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Oaks Prep: Optionality Faces Secret Oath In Martha Washington

If the linemaker is correct, it will be a Hall of Fame exacta in the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Oaklawn.

Multiple stakes winner Optionality is the 9-5 program favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Secret Oath is the early 2-1 second choice for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Probable post time for the Martha Washington, which goes as the fourth of 11 races, is 1:32 p.m. (Central). First post Saturday is 12:02 p.m.

The 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington is Oaklawn's first of three Kentucky Oaks points races and will offer 17 to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the country's biggest event for 3-year-old fillies.

While Optionality will be making her Oaklawn debut Saturday, Secret Oath may be the most impressive winner to date during the 2021-2022 meeting that began Dec. 3. Combining style and substance, Secret Oath demolished an allowance field by 8 ¼ lengths Dec. 31 under Luis Contreras to earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 93, among the highest in the country for a 2-year-old in 2021. The 1-mile race also marked the most lopsided victory in Oaklawn's brief history of running routes for 2-year-olds.

Paired for the first time with Contreras, Secret Oath raced well off the early pace and waited briefly in traffic reeling in the leaders on the second turn. Secret Oath moved three-wide turning for home and drew off in the final furlong to become the first female Oaklawn winner sired by the late champion Arrogate.

“If we can get that repeat performance, we'll be in pretty good shape,” Lukas said. “That was impressive. It was absolutely textbook. If I'd drawn it up on paper and got the other seven or eight or nine that were in there to cooperate, that's the way I would like it. I'd like to have her inside like that, catching dirt in her face and then angling out and opening up on them like that. That was textbook.”

A homebred for Briland Farm (Robert and Stacy Mitchell), Secret Oath returned with a half-mile bullet workout (:46.80) Jan. 11 in advance of her 3-year-old debut.

Lukas and Briland teamed to win three Oaklawn stakes ($100,000 Bayakoa in 2011 and 2012 and $75,000 Pippin in 2012) with Absinthe Minded, who is Secret Oath's dam.

Secret Oath's task now, Lukas said, is to record consecutive victories for the first time in her brief career. Secret Oath was coming off a fifth-place finish in the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. After finishing third in her career debut, Secret Oath broke her maiden by 5 ¼ lengths at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs.

“Some days these fillies are like your wife,” Lukas said. “They're a little temperamental and you can't always depend on them giving the same performance every day, so we'll look past that one, though, and look for a little improvement. I think she'll be one of the choices.”

Lukas is seeking his record-tying third Martha Washington victory, having won the race in 2010 with Decelerator and 2015 with champion Take Charge Brandi.

Asmussen also is seeking his third Martha Washington victory after winning the first division in 2008 (Sky Mom) and 2013 (Sister Ginger).

The rapidly improving Optionality, a homebred daughter of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner for Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell), has won her last three starts by a combined 21 ½ lengths.

Optionality won the $50,000 Zia Park Princess Stakes by 6 ½ lengths Nov. 23 at Zia Park and closed 2021 by winning the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes by 8 ¼ lengths Dec. 17 at Remington Park in her two-turn debut.

“She hasn't done anything wrong,” said David Fiske, the Winchells' longtime farm and racing manager. “Her speed figures keep increasing every time she goes out. We thought maybe she was just a sprinter, but going around two turns at Remington didn't seem to bother her that much. Won by a big margin, so we thought she deserved her chance to kind of step up on the big stage.”

The projected six-horse Martha Washington field from the rail out: Hypersport, Tiago Pereira to ride, 115 pounds; 8-1 on the morning line; Princess Pauline, Francisco Arrieta, 115, 8-1; Como Square, John Velazquez, 122, 5-2; Optionality, Ricardo Santana Jr., 122, 9-5; Cupid's Music, Luis Quinonez, 115, 20-1; and Secret Oath, Luis Contreras, 122, 2-1.

All six entrants will remove Lasix, owing to a ban on the anti-bleeder medication in Kentucky Oaks points races.

