf event Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds and finished second, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Punchbowl, in an entry-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles March 5 at Oaklawn. Punchbowl (2 for 2) is a stablemate of Wet Paint and being pointed to the $600,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) at 1 1/16 miles April 7 at Keeneland, Cox said.

“She's usually forwardly placed,” said Shirer, seeking his first career graded stakes victory. “The last two races I ran her, she's been pretty close up. Drawing the rail is a little bit tough, so we've just got to work out a trip. There's plenty of speed in there, so just got to be careful of that. Just need a clean trip, really.”

After winning the Martha Washington, Honeybee and Fantasy, Eight Belles finished second against males in the Kentucky Derby. Will's Secret, campaigned by the now-deceased Willis Horton, won the Martha Washington and Honeybee in 2021 before running third in the Ashland and Kentucky Oaks.

Secret Oath scored runaway victories in last year's Martha Washington and Honeybee before tackling males in Oaklawn's $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Secret Oath finished third in the Arkansas Derby before winning the Kentucky Oaks in her next start for Lukas.

The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles is May 5 at Churchill Downs.

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