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McPeek: Smile Happy Likely To Target Southwest Stakes En Route To Kentucky Derby

Trainer Kenny McPeek said early Thursday afternoon that he had eight horses stabled at Oaklawn and expects to eventually have “20ish” on the grounds for the 2021-2022 meeting that began Friday.

McPeek has a division of horses at Oaklawn for the first time since 2018, when he won five races from 32 starts. McPeek said Oaklawn's expanded racing calendar was the hook to return to Hot Springs. Oaklawn is opening in December for the first time and has 66 scheduled racing dates, roughly 10 more than past years. Oaklawn had previously opened in mid to late January. The 2021-2022 live season ends May 8.

“The December start date completely changes the complexion of the Oaklawn meet,” McPeek said. “I think it's a big help. You're there longer. As long as they can get the races that you need to go … I know it's a bit of an experiment, but I think it's a really good move on their part.”

McPeek returns to Oaklawn with momentum after winning four races, including the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) with Smile Happy, on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program exclusively for 2-year-olds last Saturday at Churchill Downs. The four-bagger helped swell McPeek's purse earnings this year to a career-high $6.7 million.

“Had a good meet,” McPeek said. “Had a good fall.”

Smile Happy, a son of champion sprinter Runhappy, remained unbeaten in two career starts with a 3 ¼-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club.

“He's a really, really good horse,” McPeek said. “He's going to go to Florida initially and we're probably going to bring him up for the Southwest and possibly the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby.”

The $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 29, $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 26 and $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2 conclude Oaklawn's four-race Kentucky Derby points series.

Smile Happy races for the Lucky Seven Stable of Mike Mackin, who campaigned 2001 Rebel winner Crafty Shaw with now-retired trainer Pete Vestal. Crafty Shaw also ran third in the Southwest and seventh in the Arkansas Derby.

McPeek is scheduled to start three horses Saturday at Oaklawn, including Oliviaofthedesert and Semble Juste in the inaugural $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. Laughing Boy, McPeek said, “will probably be entered” in the inaugural $150,000 Poinsettia Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Dec. 11 at Oaklawn. Laughing Boy finished second in a Nov. 25 allowance race at Churchill Downs.

“Horses just shipped in last night, but I'll be there for a little bit,” McPeek said. “I've got a team that's coming from my Churchill barn that's already there. We've only got eight in there right now, so we're getting them settled in. It's taken some time logistically to move everybody.”

With John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs as a major client, McPeek won 40 races in 2012-2017 at Oaklawn, including the $75,000 Arkansas Breeders' Stakes in 2015 with Trace Creek and the $125,000 Spring Fever Stakes in 2017 with Kathballu.

McPeek's last Oaklawn victory came with Swiss Skydiver in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) in 2020. Swiss Skydiver went on to beat males in the Preakness – the final leg of the revamped Triple Crown – en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2020.

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‘Pure Route Horse’: Impressive Maiden Winner Zandon Stretches Out For Saturday’s Remsen

Jeff Drown's impressive maiden winner Zandon will attempt to rise to the occasion in Saturday's 106th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen for juveniles going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Remsen, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, has seen a number of past winners go on to win the “Run for the Roses” including, Johnstown [1938], Carry Back [1960], Pleasant Colony [1980], Go for Gin [1993] and Thunder Gulch [1994].

Trained by Chad Brown, who won the 2014 Remsen with Leave the Light On, Zandon was a 1 ½-length winner of his six-furlong debut on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Despite hitting the gate at the break, the son of second crop sire Upstart recovered and sat two lengths off the pace while saving ground in fourth down the backstretch. Joel Rosario angled Zandon a couple of paths wide down the lane and he garnered command in the final furlong to register an 80 Beyer Speed Figure on debut.

Brown said Zandon will appreciate the added distance.

“He ran one time going six furlongs and he won, but I've always thought of him as a pure route horse,” Brown said. “The fact that he was able to go three-quarters, I was quite impressed. I thought he would've been a late-running horse that would have needed a start, but he won. I was quite impressed by that because I don't think that's what he wants to do at all.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Zandon is out of the unraced Creative Cause mare Memories Prevail – a half-sister to stakes-winners Cariba and Cairo Memories. He was bought for $170,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by his breeders' Airdrie Stud.

Rosario, who piloted last year's winner Brooklyn Strong, will attempt back-to-back Remsen scores when returning aboard Zandon from post 7.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle second-out maiden winner Mo Donegal for Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing, who captured the 2011 Remsen with O'Prado Again.