Unbeaten Como Square (2 for 2) will be making her seasonal, stakes and two-turn debut for trainer Brad Cox and breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. Como Square was a 4 ¾-length winner of her Nov. 11 career debut at Indiana Grand and came from well off the pace to clear her first allowance condition Dec. 19 at Oaklawn, while her more highly regarded stablemate, Marr Time, a half-sister, to, among others, champion Beholder and super sire Into Mischief, finished last after becoming fractious in the gate.

“She got a good setup that day,” Cox said. “She's been a little surprising, I'll admit it. She's been a little surprising that she's 2 for 2, but you can't take anything away from her heart and determination. She's a very tough filly.”

Cox and Anthony teamed to win the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and run second in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) last year at Oaklawn with Como Square's half-brother, Caddo River. Como Square is by Into Mischief.

The speedy Hypersport figures to set the pace from the rail for trainer Ingrid Mason. Hypersport was a sharp opening-day maiden winner sprinting before finishing a leg-weary fourth, beaten 12 ¾ lengths by Secret Oath, in her two-turn debut New Year's Eve. Cupid's Music ran ninth in the Dec. 31 allowance race for breeder/owner/trainer Danele Durham. Supplemental nominee Princess Pauline is a four-race maiden for Asmussen.

The Martha Washington, which was inaugurated in 1979, is being run for the first time at 1 1/16 miles after previously being a mile.

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Unbeaten California Shipper Newgrange Takes On Dash Attack In Oaklawn’s Southwest

Trainer Bob Baffert has the 2-1 program favorite in unbeaten Newgrange (2 for 2) for Oaklawn Park's second Kentucky Derby points race, this Saturday's $250,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds. Baffert bids for a record-tying fifth victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Southwest, now worth $750,000.

“Glad to be running at Oaklawn again,” Baffert said in a text message Tuesday night. “I think he's a nice horse. Training well.”

The 1 1/16-mile Southwest will mark the first start outside California for Newgrange, who exits a front-running victory in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) at one mile Jan. 1 at Santa Anita. (Baffert trainees are not eligible for Kentucky Derby points, due to a ban by Churchill Downs.)

Oaklawn conducted its first Kentucky Derby points race New Year's Day, with the Kenny McPeek-trained Dash Attack splashing home to a two-length victory in the $250,000 Smarty Jones at 1 mile.

Six other Smarty Jones starters are entered in the Southwest, which goes as the ninth of 11 races. Racing begins Saturday at 12:02 p.m. (Central), with probable post for the Southwest 4:22 p.m.

The projected 12-horse Southwest field from the rail out:

Ben Diesel, Jon Court to ride, 117 pounds, 10-1 on the morning line;
Dash Attack, David Cohen, 122, 7-2;
Don'tcrossthedevil, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 30-1;
Kavod, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 12-1;
Costa Terra, Tiago Pereira, 117, 12-1;
Osbourne, David Cabrera, 117, 8-1;
Ignitis, Luis Contreras, 117, 10-1;
Barber Road, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 5-1;
Classic Moment, Martin Garcia, 117, 12-1;
Newgrange, John Velazquez, 122, 2-1;
Call Me Jamal, Geovanni Franco, 117, 30-1; and
Vivar, Florent Geroux, 119, 12-1.

Dash Attack collected 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory and ranks ninth on the official Kentucky Derby leaderboard released last Sunday by Churchill Downs.

The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated races like the Smarty Jones and the Southwest, which also offers 17 to the four finishers (10-4-2-1).

Newgrange, like all Baffert horses, is ineligible for Kentucky Derby qualifying points because of a Churchill Downs suspension, stemming from a possible medication violation involving his 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

Dash Attack is also two for two, breaking his maiden Dec. 5 at Oaklawn and returning to win the Smarty Jones in his first start against winners. Both of Dash Attack's victories have come at one mile and over an off track.

“It looks like a good next spot for him,” McPeek said. “Baffert's horse coming in from California, obviously, looks like he's got a lot of raw talent. There's some others in there that have run well. Look, it's never easy, but our colt's doing good.”

Also returning from the Smarty Jones are Barber Road, Ignitis, Kavod, Vivar, Ben Diesel and Don'tcrossthedevil, the 2-3-4-5-7-12 finishers, respectively.

