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Jockey David Cabrera In Pursuit Of First Oaklawn Riding Title

Agent Joe Santos has been on the backside this week at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., laying the groundwork for David Cabrera's chase to win his first local riding title after finishing second to perennial champion Ricardo Santana Jr. in 2018 and 2021.

“That's what we're here for,” Santos said during training hours Monday morning. “That's our goal again this year. We're here to try to win the meet. Every meet we go to, that's kind of a goal. That's what he does. He wins a lot of races. We're always trying to win more than anybody else.”

Cabrera is now based at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., where he is the runaway leader in the standings. Although Remington's meet ends Dec. 17, Santos said Cabrera only will miss one racing day next month at Oaklawn, which opens its expanded 66-day live season Dec. 3. Oaklawn's earliest meet opening in history will feature 10 December racing dates, all Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Santos said Cabrera will ride at Remington on Oaklawn's off days. The only racing day Cabrera is scheduled to miss at Oaklawn is Dec. 17, when the jockey returns to Remington for its stakes-heavy card, highlighted by the $400,000 Springboard Mile for 2-year-olds.

“We've got the favorite in all five stakes, it looks like,” Santos said. “Can't miss that.”

Following a one-year absence, Cabrera set single-season personal local bests for mounts (377), victories (62), and purse earnings ($3,395,649) during the 2021 Oaklawn meeting that ended in May. Cabrera won two stakes – $150,000 King Cotton for older sprinters aboard Boldor for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and the $150,000 Rainbow Miss for 3-year-old Arkansas-bred female sprinters aboard Hillary G. The Rainbow Miss was the first career stakes victory for trainer Tommy Vance of Hot Springs.

Cabrera then finished second-leading rider at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, and had 83 victories at Remington Park, through Thursday, to surpass 1,500 for his career. Cabrera also cracked $7 million in purse earnings for the first time in his career in 2021.

“He knows how to win,” Santos said.

Coinciding with Oaklawn's December opening is a truncated race week, with racing normally conducted Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in 2021-2022. Normally, Cabrera is among the most active jockeys on the grounds.

“Honestly, with the way our business is set up, it seems like a good thing for us,” Santos said. “Thus far, we've got a lot of business with a lot of people we're hoping to ride for and given us some calls. I'm not necessarily sure how it plays out for everybody else, but from our standpoint, I think it's looking pretty good.”

Santos said he believes Cabrera's prominent training clients will include Ron Moquett of Hot Springs, Kenny McPeek, and John Ortiz.

“David, he's never really angered anyone that I know of, so I feel like we can ride for everybody,” Santos said. “That's kind of the goal. Just to try to ride the right horses in the right races and try to keep everybody happy. They know that they're going to get effort from him. From me, I'm going to try and be as prepared as possible on knowing what's going in what races. Hopefully, it just leads to a lot of success.”

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Cabrera rode 43 winners at Oaklawn in 2018, his Hot Springs debut, and 12 in 2019 before wintering at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas in 2020.

Santos also will represent 2021 Prairie Meadows leading apprentice Kylee Jordan during the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting and said he hopes to lure another journeyman, a nationally prominent rider, to Hot Springs in January.

Cabrera and Jordan are among seven jockeys across the country Santos represents in late November.

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Colonial Downs To Feature Three Stakes On Monday Card

A trio of open turf stakes highlight Monday's nine-race card at Colonial Downs as the New Kent, Va., track ushers in week number two of its summer racing season on the heels of a record-breaking handle during opening week.

The $150,000 Buckland Stakes, to be run at 1 1/16 miles, attracted a ten-horse field, eight of which have earned $190,000 or more. The $100,000 Andy Guest Stakes for fillies & mares lured a dozen entrants and the $100,000 Da Hoss has an impressive seven-horse field. The final pair will be contested at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Godolphin, LLC's Pixelate, with wins this past year in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, Woodchopper, and Prince George County Stakes, is the early 7-2 choice in the Buckland. The 4-year-old City Zip colt also finished a respectable fifth in January's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The Kentucky-bred has five wins overall, six seconds, and three thirds with $493,350 in earnings. Pixelate is trained by Michael Stidham and will be ridden by Joe Bravo.

