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MG Warrior Retired, to Stand in Arkansas

M G Warrior (Majestic Warrior-Marvel Gaye, by Bowman's Band) has been retired from racing to stand his first season at stud at Charter Oak Farm LLC in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He will stand as property of Chrysalis Stables LLC for an introductory fee of $750 for the 2021 breeding season.

Trained by Brad Cox, M G Warrior won five of 17 starts before retiring with earnings of $298,226. The bay broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds and then recorded four wins against allowance and allowance/optional claiming company at Churchill Downs and Oaklawn at distances from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.

“M G Warrior was a very nice horse to train and be around,” said Cox. “He was a solid runner and would be a nice fit in the Arkansas breeding program.”

For more information, contact Shea Stuart at (405) 226-0589 or Jill Neece at (561) 289-9323.

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Oaklawn Adds Races and Days

After losing eight days of racing due to record-breaking winter weather, Oaklawn has added both races and extra race days to make up for canceled days last week and this coming weekend. In addition, the Hot Springs oval previously announced the further postponement of their President's Day weekend stakes to the weekend of Feb. 27-28.

A total of 27 races have been added to the schedule as well as two additional race days Wednesday, Mar. 31 and Wednesday, Apr. 28. The track is also increasing purses for all overnight races by as much as $4,000 per race. These increases will go into effect when racing resumes Thursday, Feb. 25.

The purse increases will average 5% per overnight race, meaning maiden special weights will be increased from $82,000 to $86,000 and top allowance races will increase from $88,000 to as much as $92,000.

The GIII Southwest S., GIII Razorback H. and the Spring Fever S. will now take place Saturday, Feb. 27. The GIII Bayakoa S., Dixie Belle S. and Downthedustyroad S. will be held Sunday, Feb. 28. Nominations for all stakes were reopened and will close Friday, Feb. 19.

“There's no fighting Mother Nature, especially when our priority is safety,” Oaklawn President Louis Cella said. “However, we feel these changes will greatly benefit our horsemen and our fans by creating a huge weekend of racing to kick off the rest of the season.”

Due to Arkansas restrictions on crowd size, attendance at Oaklawn for live racing is limited to box holders, Oaklawn Jockey Club members, and patrons with dining/simulcast reservations. However, Oaklawn General Manager Wayne Smith anticipates being able to open the Oaklawn infield and other outdoor areas to fans in the coming weeks. Reservations can be made by calling 501-363-4660, Mon-Sat, for that week's races only.

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Oaklawn Horsemen Hunker Down For Second Hit From Winter Storms

Subzero temperatures and approximately eight inches of snow have caused increasingly difficult conditions for horsemen at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ak. With up to 10 more inches of snow in the forecast and temperatures remaining below freezing for the next 48 hours, grooms and their charges alike have hunkered down to wait out the weather.

The main track has not been open for training or racing since Thursday, Feb. 11, and while some trainers have opted to jog horses in their shed rows, the cold has been so severe that many have elected to simply walk their charges instead.

Racing has been cancelled through Sunday, Feb. 21, with Oaklawn's major graded stakes rescheduled for the week of Feb. 25-28.

“We'll have a little more coming out here in the next couple days on how the dates are going to be shifted in terms of when we're going to run what and on what day,” Oaklawn's general manager Wayne Smith told Horse Racing Nation. “We just don't have that understanding at this point. I mean we're not supposed to get out of the 20s until Friday.”

Not accustomed to this level of winter storm, most of the town of Hot Springs has shut down, according to locals. Some off-track apartments and hotels have lost water access as lines freeze over, so several backstretch workers are relying on friends' places for water access.

At the track, additions to the grooms' regular chores are tasks like breaking open the top layers of ice on water buckets so their horses have access to water, and working to keep the racetrack's water lines from freezing.

One trainer noted: “It's really not that bad if you're dressed and stay working, but standing around is d*** cold real quick!”

Track maintenance workers spent much of Tuesday plowing snow off the track surface itself and around the backstretch, and the general hope among stable staff is that training will be able to resume when temperatures rise above freezing long enough to thaw out the track surface.

The post Oaklawn Horsemen Hunker Down For Second Hit From Winter Storms appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Champions Essential Quality, Monomoy Girl Remain On Target For Delayed Oaklawn Stakes

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and 2020 Champion 2-year-old Essential Quality remains on target for Oaklawn's delayed running of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, reigning champion trainer Brad Cox told the Paulick Report.

Hot Springs, Ak. has been beset by extreme winter weather since it last held racing on Feb. 11. The track has seen several inches of snow and sub-zero temperatures over the past week, and is forecast to receive an additional 10-plus inches of snow in the coming days. Races were cancelled this weekend, and all graded stakes were rescheduled.

The $750,000 Southwest, which offers 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby to the winner, was originally scheduled to be run on Feb. 15, and is now expected to be rescheduled to the week of Feb. 25-28. That puts the Southwest just two weeks before Oaklawn's next prep race, the G2 Rebel on March 14.

Essential Quality remains stabled at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., where temperatures have dipped below freezing overnight but are not nearly as cold as in Arkansas. The Godolphin-owned 3-year-old son of Tapit put in a workout at Fair Grounds on Feb. 14, covering five furlongs in 1:02.40.

Also remaining on target for her 2021 debut at Oaklawn is dual champion Monomoy Girl. The now 6-year-old daughter of Tapizar was scheduled to run in the G3 Bayakoa Stakes on Feb. 15, and will still make her next start in that race when it's rescheduled to the week of Feb. 25-28. Monomoy Girl is also stabled at the Fair Grounds, and worked five furlongs there in 1:01.40 on Feb. 14.

“It hasn't really affected the training for both Essential Quality and Monomoy Girl,” Cox told bloodhorse.com. “They have been working steadily and are ready to run. We worked them this weekend when they were supposed to race and we'll breeze them again this weekend to prep for the races next weekend. They are ready to run. We'll ship them up when the weather clears.”

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