Barber Road is seeking his first stakes victory after also finishing second in the $200,000 Lively Shively Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs to conclude his 2-year-old campaign. The speedy Barber Road, who was farther back than expected in the Smarty Jones, switches to eight-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. after regular rider Reylu Gutierrez picked up the mount on Chess Chief for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“We've competed against them and know where we stand,” said John Ortiz, who trains Barber Road for former Walmart executive William Simon. “I think the horse has improved since (the Smarty Jones), and I think with the added distance he's going to improve more. We'll just let him come out of the gate and put Ricardo in a good spot and just go from there. With a fast track, I expect him to be a little closer and more involved.”

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas produced an upset in the 1992 Southwest with Big Sur, who wired a field that included two future Triple Crown race winners in Lil E. Tee (Kentucky Derby) and Pine Bluff (Preakness). Lukas bids for his second Southwest victory with Ignitis, who was beaten three lengths in the Smarty Jones at odds of 31-1.

“I think he earned the right to run in this next race in the 3-year-old series,” Lukas said. “He finished up. He's still a little bit green. He still hasn't learned exactly all the little things we'd liked to have a 3-year-old learn, but that's true of so many of them at this time of year. We're going to evaluate him. We're going to run him in there and hope for an improved race. He finished really strong the other day, so maybe the mile and a sixteenth will help him a little bit, too.”

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New shooters include Osbourne for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs and Costa Terra for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, a three-time Southwest winner. Osbourne will be making his 3-year-old debut after passing the Smarty Jones in favor of the $400,000 Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 17 at Remington Park. A gelded son of Asmussen's 2014 Southwest winner Tapiture, Osbourne finished second, beaten a half-length, in the Springboard Mile.

“I like our chances,” said Moquett, who won the 2015 Southwest with Far Right. “I think it's a good shot to see where we're at. There are some nice horses in here, obviously. You hang $750,000 up and there's going to be some people show up wanting it.”

Costa Terra, a homebred son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner for Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell), hasn't started since finishing fifth in the $500,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 9 at Keeneland. Costa Terra is a half-brother to Pneumatic, who won his first two career starts at the 2020 Oaklawn meeting for Asmussen and the Winchells before running fourth in the Belmont Stakes later that year.

“He's always shown some talent,” longtime Winchell racing/farm manager David Fiske said of Costa Terra. “I thought he ran well in the Breeders' Futurity, just, obviously, not well enough. He was another guy that was kind of down the depth chart behind some of the other 2-year-olds that we had last year, but he seems to be picking it up since the calendar turned.”

Late-running Vivar adds blinkers for trainer Brad Cox after being beaten only 3 ¼ lengths in the Smarty Jones. Vivar, a homebred for John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, broke his maiden at a mile on the turf Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs and was a first-level off-the-turf allowance winner at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 29 at Keeneland.

“Vivar should be better with a little more stretch,” said Cox, who won last year's Southwest with champion Essential Quality.

Call Me Jamal and Classic Moment, another Asmussen trainee, remove Lasix because the anti-bleeder medication is banned from Kentucky Derby points races. Classic Moment adds blinkers following a fourth-place finish in the Springboard Mile. Call Me Jamal broke his maiden Dec. 18 at Oaklawn in his two-turn debut for trainer Mike Puhich.

Normally run in late February, the Southwest will be contested in January for the first time. All of Oaklawn's 2022 Kentucky Derby points races were moved up on the calendar in conjunction with its earliest in history (Dec. 3). The Arkansas Derby, April 2, falls five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. It had been three weeks since 1996.

“It's a little odd,” Moquett said. “But once you get into it, it's just like anything else. You're just looking at the day in front of you. Later, you might think about that stuff. But right now, we're just thinking about how do we get through the next couple of days of training to get into the paddock and the gates and let's go.”

The Southwest was inaugurated in 1968.

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Miss Mosaic Goes Out On Top In American Beauty

Keystone Racing LLC's Miss Mosaic rode off into the sunset with a victory in Saturday's $150,000 American Beauty Stakes at Oaklawn by closing out her career with a neck victory before 22,000 fans.