WSS Racing and Hooties Racing, LLC's Mr. Dumas, next at 4-1, has been idle since last October when he was best in a Keeneland Race Course grass allowance. The John Ortiz trainee also prevailed in a 2020 Churchill Downs allowance and finished a close second in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Race Course last July. In 2019, Mr. Dumas captured the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old Majesticperfection horse has accumulated $358,479 in earnings from 14 starts. He will be ridden by Julian Pimentel.

Blackout Racing's Megacity, third early favorite at 9-2, is fresh off a pair of turf allowance wins at Belmont Park and Monmouth Park. The Michael Tomlison trainee was bred in Kentucky by Virginian Maggie Bryant, who recently passed away. Joe Rocco Jr. will be in the irons.

Team Valor International's Beantown Baby, looking for her fourth straight win, headlines the Andy Guest Stakes field. The 5-year-old Artie Shiller mare returns to Virginia after recent convincing turf sprint wins at Delaware Park and Pimlico Race Course, and another at Laurel Park last July. The Arnaud Delacour trainee captured a maiden claiming race in New Kent in 2019. Mychel Sanchez will ride on Monday.

John Kerber, Iveta Kerber, and Jon Lapczenski's Ain't No Elmers is the second choice at 4-1 and is fresh off a solid gate-to-wire performance in a Churchill Downs dirt allowance. The 4-year-old Goldencents filly was runner-up in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes in 2020. She has only made one turf start in 13 career outs. Ain't No Elmers is trained by Bret Calhoun and will be ridden by Adam Beschizza.

Six of the seven Da Hoss entrants have a bankroll of $220,000-plus including Michelle Lovell and Griffon Farm's Just Might, the 9-5 early favorite. The 5-year-old Justin Phillip gelding captured the Mighty Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs last out and earlier this year, powered home to a five-length win in the Colonel Power Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. In 2020, Just Might was stakes placed in a pair of Grade 2's — the Woodford Stakes and Twin Spires Turf Sprint. In all, he has bankrolled $400,309. Colby Hernandez will ride.

Ed Orr and Susie Orr's Virginia-bred Boldor, conditioned by Steve Asmussen, is the early second choice at 7-2. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding prevailed in the King Cotton and Sam's Town Stakes earlier this year at Oaklawn Park and Delta Downs in back-to-back starts. Jockey Sheldon Russell gets the call Monday.

Jim and Susan Hill's Holiday Stone, the top money earner in the field with $521,159, is the third early pick. The 7-year-old Harlan's Holiday horse has a turf allowance victory in each of the last three years. Feargal Lynch will ride for trainer George Weaver.

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First post on Monday is 1:45 PM. The Da Hoss is the fourth race on the card followed by the Andy Guest (Race 7) and Buckland Stakes (Race 8). For the opening race week that ran from July 19-21, Colonial handled a combined $7,100,435.

Colonial Downs also presents its first-ever online Handicapping Challenge on Monday. Two seats to the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship and one entry into the 2021 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge are up for grabs. Details are at colonialdowns.com/wagering.

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Familiar Foes Completed Pass, Hollis Clash Again In Jim McKay Turf Sprint

Robert D. Bone's Completed Pass is a neck away from being a two-time champion of the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint.

Saturday on the Preakness day card at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., the 7-year-old gelding will attempt to get back to the winner's circle in the five-furlong race when he starts in it for the third time. Named for the late Hall of Fame sportscaster Jim McKay, the Turf Sprint is for 3-year-olds and up.

After winning the Jim McKay by a length in 2019, Completed Pass lost the 2020 version by a neck to Hollis, who is also entered this year.

Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Maryland's leading trainer for the past four years, Completed Pass is an Indiana-bred son of Pass Rush that has won two of three career starts at Pimlico, Overall, he has four wins, three seconds and two thirds in 12 career starts on grass.

In his only start this year, Completed Pass won the King Leatherbury – a race named for Maryland's legendary and still active Hall of Fame horseman – on April 24th. He was ridden in that race by Angel Cruz, who will be on board Completed Pass for the fifth straight time on Saturday.

“He came back and ran a really nice race the last time,” Gonzalez said. “He proved he still can compete with the top ones.”

Completed Pass definitely has the home course advantage with his two wins in three starts on the grass at Pimlico.

“I do believe it is an advantage because he knows the course and he likes the track,” Gonzalez said. “He proved he loves it.”

The biggest obstacle facing Completed Pass could be the post. He will start from the far outside 13 post position.

Boldor, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, has a win and a second in three career starts on grass. In his last start, on turf course labeled good April 155 at Keeneland, Boldor finished second in a 5-½ furlong allowance race.

A 5-year-old son of Munnings, Boldor has done most of his running on dirt. In 13 starts on dirt, he has four wins, two seconds and a third. Six of his starts have been on off tracks where he has two wins and two seconds.

“He tries hard every time,” Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi said. “Hopefully, he gets a good trip.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Boldor from Post 1. He is the fourth different rider the gelding will have this year.

Also entered for the Jim McKay are 8-year-old Dubini, based at Parx Racing with six wins in 24 starts on the grass; Ron Moquett-trained Firecrow, who has shown speed on the dirt but is winless in two starts on grass; first-time turf starter Grab the Gold, another that has shown speed on the dirt; Hollis, who gets the services of three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.; Laurel Park based 7-year-old Jammer, a winner of five of 22 career starts on grass; 7-year-old Love You Much, winless in his last seven starts over two years; Push To Start, making his grass debut after two wins and three thirds on dirt; Robey's Boy, fifth in the King Leatherbury in his second start of 2021; So Street, a non-factor when finishing eighth in the King Leatherbury; The Connector, winner of four of nine turf tries; and The Critical Way, a winner of three of nine starts at the Jim McKay distance.

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Boldor Rallies Wide In The Slop For King Cotton Victory At Oaklawn

Ed and Susie Orr's Boldor is now two for two on the year after securing his second straight stakes victory in Saturday's $150,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. He was coming off a victory in the Sam's Town Stakes at Delta Downs Jan. 4.

Breaking from post five of six under jockey David Cabrera, Boldor settled into fourth place early as Mr. Jagermeister grabbed the early lead through fractions of :22.52 and :45.78 for the first half mile, while being pressed the whole way by Seven Nation Army. The winner came four wide into the stretch and kicked in late to wear down his rivals for the one-length victory in 1:09.86 for six furlongs over a sloppy track. Seven Nation Army finished a neck in front of Mr. Jagermeister for second.

“I thought I was going to be a little bit more off of it,” Cabrera said. “He broke really sharp. I just let him get comfortable. Pick a spot. He responded to me really good down the lane. I'm pretty happy that (trainer) Steve (Asmussen) gave me the opportunity, that's for sure.”

Grade 2 winner Flagstaff, the 11-10 favorite, finished fourth. He was followed by Strike Power and Mucho.

“I just couldn't get him going,” jockey Florent Geroux said of Flagstaff. “He was just out-paced. I don't know if he didn't like the track. I just couldn't get him going. He was lost and I was riding really hard. Made a nice finish at the end, buy just had too much to do.”

Boldeo, a 5-year-old Munnings gelding, improved his record to 5-2-1 in 14 starts and has now earned $335,197. He returned $21.60, $6.80 and $4 at odds of 9-1.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a special 12:30 first post to accommodate fans wishing to be home in time to watch the Super Bowl.

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