John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, Ark. set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings by an owner when Plainsman finished third in Saturday's $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses.
Plainsman, who is trained by two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, collected $100,000 to push Anthony's purse earnings at the meet to $1,810,587, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Saturday marked Day 59 of the scheduled 66-day meeting (Dec. 3-May 8).
M and M Racing (Mike and Mickala Sisk) set Oaklawn's previous single-season record for purse earnings by an owner ($1,782,351) in 2019.
Anthony, who races under the Shortleaf Stable banner, was poised to break the record after Greatheart earned $54,000 with a maiden special weights victory Friday for trainer John Ortiz. That purse money boosted Anthony's meet total to $1,710,587, meaning he needed a top three finish by Plainsman – Shortleaf's lone entrant Saturday – to eclipse M and M Racing.
Saturday's milestone came two months after Anthony established a record for career victories by an owner at Oaklawn, 270, when the Ortiz-trained Rolling Fork captured an Arkansas-bred allowance race Feb. 26. The late Sharon Hild recorded 269 victories at Oaklawn. Greatheart represented Anthony's 276th Oaklawn victory and meet-high 16th in 2021-2022.
“He's had an incredible meet and I'm sure he's sad to see it coming to end,” Cox said late Saturday afternoon. “Big meet for him, earnings-wise and win total. Obviously, supported Arkansas racing for a long, long time and he deserves to be a leading owner.”
An octogenarian, Anthony recorded his first Oaklawn victory Feb. 16, 1972. Then racing as Loblolly Stable, Anthony topped all owners in purse earnings at Oaklawn in 1980 ($289,230), 1981 ($281,831), 1987 ($547,810), 1991 ($400,877), 1992 ($597,152) and 1993 ($618,789), according to the track's media guide.
M and M Racing also set a single-season record for victories by an owner in 2019 (61), with its vast operation built largely on the claim box. M and M
Racing started a staggering 220 horses during the 57-day meeting in 2019. Conversely, Plainsman represented Anthony's 70th starter at the 2021-2022 meeting.
In addition to 16 victories, Anthony has 10 seconds and 10 thirds. He also tops all owners at the meet in stakes victories (three). Plainsman won the $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Feb. 12. Gar Hole became the meet's first four-time winner with a victory in the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders' for Arkansas-bred sprinters March 5 and Whelen Springs won the $150,000 Rainbow for 3-year-old Arkansas-bred sprinters April 9. Ortiz trains Gar Hole and Whelen Springs.
Shortleaf entered Sunday as the nation's third-leading owner this year in purse earnings with $1,724,450, according to Equibase.
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