Street Lute Seeks Redemption in Miss Preakness

Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute (Street Magician) looks to rebound off a third as the 3-5 favorite in Laurel's Beyond The Wire S. Mar. 13 and gain her first graded score in the GIII Miss Preakness S. at Old Hilltop Friday. Reeling off five straight wins from last November through February, including the Laurel's six-furlong Xtra Heat S. in January followed by the seven panel Wide Country S. Feb. 20, the chestnut tried a mile for the first time in the Beyond The Wire, but tired late to finish third, beaten five lengths.

“I've always felt she was a better sprinter. We tried her long just because there was nowhere else to run and you've got to find out sooner or later,” trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “There's a lot of really nice fillies in here. This will be her biggest test, yet I'm sure. You couldn't work any better, you couldn't go into it any better, and we've got home field advantage.”

Robb opted to bypass the 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss S. Apr. 24 and point for the Miss Preakness instead. The filly posted her most recent breeze May 7, going four furlongs in a bullet :46.80 seconds, the fastest of 35 horses going that distance at Pimlico that day.

Doug Scharbauer's Red Ghost (Ghostzapper) kicked off her career in style, winning by 8 1/2 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong off-turf test at the Spa last August but failed to handle the transition to the sod and had to settle for seventh in the Sept. 15 Untapable S. over 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs. Returned to the dirt last time, the Wesley Ward trainee came from off the pace to win at six-furlong Keeneland allowance Apr. 16. John Velazquez, who was aboard last time, returns to the saddle Friday.

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, who won the 2020 Miss Preakness with Wicked Whisper, return this year Abrogate (Outwork), half-length winner of the six-furlong Purple Martin S. Apr. 3 at Oaklawn. Last time out, she ran fifth by 2 1/2 lengths in the seven-furlong GII Eight Belles S. Apr. 30.

“She chased a pretty fast pace in her last race. They went 1:09 for the three-quarters,” Alex Lieblong said. “She was there most of the time right up with the leaders, and it was a quick one. She might be just a six-furlong horse.”

The winner of her first two starts, including a muddy allowance score in Hot Springs Jan. 24, the dark bay finished third in a sloppy renewal of the Dixie Belle S. Feb. 28.

“It's a little quick back,” said Steve Asmussen's assistant, Scott Blasi of the quick turnaround from the Eight Belles, “but she'll appreciate shortening up.”

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‘Horse Whisperer’ Says All Systems Go For Willful Woman In Black-Eyed Susan

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Willful Woman, a 3-year-old daughter of champion Nyquist and half-sister to Grade 3 winner Ever So Clever, will make her return to stakes company in Friday's 97th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Alex Lieblong said the filly, based in Kentucky with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, is being pointed to the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan for sophomore fillies that headlines a program of six stakes, four graded, worth $1 million in purses on the eve of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1).

“[Asmussen] says all systems go on her,” Lieblong said. “I usually get a vibe from him one way or the other and I think he's felt real good how she's trained. She worked the other morning and had a nice work. It was unlike an Asmussen work, although there were only 17 or 18 horses that worked, but she had a nice work there. So, knock on wood, it looks like she's headed that way.”

Willful Woman breezed five furlongs in 59.80 seconds May 2 at Churchill Downs, fastest of 17 horses. It was her first timed work since rebounding from running last of seven in the March 6 Honeybee (G3) by winning an optional claiming allowance April 9, both going 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park.

Purchased for $400,000 as a yearling in August 2019 at Saratoga, Willful Woman's sire was the champion male at 2 and won the 2016 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) and was third in the Preakness at 3. Ever So Clever, also out of the Grade 3-placed mare Foxy Danseur, won the 2017 Fantasy (G3) for Asmussen.

“We think she's a really nice filly. She's just kind of kept growing into herself,” Lieblong said. “She was kind of a big, tall, scopey thing, so to speak, but now she's filling that scope out some so we're tickled pink with the way she's doing.”

