Oaklawn | Horse Racing Free Tips

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.

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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.

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Keepmeinmind, Shedaresthedevil Work at Oaklawn for ’21 Debuts

Keepmeinmind (Laoban) worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 at Oaklawn Tuesday morning in preparation for a start in the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 15. The fastest of 17 works published at the distance, the 3-year-old completed the final quarter-mile in a sharp :22.80, galloping out six furlongs in 1:11.80, seven furlongs in 1:25.40 and a mile in 1:40.40, according to local clockers.

Accompanied by David Cohen, the winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last November worked over a fast track following the second break to renovate the racing surface.

It marked Keepmeinmind's fifth published workout this season at Oaklawn and the second bullet, following a five-furlong move in 1:00 Jan. 19.

“Did it the right way again,” said Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020. “I love that his works have been very consistent. Again, I always say take each day at a time, but his works have been very consistent–consistently good–since he's been here.”

Diodoro indicated he plans to come back with an easy half-mile work and a “couple of stiff gallops” next week leading up to the Southwest, Oaklawn's second of four GI Kentucky Derby points races.

“I'd like it to be Tuesday [Feb. 9],” Diodoro said of the maintenance breeze. “But it could be adjusted by a day or two because it looks like a little bit of [weather].”

GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) returned to the work tab Monday morning at Oaklawn, covering three furlongs in :36.60 in preparation for her 2021 debut, possibly the Mar. 13 GII Azeri S. Under exercise rider Fernando Espinoza, she breezed following the first renovation break for newly minted Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. Clockers had the 4-year-old galloping out a half-mile in :49.80 over the fast track.

“Really, really good,” Cox said after the work. “We were just looking for like :38, and she honestly looked like she was going :38. Just well within herself. Just nice and easy. We're not going to get in a big hurry with her, just kind of pick it up a little bit each week. Couldn't have asked for a better first work back.”

Shedaresthedevil was a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 after winning four races, including the Kentucky Oaks and Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. She hasn't started since finishing third in the GI Spinster S. Oct. 4 at Keeneland, her first start against older horses.

Following the Spinster, Shedaresthedevil received a 60-day break before resuming light training in mid-December in Kentucky. She arrived at Oaklawn Jan. 9. Cox said the 1 1/16-mile Azeri, Oaklawn's final major prep for the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 17, is possible for her 2021 debut.

“It's going to get close there,” Cox said. “We're just going to have to kind of really watch her and let her tell us if she's ready for that, but that would be the first logical target.”

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One Of Bloom’s ‘All-Time Favorite Horses,’ Millionaire Snapper Sinclair Readies For 2021 Debut

Millionaire Snapper Sinclair is scheduled to make his 2021 debut in Thursday's seventh race at Oaklawn, a 1-mile allowance for older horses.

Snapper Sinclair hasn't started since finishing second in the $250,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) Dec. 5 at Aqueduct for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Jeff Bloom, who also campaigned champion and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Midnight Bisou.

Snapper Sinclair has only won five times in a 29-race career, but the 6-year-old son of City Zip has bankrolled $1,438,260. The horse has several near misses on his stakes-heavy resume, including runner-up finishes in the $750,000 Tourist Mile (beaten three-quarters of a length) Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs, the first division of the $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes (beaten a neck) last year at Oaklawn and the $350,000 Essex Handicap (beaten a head) in 2019 at Oaklawn. Snapper Sinclair also was beaten a nose in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds in 2018 at Fair Grounds.

Snapper Sinclair recorded his biggest career victory to date in the 2019 Tourist Mile over Kentucky Downs' European-style turf course. Bloom said “a little bit of everything” has kept Snapper Sinclair in training. The flashy bay has been based at Oaklawn since mid-December.

“He's healthy, he's sound,” Bloom said. “I feel like we're just inches away from a viable stallion career. He finished second in the Grade 1 Cigar. If he wins that race, it's a game changer for him. He's just such a fun horse to have and we like to race a lot. To be able to race with a horse as honest as Snapper Sinclair, it's part of why you keep coming back for more with this kind of thing. Snapper will always be one of my all-time favorite horses. He's a barn favorite for Steve and his crew. At the end of the day, it comes down to as long as Snapper wants to continue doing what he does and he stays sound and healthy, then so be it. Let's do it.”

Snapper Sinclair was an allowance winner at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting. He has had only two starts in allowance company since the summer of 2019, the last a third-place finish in a 1-mile grass event Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs. Seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. is named to ride Snapper Sinclair, the 6-5 program favorite, Thursday. The race also attracted Grade 3 winner Plainsman, the early 5-2 second choice.

“In talking to Steve about it, it's kind of like Snapper sort of deserves a spot like this to kind of kick things off,” Bloom said. “He's shown up to every tough spot out there over the course of his career … none of these races are gimmies, but it's softer competition and, hopefully, we get that win for him. He's always knocking on the door. It would be nice to get him another confidence booster, get him a win, walk him into the winner's circle and then start planning his course of action following this spot.”

Probable post time for Thursday's seventh race is 4:09 p.m. (Central).

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