Thawing Out: Oaklawn Rearranges Feb. 20-21 Stakes Schedule

With the area under a winter storm warning and temperatures not forecast above freezing until Friday, Feb. 19, officials at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., have rescheduled five stakes next weekend, including several that already had been postponed from the Feb. 13-15 Presidents Day holiday weekend when racing was cancelled.

Citing the prospects of warmer weather on Sunday, Feb. 21, officials have moved three stakes to that date: the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes (a Kentucky Derby qualifying points race offering 18 points),the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap for older horses, and the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes for fillies and mares.

The Razorback was originally scheduled on Feb. 13, while the Southwest and Bayakoa were to be run on Presidents Day, Feb. 15. All three were moved to Feb. 20 after the weekend cancellations but will now be run on Feb. 21.

The $150,000 Dixie Bell Stakes, originally scheduled on Feb. 13 and then moved to Feb. 21, will now be run on Saturday, Feb. 20. The $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes will be run on Feb. 20 as originally scheduled.

The weather forecast currently calls for snow on Monday, freezing temperatures through Thursday (with the prospect of snow showers on Thursday morning), and clearing on Friday with highs in the upper 30s. Saturday's long-range forecast projects a high of 45, with temperatures on Sunday expected to reach 50 degrees.

Because of freezing temperatures, the Oaklawn track has been closed to training from Feb. 12-14.

 

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Weather Forces Oaklawn to Again Reschedule Graded Stakes

Oaklawn, beset by frigid weather which necessitated the cancelling of live racing Friday-Monday, has further altered its stakes schedule to accommodate the extended weather forecast. The featured graded black-type events of Presidents' Day weekend–the GIII Bayakoa S., GIII Razorback H., and GIII Southwest S.–all originally rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, have all been moved again to Sunday, Feb. 21, to take advantage of the best conditions available. In addition, the Dixie Belle S., which was set for Feb. 13, has now been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 20, the same day as the Downthedustyroad S.

Oaklawn will continue to remain open for casino gaming and simulcasting, with live racing scheduled to resume Thursday, Feb. 18.

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‘Team Deal’: Aidan Green Celebrates First Training Win At Oaklawn Park

Aidan Green was holding her 4-month-old and pushing a stroller through the grandstand early Thursday afternoon at Oaklawn. Less than an hour later, Green was strolling into the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle following her first career training victory recognized by Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.

Green achieved her personal milestone with Kristo ($18.20), who won the fifth race, a starter-allowance route, by 3 ¾ lengths under Elvin Gonzalez. Kristo marked the 21st recognized starter for Green, who saddled her first horse in 2020, according to Equibase. Green's husband, Ike, is a former trainer who now assists his wife and Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020. Aidan Green said she has seven horses on the track in training.

“Like Ike and I, we've won a lot of races, it's just the first time it's been under my name, so, it doesn't really feel like a first win,” Green said. “But it's cool to have it under my name now. We've always been a team. We've run Cody Autrey's barn in the past and we've run Robertino's in the past.”

Green, 33, grew up in Canada around the Quarter-Horses and draft horses her family owned. A star volleyball player, Green signed with Texas Tech before transferring to Texas-El Paso, where she was a four-year letterman (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009). Green, also an aspiring photographer, said she met her future husband in 2010 when he was training at Sunland Park in suburban El Paso. They married in 2013 and have three children, 5, 4 and 4 months.

“Team deal, you know,” Aidan Green said. “With three kids and all the horses, Ike and I kind of rotate around, wherever we're both needed. We do it as a team, everything we do. I'm not a full-time photographer. I'd like to be. Full-time mom and then, I guess, second is horse trainer after that.”

Green owns Kristo, a 10-year-old Distorted Humor gelding, with sister-in-law Delinda Green. Ike Green's brother, trainer Greg Green, had claimed Kristo for $8,000 early last year at Sunland Park.

Kristo was exiting a third-place finish in a starter-allowance sprint Jan. 22 at Oaklawn.

“He ran really good his last start,” Green said. “Elvin just gave him a good ride. He kind of picks his certain riders and likes them. He ran really good for Elvin, so we were excited to get in this spot. Thought it was a good one.”

Kristo's victory came roughly seven years after Green said she won a race as an owner/trainer at a weekend fair meet in Fargo, N.D. That victory, Green noted, isn't recognized by Equibase.

“When we were at Canterbury, we shipped over with one that we owned ourselves,” Green said. “They had like tents set up. It was so much fun. This was my first real recognized one, as me as trainer.”

Ike Green unearthed and broke multiple Grade 1 winner and 2018 Triple Crown hopeful Bolt d'Oro when working for former business partner Mick Ruis. Green has 98 career training victories, according to Equibase, the first coming in 2001.

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Frigid Temperatures Force Oaklawn To Add Friday’s Card To List Of Cancellations

Due to the frigid temperatures and out of concern for the safety of its equine athletes and jockeys, Oaklawn has received permission to cancel Friday's nine-race card.

Oaklawn had already canceled the Saturday – Monday cards based on the weather forecast and rescheduled three graded stakes – the $250,000 Bayakoa (G3), $600,000 Razorback (G3) and $750,000 Southwest (G3) – to Saturday, Feb. 20.

Oaklawn will remain open for casino gaming and simulcast racing. The casino will remain open until 5 a.m.

Live racing is scheduled to resume Thursday, Feb. 18 with a 1 p.m. first post.

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