GIII Southwest S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Oaklawn Shuffles Cards Due to Cancellations; Southwest Now Scheduled Feb. 3

Oaklawn Park, forced to cancel a number of race dates this month–including this coming weekend's live racing–due to winter weather, has moved the entire GIII Southwest S. card to Saturday, Feb. 3. A GI Kentucky Derby points race, the $800,000 Southwest is worth 20 points to the winner and points on a scale of 10-6-4-2 to the second- through fifth-place finishers. Although the Southwest was originally scheduled for Jan. 27 and racing is currently scheduled for that date, several stakes races have been reshuffled at the Hot Springs oval due to the cancellations.

All three Southwest undercard black-type events have also been moved to Feb. 3. They include the Martha Washington S. for 3-year-old fillies offering points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis toward the GI Kentucky Oaks, as well as the American Beauty S. for filles and mares three and up and the King Cotton S. for horses three and up.

“The Southwest and Martha Washington are important preps for our 3-year-old stakes program,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “They are also important points races for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. It is important for our horsemen to have ample opportunities to train their horses properly for the races. Not only has this winter weather forced us to cancel racing, but our horsemen have also missed some training days.”

The Southwest will join three other 20-point Derby preps also scheduled for Feb. 3: the GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct, the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita, and the GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream. The entire Southwest card will be drawn Sunday, Jan. 28 with the same races originally listed in the condition book for Jan. 27.

The GIII Bayakoa S., originally scheduled for Feb. 3, has been bumped back to Feb. 2 to accommodate the new schedule. In addition, the listed Fifth Season S., originally set for this Saturday, Jan. 20, will now be run Jan. 27. It will be redrawn.

Live racing at Oaklawn is scheduled to resume next Friday, Jan. 26 with a first post at 12:30 p.m. CST.

The post Oaklawn Shuffles Cards Due to Cancellations; Southwest Now Scheduled Feb. 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Richest Prep Series Gets Richer At Oaklawn

Oaklawn Park is pumping nearly $1 million more into the purses for its 3-year-old races, the track said in a release Wednesday.

Oaklawn increased the purses of the four races pointing toward the GI Kentucky Derby a total of $600,000, with the GI Arkansas Derby bumped to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000; the GII Rebel S. going to $1,250,000 from $1,000,000; and the GIII Southwest S. and Smarty Jones increasing to $800,000 and $300,000, respectively.

The purses for the three races for 3-year-old fillies with GI Kentucky Oaks aspirations were also increased, with the GIII Fantasy S. increased to $750,000; the GIII Honeybee S. to $400,000 and the Martha Washington S. to $250,000–a total increase of $300,000.

Purses were also increased for 14 additional stakes races, including the two most important races for older runners. The GI Apple Blossom H. and the GII Oaklawn H. were both increased to $1.25 million, jumping the total purses in the stakes program to a record $16.2 million.

“It's absolutely remarkable how our stakes program has grown in recent years,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “We've doubled the number of stakes we offer and have added millions to the purses. We want our fans to have the opportunity to see some of the top thoroughbreds in the country, and increasing the purses to this level will bring those horses. This is what our stakes program is all about.”

The Hot Springs track will also add two new races to the schedule for 3-year-old sprinters, the six-furlong $150,000 Ozark S. and the $150,000 Mockingbird S. for 3-year-old fillies, bringing the total number of stakes races to 47, also a track record.

The post Richest Prep Series Gets Richer At Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Keepmeinmind, Shedaresthedevil Work at Oaklawn for ’21 Debuts

Keepmeinmind (Laoban) worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 at Oaklawn Tuesday morning in preparation for a start in the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 15. The fastest of 17 works published at the distance, the 3-year-old completed the final quarter-mile in a sharp :22.80, galloping out six furlongs in 1:11.80, seven furlongs in 1:25.40 and a mile in 1:40.40, according to local clockers.

Accompanied by David Cohen, the winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last November worked over a fast track following the second break to renovate the racing surface.

It marked Keepmeinmind's fifth published workout this season at Oaklawn and the second bullet, following a five-furlong move in 1:00 Jan. 19.

“Did it the right way again,” said Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020. “I love that his works have been very consistent. Again, I always say take each day at a time, but his works have been very consistent–consistently good–since he's been here.”

Diodoro indicated he plans to come back with an easy half-mile work and a “couple of stiff gallops” next week leading up to the Southwest, Oaklawn's second of four GI Kentucky Derby points races.

“I'd like it to be Tuesday [Feb. 9],” Diodoro said of the maintenance breeze. “But it could be adjusted by a day or two because it looks like a little bit of [weather].”

GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) returned to the work tab Monday morning at Oaklawn, covering three furlongs in :36.60 in preparation for her 2021 debut, possibly the Mar. 13 GII Azeri S. Under exercise rider Fernando Espinoza, she breezed following the first renovation break for newly minted Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. Clockers had the 4-year-old galloping out a half-mile in :49.80 over the fast track.

“Really, really good,” Cox said after the work. “We were just looking for like :38, and she honestly looked like she was going :38. Just well within herself. Just nice and easy. We're not going to get in a big hurry with her, just kind of pick it up a little bit each week. Couldn't have asked for a better first work back.”

Shedaresthedevil was a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 after winning four races, including the Kentucky Oaks and Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. She hasn't started since finishing third in the GI Spinster S. Oct. 4 at Keeneland, her first start against older horses.

Following the Spinster, Shedaresthedevil received a 60-day break before resuming light training in mid-December in Kentucky. She arrived at Oaklawn Jan. 9. Cox said the 1 1/16-mile Azeri, Oaklawn's final major prep for the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 17, is possible for her 2021 debut.

“It's going to get close there,” Cox said. “We're just going to have to kind of really watch her and let her tell us if she's ready for that, but that would be the first logical target.”

The post Keepmeinmind, Shedaresthedevil Work at Oaklawn for ’21 Debuts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post