Previously in the Black-Eyed Susan, the Lieblongs owned Marathon Lady, a 12-1 long shot who came up a neck short of Bob Baffert-trained winner Fiftyshadesofhay in 2013. They won the 2020 Miss Preakness (G3) with Wicked Whisper. Asmussen in seeking his first Black-Eyed Susan win.

The Lieblongs will be back to defend their title in the $150,000 Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs with the Asmussen-trained Abrogate, most recently fifth in the seven-furlong Eight Belles (G2) April 30 on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard. The 3-year-old Outwork filly has won three of five career starts including the six-furlong Purple Martin Stakes April 3 at Oaklawn.

“If the horse whisperer, Asmussen, says she's ready, then we'll give her a shot,” Lieblong said. “She was right there with the leaders last time, and they went quick. She might be just a six-furlong horse.”

Though Lieblong said they will likely miss Preakness weekend to attend the high school graduation of their granddaughter, they have enjoyed great hospitality in previous trips to Pimlico and always look forward to the racing.

“We always enjoy coming up there if we can, if we've got something that looks like it might fit. Everybody's so friendly up there,” Lieblong, an Arkansas native, resident and businessman who also serves as chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission, said. “I'm looking forward to a year, like everybody is, without all the added drama and hard times.”

G2 Winner Fearless Bound for Pimlico Special (G3) After Saturday Work
WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Grade 2 winner Fearless is headed to the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) on Friday following his half-mile breeze Saturday in New York.

In company with the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) contender Unbridled Honor for Hall of Fame-elect trainer Todd Pletcher, Fearless worked four furlongs over a Belmont Park training track rated fast. Both horses were timed in 49.75 seconds.

Pletcher, still seeking his first career Preakness triumph, won the Pimlico Special in back-to-back years with Revolutionary in 2014 and Commissioner in 2015.

“I thought he worked very well this morning,” Pletcher said, “so he is on target for the Pimlico Special.”

Fearless returned from eight months between races to capture the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) Feb. 27 in his 5-year-old debut. The gelded son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper closed to be second, beaten a half-length, in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 17 at Oaklawn Park.

Irad Ortiz Jr., the three-time defending Eclipse Award winner, was aboard for both starts and retains the mount in the Pimlico Special.

Other horses pointing to the Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up, contested at the Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles, include defending champion Harpers First Ride; Cordmaker, third each of the past two years; Alwaysmining, Last Judgment, Max Player, Modernist, Prioritize and Treasure Trove.

Proxy Breezes Saturday at Fair Hill, $100,000 Sir Barton Remains in Play
Godolphin homebred Proxy, most recently fourth in the Lexington (G3) April 10 at Keeneland, breezed Saturday at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. for his next start, which could come next weekend at Pimlico Race Course.

Proxy worked four furlongs in 49.20 seconds over the main dirt course at Fair Hill, third-fastest of 24 horses. The bay son of Tapit out of the Include mare Panty Raid – all Grade 1 winners – is nominated to the $100,000 Sir Barton for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the undercard of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15.

In his most recent race, Proxy ran fourth in the Lexington (G3) April 10 at Keeneland, his fourth race this year. Proxy made his first three starts at Fair Grounds, finishing second in the LeComte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) before a fourth-place finish behind Hot Rod Charlie in the Louisiana Derby (G2).

Proxy won back-to-back starts at Fair Grounds in November and December after being beaten a neck on debut last October in an off-the-turf maiden event at Monmouth Park.

“He came out of the Lexington in great shape. He ran hard all winter. He ran five times down at the Fair Grounds and then we ran him right back kind of close in the Lexington. We're just giving him a little chance to catch up with himself and freshen him just slightly and look for a summer program for him,” trainer Michael Stidham said.

“We've got him nominated to multiple spots and we haven't really decided on which one,” he added. “Iowa Derby, Ohio Derby, all those different races, and we're not sure which one we're going to go for.”

