oaklawn park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Spendthrift Acquires interest in Keepmeinmind

B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm has acquired a 50% ownership interest in graded stakes winner Keepmeinmind (Laoban). The 3-year-old colt was second behind Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and third behind that subsequent champion in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile before concluding his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. He currently sits second on the GI Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 18 points.

“We are delighted to be a part of such an exciting young racehorse as Keepmeinmind, and thankful to Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith for the opportunity to join the team,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We believe Keepmeinmind is poised for a big 3-year-old year. He demonstrated tremendous talent as a 2-year-old, placing twice in Grade Is, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and finishing up the year in style with a convincing win in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill.”

Campaigned by Cypress Creek LLC and Arnold Bennewith, Keepmeinmind is entered in next Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds and will make his seasonal debut either there or in the Feb. 15 GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park.

Trained by Robertino Diodoro, the bay colt is expected to work at Oaklawn Monday morning before a decision is made on his next start.

“There's a couple of variables,” Diodoro told the Oaklawn communications department on a decision between the two races. “I think we're going to wait and see the next 72 hours. The short field here is a little bit of a concern with his running style. If you've got a speed horse, like a couple of guys do in the race, perfect having five, six horses. But when you have a come from behinder, that's not the most ideal thing.”

Keepmeinmind recently breezed a bullet five furlongs in :59 flat (1/17) Feb. 2 at Oaklawn.

Autrey Bloodstock brokered the deal for Spendthrift to join the current ownership group.

The post Spendthrift Acquires interest in Keepmeinmind appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Impressive Smarty Jones Winner Caddo River Back On The Work Tab At Oaklawn

Caddo River returned to the work tab Friday morning at Oaklawn, breezing an easy half-mile in :50.60 in preparation for an anticipated start in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds March 13 at Oaklawn.

The work was Caddo River's first since a record-setting 10 ¼-length victory in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22, Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races.

Caddo River breezed before the first surface renovation break under exercise rider Gustavo Abrego and recorded splits of :12.80 for his opening eighth of a mile, :26 for a quarter-mile and :38 for 3 furlongs, according to clockers, before galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:03.

Brad Cox trains Caddo River, a son of Hard Spun, for breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. Anthony has won the Rebel a record five times.

Cox is scheduled to send out champion Essential Quality in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 15 at Oaklawn. The 1 1/16-mile Southwest is Oaklawn's second of four of Kentucky Derby points races. The series concludes with the Rebel and $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10.

The post Impressive Smarty Jones Winner Caddo River Back On The Work Tab At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Caddo River Works Towards Rebel

'TDN Rising Star' Caddo River (Hard Spun), currently sitting at number two on the TDN Top Kentucky Derby contenders sponsored by Fasig-Tipton, went an easy half-mile in :50.60 at Oaklawn Park Friday morning as he prepares for his next start in the $1-million GII Rebel S. in Hot Springs Mar. 13. It was the Shortleaf Stable homebred's first serious piece of work since a 10 1/4-length thrashing of his rivals in the Smarty Jones S. Jan. 22.

Breezing prior to the first renovation break beneath exercise rider Gustavo Abrego, Caddo River was clocked in fractions of :12.80, :26 flat and :38 flat before galloping out five-eighths of a mile in 1:03 flat.

The stable of Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox will be represented in the track's second leg of the 3-year-old series, the Feb. 15 GIII Southwest S., by champion juvenile male and fellow 'Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit). The GI Arkansas Derby caps the local route to the Kentucky Derby Apr. 10.

The post Caddo River Works Towards Rebel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

New Connections ‘In No Hurry’ With Hidden Scroll, Could Target Count Fleet On April 10

Hidden Scroll emerged in good order physically from his Jan. 24 victory at Oaklawn, trainer Brad Cox said, and is galloping daily in preparation for his yet-to-be determined next start.

The third-level allowance sprint for older horses marked Hidden Scroll's first start for Cox and owner Marc Detampel, who purchased the 5-year-old son of Hard Spun for $525,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Offered as a racing or stallion prospect, Hidden Scroll had previously been campaigned by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and the colt's breeder, famed Juddmonte Farms. Hidden Scroll's flashes of brilliance – front-running blowout victories at Gulfstream Park by 14 and 12 ½ lengths – have been overshadowed by flops in the 2019 Grade 1 Florida Derby (he was the 9-5 favorite) and 2020 Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes and pre-race gate antics.

Hidden Scroll was making his first start since finishing a weakening fifth in a 1-mile allowance race on the turf Aug. 1 at Saratoga. He showed a different dimension in his return to Oaklawn, coming from just off the pace to win by 2 ¼ lengths under Florent Geroux as the 1-2 favorite. Hidden Scroll, hand-ridden to the wire, completed 6 furlongs over a muddy surface in 1:10.69 after having to steady early on the turn and being caught four-wide at the top of stretch.

“It was the logical spot on the comeback trail,” Cox said. “I thought it was a little bit of a rough trip, not rough trip, but he kind of had to overcome some things. When he's won in the past, he's just kind of broke and showed the way and didn't really pass anyone or overcome any obstacles or adversity in the race. That was encouraging.”

Hidden Scroll finished seventh in the $350,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for older sprinters last April at Oaklawn. Cox said the goal is to get Hidden Scroll back to races like the $500,000 Count Fleet (G3) April 10, but added there's no rush to get there. Hidden Scroll's Jan. 24 victory marked his first outside Gulfstream Park.

“He came out of it in good order, but we're going to give him plenty of time to recover,” Cox said. “He seems like a horse that does like to run well fresh. We're really in no hurry with him. They paid a good bit of money for him, so we're going to have to plot out a plan throughout the year and, hopefully, ultimately try to win some graded stakes with him. But we've got a little ways to go before we start running in graded stakes again.”

Hidden Scroll has a 3-0-1 mark from 10 lifetime starts and earnings of $155,007.

Cox, Oaklawn's third-leading trainer last year, was recently named an Eclipse Award winner as the country's outstanding trainer of 2020. According to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization, Cox entered Thursday with 1,496 career North American victories, including 213 at Oaklawn.

Hidden Scroll was among eight victories for Cox this year at Oaklawn through Jan. 31, Day 6 of the scheduled 57-day meeting. Cox entered Thursday No. 2 in the Oaklawn standings.

The post New Connections ‘In No Hurry’ With Hidden Scroll, Could Target Count Fleet On April 10 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post