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By My Standards Earns Nose Victory Over Rushie In Oaklawn Mile

A three-time graded stakes winner last year as a 4-year-old including a victory in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards successfully began his 5-year-old campaign with a hard-fought win in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile, one of the co-features on Arkansas Derby day at the Hot Springs, Ark., track.

Ridden by Gabriel Saez for trainer Bret Calhoun, By My Standards – a 5-year-old by Goldencents – was up just in time to beat Rushie by a nose, covering one mile on a fast main track in 1:37.02 and paying $6.80 as the second choice in the wagering behind the runner-up, who was sent off the 9-5 favorite.

Wells Bayou finished third, followed by Gun It, and Blackberry Wine.

Pioneer Spirit, a 21-1 longshot, outran Rushie to get the early lead, going fractions of :23.21, :47.82 and 1:12.68 for the opening six furlongs. Blackberry Wine applied pressure from the outside on the final turn, with Rushie and jockey Joel Rosario getting through on the inside on the turn for home and quickly taking command. By My Standards was travelling well on the outside and came up to challenge the leader in mid-stretch. Rushie was not finished, however, fighting back gamely under Rosario and just losing the head bob at the wire.

The win was the seventh in 15 career starts for By My Standards, who was bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd. He won the G2 Louisiana Derby at 3 and added the G2 New Orleans Classic, Oaklawn Handicap and G2 Alysheba Stakes last year at 4.

Rushie, trained in Southern California by Michael McCarthy, was also making his seasonal debut after a 3-year-old campaign that included one stakes victory in the G2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs Sept. 5.

Post-race quotes:

Winning Trainer Bret Calhoun, By My Standards: “Watching it live, I thought he did (win). But when I started watching the replay, I thought he might have gotten beat on the bob. He was really ready. He really was well prepared, but I was more concerned about the short stretch mile, honestly. He's just a really good horse and he keeps overcoming. Honestly, I thought he might get shuffled back a little farther than he did. I thought Gabe (Saez) did a great job getting him in a very good position early without having to use too much horse. It kind of played out like we thought. There was quite a bit of speed in there. Some of the horses on the outside had speed and they had to make some quick decisions. Gabe just rode a great race. Fortunate enough to get him in a good spot early. It took every bit of that stretch to get there. It was a great race.”

Winning jockey Gabriel Saez, By My Standards: “I was trying to get that one position I wanted on the first turn. I got bounced around a little bit, but I relaxed and just tried to keep in that striking position. I was worried about the four (Rushie) inside of me a little bit, but when I saw him go through, I started to go after him. When we turned for home, my horse just left them and kicked in the extra gear I was expecting from him. Luckily we got there.”

Trainer Brad Cox, third with Wells Bayou: “Ran real well. Thought it was a big effort. Kind of pulled a little bit up the backside, but when he caught daylight down on the inside he was able to get a clean run in the lane and ran on. I thought it was a very good effort.”

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Edgeway Earns Initial Stakes Victory In Oaklawn’s Carousel

Prominent from the outset, Hronis Racing LLC's Edgeway got the jump on even-money favorite Frank's Rockette and cruised to victory in Saturday's $250,000 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., giving the daughter of Competitive Edge her first triumph in a black type race.

Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Joel Rosario, Edgeway ran the six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:10.13 and paid $4.60 as the second wagering choice in the field of six fillies and mare, aged 4 and up.

Frank's Rockette closed to within three-quarters of a length of Edgeway at the wire to be second, with Casual another 1 1/4 lengths back third and Wildwood's Beauty fourth.

Edgeway, third to Kimari in just her second career start in the Purple Martin Stakes at Oaklawn last year, was coming off a Feb. 7 allowance win at Santa Anita, her first start since a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs last June. She trained up to the Carousel at Santa Anita.

Mucho Amor jumped out to an early lead, with Edgeway to her outside, but that pair was quickly joined by Wildwood's Beauty who rushed up along the inside to put her nose in front. Those three raced as a team, with Edgeway three wide around the turn and Frank's Rockette track her while a couple of lengths further back. Early fractions were :22.54 for the opening quarter mile and :46.12 for the half.

Edgeway took command in the stretch, passing the furlong marker in :58.08 and sailed on to victory, her fourth in six starts.

Produced from Magical Solution, by Stormin Fever, Edgeway is a 4-year-old bred in Kentucky by Pope McLean, Valerie and David Blethen. She sold for $275,000 at the OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2019, where she was consigned by Mayberry Farm.