The fastest half-mile breeze Saturday at Fair Hill was turned in by Proxy's stablemate Micheline, who completed the distance in 48.40 seconds. Godolphin's 4-year-old daughter of champion Bernardini win the 1 1/8-mile Hillsborough (G2) March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs and exits a sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Jenny Wiley (G1) April 10 at Keeneland.

Micheline is nominated to the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf, also part of the Preakness undercard.

“Both horses worked very well at Fair Hill. They're training well and doing well,” Stidham said. “We're looking at some different spots with them but nothing is set in stone yet.”

Stidham said Godolphin's Pixelate, caught in deep stretch and beaten a nose by Corelli in the 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark April 24 at Pimlico, was unlikely to come back in the $250,000 Dinner Party (G2) May 15.

“We're nominated to the Dinner Party but we're most likely not going to run just because it's a little close back,” he said.

Entries for the May 14 Black-Eyed Susan Day program will be taken Sunday, while entries for the May 15 Preakness Day program are due Monday.

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Street Sense’s Windmill Stays Undefeated in Dixie Belle

Windmill, an impressive wire-to-wire debut winner in January at Oaklawn, showed her rating ability and remained unbeaten with a stalk-and-pounce score in the Dixie Belle S. Sunday in Hot Springs.

Breaking on top and never looking back in a four-length victory at 12-1 Jan. 23, the $330,000 Keeneland September buy was made the narrow second choice in this six-horse group and again left the stalls smartly. Taken in hand by Joe Talamo, the bay tracked from the three path in a close-up third as Goin' Good led narrowly through a :22.72 quarter. Pushed on to pick up past the five-sixteenths pole, Windmill poked her head in front of a three-way stretch duel with the frontrunner and favored Abrogate at the furlong grounds and edged away from there to prevail. Goin' Good turned back Abrogate for second money.

With the victory, Windmill becomes the 78th stakes winner for Darley's Street Sense. She is the first black-type performer out of Zaharias, a full-sister to GISW Visionaire and half-sister to GISW Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song), GSW/MGISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike) and GSW Madison's Luna (Tapit). Selling to Nesco II for $270,000 at Keeneland November in 2014, Zaharias is responsible for a juvenile Nyquist colt named Ignitis and returned to that stallion last spring. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

DIXIE BELLE S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 2-28, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.14, sy.
1–WINDMILL, 117, f, 3, by Street Sense
1st Dam: Zaharias, by Grand Slam
2nd Dam: Scarlet Tango, by French Deputy
3rd Dam: Silver Tango, by Silver Badge
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($330,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Fox Hill
Farms, Inc.; B-Nesco II Limited (KY); T-J. Larry Jones; J-Joseph
Talamo. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $139,200.
2–Goin' Good, 117, f, 3, Congrats–Good Deed, by Broken Vow.
O/B-Klein Racing (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $30,000.
3–Abrogate, 119, f, 3, Outwork–Hot Coffee, by Burning Roma.
($75,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $270,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP).
O-Alex & JoAnn Lieblong; B-Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $15,000.
Margins: 1, 1, 5 1/4. Odds: 2.00, 5.60, 1.70.
Also Ran: Big Time, Mariah's Princess, Miss Twenty. Scratched: Heart Full of Soul, Someone Said So.

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‘Just Tickled To Be Able To Race’: Lieblongs Enjoying Early-Season Success At Oaklawn

Prominent Conway, Ark., owner Alex Lieblong said he spent a lot of time late last year at his vacation home in the Florida Keys.

Understandable.

Lieblong, among other things in 2020, broke his foot, contracted coronavirus and as chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission was in the middle of a bitter legal fight to award a casino permit in Pope County.

“I just said, 'I'm going to hide down there,' ” Lieblong said.

Lieblong is back and so are the horses he and wife JoAnn own and now campaign at their home track, Oaklawn, with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

The Lieblongs recorded their first career Oaklawn triple Jan. 24, when Asmussen saddled favorites Earner ($3.80), Willful Woman ($4.20) and unbeaten Abrogate ($3.60) to win races 2, 3 and 8, respectively.

