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Promising Sophomore Cazadero Headlines Saturday’s Gazebo Stakes At Oaklawn

Grade 3 winner Cazadero is the 9-5 program favorite for the $150,000 Gazebo Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn.

The Gazebo headlines an 11-race card, with probable post time 5:52 p.m. (Central). The 6-furlong Gazebo is the 10th race. Racing begins Saturday at 1 p.m., and the infield will be open, weather permitting.

Cazadero, who races for his breeder, Stonestreet Farm, and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, will be making his first start since finishing fifth as the favorite in the $150,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) Aug. 7 at Saratoga. Stablemate Jackie's Warrior won the Saratoga Special and was runner-up in voting for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 2-year-old male.

In his first two starts, Cazadero was a front-running 8 ¾-length winner of his May 29 debut at Churchill Downs, then captured the $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) by 4 ¾ lengths June 27 at Churchill Downs.

A son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Cazadero has been ridden in his three races by seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr.

“Cazadero showed a lot of promise,” Santana said. “So glad to be back on him.”

Cazadero has been based this winter at Fair Grounds. Asmussen will also send out unbeaten Jaxon Traveler (3 for 3), who hasn't started since winning the restricted $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity Dec. 5 at Laurel.

Both Cazadero and Jaxon Traveler will be racing on Lasix for the first time Saturday.

The projected six-horse Gazebo field from the rail out: Sir Wellington, Alex Canchari to ride, 119 pounds, 7-2 on the morning line; Dusty Hill, Terry Thompson, 117, 8-1; Lock Up, David Cabrera, 117, 10-1; Jaxon Traveler, Francisco Arrieta, 119, 5-2; Game Day Play, Ramon Vazquez, 119, 3-1; and Cazadero, Ricardo Santana Jr., 119, 9-5.

Sir Wellington won the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes Dec. 12 at Fair Grounds and exits a runner-up finish behind unbeaten Swiftsure – another Asmussen trainee – in a Jan. 23 allowance race at Oaklawn. Sir Wellington finished second to Jaxon Traveler, beaten four lengths, in a first-level allowance race Oct. 23 at Laurel.

“He runs good all the time,” said Mac Robertson, who trains Sir Wellington for Extreme Racing Stables LLC (Vickie McGowan). “I thought he ran a good race last time. A couple of Asmussen's look a little better on paper, but we'll see how we do.”

Asmussen is seeking his second Gazebo victory and 93rd career Oaklawn stakes triumph.

Game Day Play, who is trained by Bret Calhoun, won the $60,000 Clever Trevor Stakes Oct. 30 at Remington Park.

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Florent Geroux Making The Most Of Second Oaklawn Experience

Perhaps the surest bet this year at Oaklawn was that Florent Geroux would have a much bigger impact on the jockey standings than he did during his first stint as a regular in 2012 when he came to Hot Springs to ride primarily for powerful Midwest Thoroughbreds, which would threaten Dan Lasater's then-single-season record for victories by an owner (48).

Midwest finished with 42 victories, but Geroux didn't ride any of them after one its trainers at the meet, Jamie Ness, went in a different direction with riding assignments. Quietly, Geroux left Oaklawn after going winless in seven mounts.

Betting that Geroux would fare better in 2021, specifically because of his relationship with Brad Cox, Midwest's other trainer during the 2012 Oaklawn meet, has, as expected, been a financial windfall for the jockey's longtime agent, Doug Bredar.

Through Sunday, Day 23 of the now 51-day meeting, Geroux had ridden 23 winners from just 83 mounts and bankrolled $1,594,830 in purse earnings. He was tied for second in victories, No. 2 in purse earnings, first in stakes victories (five) and tied for first in graded stakes victories (two).

“Very happy,” Bredar said Thursday morning. “We were second-leading rider at Fair Grounds and a lot of people said to us: 'Are you nuts to leave there?' We're pretty much second-leading rider here now, so it's worked out really, really well.”

Geroux began building his relationship with Cox during the jockey's brief stay in Hot Springs almost a decade ago and has become the go-to rider for the 2020 Eclipse Award-winning trainer. Geroux, now among the country's most successful jockeys, normally winters at Fair Grounds, but decided to move his tack to Oaklawn after talking with Cox, who maintains large strings at both tracks. Purses are Oaklawn are the country's highest during the winter.

Geroux and Cox, through Sunday, were 10 for 32 together at this year's Oaklawn meet and had totaled $924,574 in purse earnings. They have teamed for three stakes victories – $150,000 Smarty Jones for 3-year-olds Jan. 22 (Caddo River), $250,000 Bayakoa (G3) for older fillies and mares Feb. 28 (Monomoy Girl) and last Saturday's $350,000 Azeri (G2) for older fillies and mares (Shedaresthedevil). Geroux also won the $150,000 American Beauty Stakes for older female sprinters Jan. 30 aboard Frank's Rockette for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and last Saturday's $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters aboard C Z Rocket for trainer Peter Miller.