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Runhappy Colt Runs to Rising Stardom in Hot Springs

Following Sea (Runhappy) took the trip down to Hot Springs with his GI Arkansas Derby-bound stablemates for this lucrative maiden test and proved more than up for the task with a dominant debut victory, earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. A $230,000 in utero purchase by Spendthrift Farm at the 2017 KEENOV sale, the bay crossed the line second behind stablemate and subsequent GI Runhappy Santa Anita fourth Defunded (Dialed In) on debut at Santa Anita Mar. 6, but he was demoted to third by the stewards for interference. Receiving Lasix for the first time here, the overwhelming 1-2 favorite bounded out to a clear lead, zipping through early splits of :21.89 and :45.18. Showing the way into the lane, Following Sea cruised further clear under a hand ride from Joel Rosario to win as he pleased by 5 3/4 lengths. Happymac finished second for a Runhappy exacta.

Following Sea's stakes-winning dam Quick Flip (Speightstown) is a half-sister to the Baffert-trained SW & MGSP Qahira (Cairo Prince) and SW Stormin' Lyon (Storm Boot). The first of her six foals is the SP mare Inspeightof (Orb). Quick Flip's recent produce includes a 2-year-old Into Mischief filly, purchased by Mike Ryan for $450,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Select Sale, and a 2021 Hard Spun colt born on St. Patrick's Day.

4th-Oaklawn, $93,000, Msw, 4-10, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.92, ft,
5 3/4 lengths.
FOLLOWING SEA, c, 3, Runhappy
                1st Dam: Quick Flip (SW), by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Motel Lass, by Bates Motel
                3rd Dam: Devil's Lass, by Devil's Bag
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $64,920. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or the VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Wells Bayou Continues Comeback In Saturday’s Oaklawn Mile

As a star wide receiver during the mid-1980s at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Lance Gasaway is aware of injuries and the lengthy down time between seasons. Wells Bayou, co-owned by Gasaway and his father, Clint, is an equine reminder of that.

A year ago, Wells Bayou was coming off a victory in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds and headed for the Kentucky Derby. Then COVID-19 hit, the Kentucky Derby was moved to September, Wells Bayou finished a disappointing fifth in the second division of the rescheduled $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) in May at Oaklawn and bone bruising sidelined the Lookin At Lucky colt for the remainder of 2020.

Wells Bayou, who is trained by Brad Cox, is scheduled to make just his second start since the Arkansas Derby in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for older horses Saturday at Oaklawn.

“It's been a long, drawn-out year for Wells,” Lance Gasaway said Wednesday afternoon.

The speedy Wells Bayou, in his only start this year, ran third in the $125,000 Louisiana Stakes (G3) Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds. Wells Bayou was scratched from the $200,000 Mineshaft Stakes (G3) Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds because of a minor illness, Gasaway said, then missed the $500,000 Essex Handicap March 13 at Oaklawn with a foot issue.

“Just been one thing after another with him,” Gasaway said. “It's horrible. We were worried about getting him back. Brad had told me: 'He said Lance, I don't know if we're going to make it back, like in December.' He just got so big. He grew so much and put so much weight on, I think it just took longer to get him in shape. Really felt good after that Louisiana Stakes. Actually, the week before the Mineshaft, he worked a :59.80 (5 furlongs) down there and Brad said, 'Hey, he's ready.' We really thought we had a shot to beat Maxfield. Really did. He was training that well, then had to lay him off a month with all that other crap.”

Wells Bayou returned to Oaklawn last Sunday, according to Jorgito Abrego, who oversees Cox's local division. Wells Bayou made three starts last year in Hot Springs, recording a powerful first-level allowance victory in his two-turn debut before finishing second in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) and fifth behind Nadal in the second division of the Arkansas Derby.

“To be honest with you, this race, Brad thinks this is just going to be another conditioning race,” Gasaway said. “In fact, we're still a race away from getting him back like he was. But it's a shorter race, so we decided to give it a go. Hopefully, we'll run good.”

The Gasaways, who grew up and still reside in southeast Arkansas, purchased Wells Bayou on the advice of bloodstock agent Liz Crow (BSW/Crow Bloodstock) for $105,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-year-old in training sale. Crow brokered a deal before the Louisiana Derby to bring in BSW/Crow clients Sol Kumin (Madaket Stables) and Marc Lore (Wonder Stables) as partners in the bay son of champion Lookin At Lucky.

Clint Gasaway named Wells Bayou after a small community about 70 miles southeast of Little Rock.

Overall, Wells Bayou has a 3-1-1 record from seven lifetime starts and earnings of $872,793. Wells Bayou (4-1 on the morning line) is among nine horses entered in the Oaklawn Mile. Probable post time for the Oaklawn Mile, the ninth of 13 races, is 4:49 p.m. (Central).

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