The 6-year-old daughter of Verrazano is now slated for retirement after getting her first stakes victory in the six-furlong race over Joy's Rocket. Ain't No Elmers finished third. Li'l Tootsie, the 2-1 favorite, finished sixth.

“The trainer told me to just try not to get into trouble,” said jockey David Cabrera of the instructions sent by Kentucky-based trainer Ben Colebrook. “Once I got her sitting comfortable, she was just relaxed, so I knew they were going to have a tough time catching us.”

Miss Mosaic brings a glittering pedigree to the breeding shed, joining two siblings with stakes wins on their resumes, including Miss Temple City a multiple Grade 1-winner. The victory snapped a three-race string of second-place finishes including a runner-up performance in the Mrs. Claus Stakes at Parx Racing last month.

“It's an amazing story,” said winning owner/breeder Aaron Jutte, who noted the mare will now be bred to top sire Tapit. “We had a lot of trouble with her, Miss Mosaic, in her early career and gave her a bunch of time off. As a single owner, you don't have to worry about partners at that point, so you can give her all the time off in the world you want. Just like 2-year-old stuff and so we just gave her, basically, her 2-year-old and halfway through her 3-year-old career off. She didn't make a start until she was at the end of her 3-year-old career.”

The filly Sarah Harper set the pace but gave way at the top of the stretch to Miss Mosaic. The field chased her home as she finished in 1:10 3/5 over a fast track. She returned $16.80, $8.20 and $5.40 at odds of 7-1.

Racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first post.

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‘I’ve Seen The Old Ricardo Start To Emerge Again’: Santana In Familiar Place Atop Oaklawn Standings

After the first 18 days of racing at Oaklawn, a familiar name had climbed to the top of the rider standings.

A victory Jan. 16 pulled eight-time local champion Ricardo Santana Jr. into a first-place tie with Francisco Arrieta. Each had 20 victories. Santana topped all riders in purse earnings at the meet ($1,207,239), won at a 21 percent clip, which equaled the best among jockeys in the top 10, and reached a career milestone when he surpassed $100 million in worldwide purse earnings earlier this month, according to the statistical service Equineline.

Interpreting Santana's numbers during the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting that began Dec. 3 is more complex since he is no longer the go-to rider for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen after losing that coveted spot last fall.

Santana's 20 victories had come for 10 trainers – Asmussen (6), John Ortiz (2), Ron Moquett (2), Brad Cox (2), Rene Amescua (2), Mike Maker (2), Tom Amoss (1), Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer (1), Melton Wilson (1) and Bret Calhoun (1). Santana's numbers were straightforward to open the 2021 Oaklawn meeting, with 19 of his first 20 winners for Asmussen. Santana's other victory came for Moquett.

An early conclusion? Different landscape, same ruler.

“I thank all the trainers for the opportunity,” Santana said Jan. 14. “Thank you to Moquett. He was the one that brought me here to Arkansas when I was 17 years old. Thank you to Mr. Steve, that's the main barn. He's given me a lot of great moments. He's given me a lot of great opportunities. I'm really blessed to be a part of the Oaklawn team. Everywhere I go, everybody knows me because of Oaklawn. I'm really blessed with all the success I've had at 29 years old. I pray to God to keep me safe, and we're going to keep fighting to make our dreams come true.”

Santana was barreling toward a career year in 2021 after breaking his single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings ($5,642,523) en route to an eighth local riding title (all since uniting with Asmussen in 2013). Santana then had a breakout Saratoga meeting last summer, setting personal bests for victories (35), purse earnings ($4,122,471) and stakes victories (5). All five stakes victories were in Grade 1 events. Four were for Asmussen, including Echo Zulu in the $300,000 Spinaway for 2-year-old fillies Sept. 5. Santana was also aboard for Stellar Tap's Aug. 7 victory at Saratoga, which made Asmussen the all-time winningest North America trainer (United States and Canada), according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.