“It's been special, very special,” Bredar said. “You hope when you make these plans that things turn out the way you want them to. We're tickled to death. Like I said, we're very, very excited. It's been a great year. I think we're fourth in North America in earnings. That's one of the highest numbers we've ever had. We've enjoyed our stay here. Everybody's treated us really, really well.”

Bredar said Geroux, 34, will “kind of finish up through the end of the month” at Oaklawn before Keeneland opens April 2, but “definitely come back” April 10 and April 17. Oaklawn's April 10 card will include four stakes races – $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) for 3-year-olds, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for older sprinters, $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for older horses and the $250,000 Carousel for older female sprinters – while Monomoy Girl is scheduled to run April 17 at Oaklawn in the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares. The $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses is also April 17. Geroux is the regular rider of Monomoy Girl, a two-time Eclipse Award winner.

“It's gone better than whatever that year was,” Bredar said, referring to 2012. “It didn't work out real well. We're very thrilled that it turned out a lot better this year.”

Bredar also represents Martin Garcia and said Oaklawn's co-second-leading jockey in 2020 will ride regularly until the meeting ends May 1. Geroux and Garcia will both ride March 27 at Turfway Park, Bredar said.

Geroux, through Thursday, had 34 victories, including 10 stakes, in his Oaklawn career. His mounts had earned $3,599,825. Geroux is scheduled to ride the Cox-trained Warrior's Charge in his 2021 debut Thursday at Oaklawn. Geroux won the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses last year at Oaklawn aboard Warrior's Charge.

Geroux's wife, Kasey, is the daughter of the late jockey Louis Spindler, who rode 27 winners at the 1973 Oaklawn meeting. That bulk of Spindler's victories were for Lasater, who won a then-record 48 races at the 1974 Oaklawn meet.

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America’s Day At The Races Telecast Features Sunday Racing From Aqueduct, Oaklawn

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air coverage on Sunday featuring live racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Sunday from 2-6:30 p.m. Eastern, with coverage on FS2 from 2-2:30 p.m. and four hours of coverage – 2:30-6:30 p.m. – on FS1.

Sunday at Oaklawn will feature a 10-race card, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time at the Hot Springs, Arkansas-based track. A $62,500 allowance contest for 3-year-olds going six furlongs in Race 9 at 6:10 p.m will see an eight-horse field, including a pair of contenders for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen in Molto Vivace, who broke his maiden last out on February 27 at Oaklawn, and Saffa's Day, a $125,000 purchase at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Fellow Hall of Fame conditioner D. Wayne Lukas will saddle Cold as Hell, who broke his maiden at third asking over the same track on February 26.

Aqueduct's Sunday card, which features a first post of 1:20 p.m. for the eight-race program, will offer an $80,000 six-furlong maiden sprint for sophomores in Race 4 at 2:50 p.m. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out two challengers in Take a Chance and Secret Potion, while King James will make his debut for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

In Race 5, a field of six New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up will challenge in a $74,000 six-furlong allowance optional-claiming sprint at 3:20 p.m. Trainer Bruce Levine will saddle Quality Stones and Impazible Donna, while Rudy Rodriguez will see Baby Boss look for success in drawing the inside post.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Keepmeinmind Will Try To Rebound In Arkansas Derby

Trainer Robertino Diodoro said Thursday morning that he's leaning toward starting Keepmeinmind in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10 at Oaklawn.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind is also under consideration for the $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes (G2) April 3 at Keeneland, but it appears his final Kentucky Derby push will be made at Oaklawn, where the late-running son of Laoban has been based since late December.

“It could change, but right now I'm pointing towards the Arkansas Derby,” Diodoro said. “Just being here, not having to ship.”

Keepmeinmind made his delayed 3-year-old debut in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) last Saturday at Oaklawn and finished sixth, beaten eight lengths, by Concert Tour. Diodoro said Keepmeinmind returned to the track Thursday morning for the first time since the Rebel, which was Oaklawn's third of four Kentucky Derby points races and its final major prep for the Arkansas Derby.

“The Blue Grass is an option, but right now I'm pointing him to that,” Diodoro said.

The Rebel marked the first start for Keepmeinmind since his last-to-first maiden victory in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. Prior to the Kentucky Jockey Club, Keepmeinmind finished second in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Keepmeinmind was to have made his 3-year-old debut in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 15 at Oaklawn before the race was postponed 12 days because of severe winter weather. Diodoro then opted to launch Keepmeinmind 2021 campaign in the Rebel.

Unbeaten Essential Quality, who won the Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 2-year-old male, captured the Southwest in his 3-year-old debut. Essential Quality is pointing to the Blue Grass, trainer Brad Cox said.

Keepmeinmind has 18 points to rank No. 14 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs.

Diodoro-trained Dreamer's Disease, who ran sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, moved closer to his 3-year-old debut by working a half-mile in :51 over a fast track Thursday morning at Oaklawn. Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer last year, said he would like to start Dreamer's Disease before the meeting ends May 1.

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