“I felt good and they were training well,” said Alex Lieblong, 70, who watched the races from home. “It was a good day to do it.”

The Lieblongs were Oaklawn's third-leading owners last year with 11 victories and the triple pushed their career total in Hot Springs to 117. They entered the game in the early 1990s and won their first race at Oaklawn in 1999, although JoAnn Lieblong, in partnership, recorded several victories earlier in the decade with noted Little Rock, Ark., owner Patricia Blass.

Now established owners and breeders, the Lieblongs normally keep roughly 20 horses in training – the bulk are now at Oaklawn with Asmussen – and have approximately 14 broodmares at Ocala Stud in Florida, where they stand their Grade 1 winner, The Big Beast.

The trio of Jan. 24 winners were all purchased at auction – Earner for $425,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Willful Woman for $400,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and Abrogate for $270,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Abrogate, who cleared her first allowance condition in the sprint for 3-year-old fillies, is from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Outwork. She is 2 for 2 in her career (both sprints).

“I watched the gallop-out two or three times and it didn't seem like she was just collapsing after the line, I'll put it that way,” Lieblong said, referring to a potential future route attempt. “She's got a good mind and she's not a run off. She was so gorgeous at the sale. To pay that for an Outwork – that was at the outer limits for an Outwork filly, although I think Outwork is going to prove himself to be a pretty nice sire.”

Willful Woman, another 3-year-old filly, is from the first crop of champion Nyquist. She is a half-sister to the Asmussen-trained Ever So Clever, winner of the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies in 2017 at Oaklawn.

Willful Woman was making her third career start after running third twice last fall in Kentucky. She broke her maiden at a mile.

“We knew (Abrogate) was a good filly,” Lieblong said. “The other one needed to show a little something and she did. She's had a growth spurt. I can tell that. She's gotten big, that Willful Woman. I was worried that the mile might be a tick too short for her, but she looked pretty impressive herself.”

The Lieblongs have two other horses at Oaklawn with trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs and another with trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. The Lieblongs also have had a long business relationship with trainer David Fawkes, who is based in south Florida. Skip Intro, a 3-year-old half-brother to 2020 male sprint champion Whitmore, is with Moquett. The trainer also conditions Whitmore, a seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner.

The Jan. 24 triple vaulted the Lieblongs into the top spot in the Oaklawn owner's standings after the first three days of the scheduled 57-day meeting. They have at least one victory at every Oaklawn meet since 2001, including a career-best 12 in 2019. The Lieblongs were Oaklawn's third-leading owners in 2019.

“I always remember David Fawkes telling me one time that everything can be going so good and then all of sudden somebody just kind of rolls a hand grenade down the center of your barn,” Lieblong said on the eve of 2021 Oaklawn meeting. “I thought, 'That's about like it is.' About the time you think you have things lined up, here comes the hand grenade. We're just tickled to be able to race. You've got to hand it to Oaklawn to get it done. They've jumped through a lot of hoops to get it done.”

Oaklawn raced, uninterrupted, through the COVID-19 crisis last year, though without spectators for the final 29 dates of the 57-day meeting. Oaklawn's 2021 meeting began Jan. 22 with limited spectators, owing to Arkansas Department of Health guidelines.

In addition to The Big Beast, the Lieblongs have campaigned Grade 1 winners Wicked Whisper, Embellish the Lace and Telling, Grade 2 winners I Spent It and High Dollar Woman and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Spring Included. They still race Bye Bye J, another multiple local stakes winner who is scheduled to make her 2021 debut Feb. 4 at Oaklawn. Bye Bye J is among the top Arkansas-bred female money winners in history. The Lieblongs also raced millionaire Duke of Mischief, winner of the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in 2010, in partnership with Fawkes and the horse's breeder, Marilyn McMaster.

Alex Lieblong heads Lieblong & Associates, Inc., a financial advisory firm in Little Rock, Ark.

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