But momentum stopped, literally, after Santana rode Echo Zulu to victory in the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park. The jockey went into a mystifying slump and didn't win a race for more than a month. Santana was 0 for 81 at Keeneland's fall meeting (Asmussen was 1 for 57) and lost the mount on Echo Zulu for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Coupled with another personal body blow, the Oct. 31 death of his close friend, jockey Miguel Mena, Santana had only 42 mounts at the Churchill Downs fall meeting. He won two races as Asmussen went in other directions and finished with a meet-high 20 victories.

Joel Rosario picked up the mount on Echo Zulu for the Breeders' Cup and guided the unbeaten filly to victory, securing an Eclipse Award. Rosario, the favorite to land an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey of 2021, rode for Asmussen at the Churchill Downs fall meeting and joined Oaklawn's riding colony Jan. 14. He has already ridden extensively for Asmussen in Hot Springs, booting home two winners for the 11-time Oaklawn training champion.

“I thought that his confidence would be shaken a little bit,” Moquett said, referring to Santana. “I think at first, for sure, it was. I think the thing that got him was the Breeders' Cup a little bit. But that's how it goes. That's how this business is. I've seen since he got back here, I've seen the old Ricardo start to emerge again.”

Santana's 2021-2022 Oaklawn highlights include guiding Hollis to a 5 ½-furlong track record (1:02.17) in a $102,000 allowance race Dec. 10 for Ortiz; winning two races aboard the Cox-trained Coach, including the $150,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares Jan. 8; and surpassing $100 million in career purse earnings the following day, according to Equineline.

The Equineline figure is based on worldwide mounts, including purse money Santana generated in Canada, his native Panama, Puerto Rico and Turkey.

Santana reached $100 million in career North American purse earnings last weekend at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Equibase's total ($100,129,502) is based on mounts in the United States and Canada and ranked 64th in North American history entering Saturday. Santana had 1,661 career North American victories entering Saturday, according to Equibase.

Santana said he continues to ride for Mena, who was killed after reportedly being struck by a vehicle while walking across Interstate Highway 64 in Louisville, Ky. He was 34. Santana uses Mena's helmet covers (“MM” is stitched across the back below a peace symbol) as a tribute to the popular Churchill Downs-based jockey, who won more than 2,000 races in his career.

“A lot of people don't know, but that affected me a lot when one of my best friends, Miguel, passed away,” Santana said. “I even talked to my agent (Ruben Munoz) and said I didn't want to ride many at Churchill. I was with him 24/7. I even ate dinner with him every time we came from Keeneland. I always loved him like my brother. That hit me really hard. Like he was my company, 24/7. When I did something wrong, he was the first one to call me. I was pretty heartbroken. (Jockey) Florent Geroux, that's my other best friend. He's always on my side. That's the people that motivate me to keep going. Thank God, now I feel I'm back. I feel my confidence is back.”

Santana recorded one winner opening day at Oaklawn. The following day, Santana won the $150,000 Clasico Confraternidad Stakes (G1) in Puerto Rico. His late-season bounce back produced a career-high $16,976,612 in purse earnings, according to Equibase. Santana's previous high was $16,713,988 in 2019.

Santana rode his first career winner in the United States Sept. 21, 2009, at Delaware Park. Santana began riding at Oaklawn in 2011 and was its leading jockey in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

Santana is Oaklawn's career leader in purse earnings ($33,321,365) and ranks No. 8 all time in victories (633). Coach represented his 45th career Oaklawn stakes victory.

Among Santana's earliest supporters was Moquett, who rode the jockey as an apprentice and helped steer him to Oaklawn.

“I thought that he needed somebody to look after him and stuff,” Moquett said. “I thought when he got to Oaklawn, the whole community would take him in. And he's got all kinds of natural ability. If he could get focused, he could be anything. Luckily, he came here one year and showed up the next year (2013), he was here with Asmussen, and the rest is history.”

Through last Sunday, Santana and Asmussen had teamed for 313 victories at Oaklawn, according to Equineline, with purse earnings of $20,657,057.

Racing resumed Saturday at Oaklawn after Friday's card was cancelled because of freezing temperatures.

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