Mo Donegal, a bay son of Uncle Mo, stretched out from 6 1/2-furlongs to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden at second asking on October 21 at Belmont Park. Mo Donegal, heavily coaxed around the far turn, found his second wind in deep stretch to win by 1 ½ lengths while recording an 82 Beyer.

Pletcher previously captured the Remsen with Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012], both of whom contested in the following year's Kentucky Derby.

“We feel like the mile and an eighth will suit him well,” Pletcher said. “He had a good work at Belmont last week. It seems like the further he goes, the better he gets.”

Mo Donegal was bought for $250,000 from the Ashview Farm consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the Pulpit mare Callingmissbrown, who is out of the Grade 1-winning millionaire Island Sand.

Leaving from post 1, Mo Donegal will be ridden by return pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will seek a fifth Remsen victory when sending out Judge Davis, who was a last out third in the Grade 3 Nashua on November 7 at Belmont Park.

Owned by Donald and Donna Adams Courtlandt Farms, the Distorted Humor bay was a distant fourth to eventual graded stakes winner Major General in his August debut at Saratoga going six furlongs before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden on September 24 over a muddy main track at Belmont Park.

Jose Ortiz will return to the saddle aboard Judge Davis, who adds blinkers, from post 3.

Trainer Michael Trombetta will send out R. Larry Johnson's Maryland homebred Mr. Jefferson, the lone two-time winner in the Remsen field.

The son of leading third crop sire Constitution broke his maiden at second asking in August going six furlongs at Colonial Downs. Following a distant fourth in a return to grass at Laurel Park, Mr. Jefferson added blinkers and defeated winners at 1 1/16 miles over the Laurel main track on November 4.

Mr. Jefferson is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clockstrucktwelve – a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Never Enough Time.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride Mr. Jefferson from post 8.

Owners Cash Is King Racing and L C Racing and trainer Butch Reid, Jr. captured the 2018 Remsen with Maximus Mischief and will vie for another victory with Eloquist.

The son of Nyquist found the winner's circle last out when capturing a one-mile maiden event on October 20 at Parx. The win was a major turnaround in form for Eloquist, who finished a distant sixth in his prior two starts.

Dylan Davis will ride Eloquist from post 6.

Trainer Jorge Abreu will saddle Gold Square's New York-bred stakes-placed Who Hoo Thats Me, who was a last-out third in the Sleepy Hollow on October 30 at Belmont. The son of freshman sire Keen Ice broke his maiden at third asking by two lengths on September 25 at Belmont.

Trevor McCarthy will ride from post 2.

Completing the field are maiden Fromanuthamutha [post 4, Manny Franco], who finished second to Remsen aspirants Mo Donegal and Judge Davis in his previous two starts for trainer Ray Handal, and Monmouth turf maiden winner Midnight Chrome [post 5, Luis Saez] for trainer J. Tyler Servis.

The Remsen is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's 10-race program, which is spearheaded by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets, and includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle and the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

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Brown-Trained Maiden Winner Zandon May Stretch Out In Remsen

Trainer Chad Brown is considering a somewhat unusual move with the promising 2-year-old Zandon, reports the Daily Racing Form. Winner of a Belmont Park maiden special weight over six furlongs on Oct. 9, the son of Upstart could next be entered in the G2 Remsen over 1 1/8 miles this Saturday at Aqueduct.

The Remsen offers the winner 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

It would be an abnormal move for Brown, who typically utilizes a slower progression with his charges. Zandon had been targeted for the Nov. 7 Nashua, but a mild illness kept him out of that race.

Brown told DRF Zandon reminds him of his 2017 Preakness winner Cloud Computing, who won sprinting on debut then finished second at 1 1/16 miles in the Gotham in his second start.

“He looks like him,” Brown said. “He's a big, good-looking black horse that was able to win sprinting and he's not a sprinter.”

Zandon, out of the Creative Cause mare Memories Prevail, was a $170,000 yearling at the Keeneland September sale. Purchased by Mike Ryan on behalf of owner Jeff Drown, the colt is from the family of top Maryland-bred Hello Beautiful.

‘There Hasn’t Even Been Any Talk About Another Trainer’: Juvenile Winner Corniche Will Return To Baffert After WinStar Vacation

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche will return to the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert after a freshening at WinStar, according to a report in the Daily Racing Form, despite the ban imposed on Baffert by Churchill Downs.

That action has made Baffert trainees ineligible for the next two editions of the Kentucky Derby, and also prevents horses trained by Baffert from accumulating any points toward the Run for the Roses.

Owned by Peter Fluor's Speedway Stable, Corniche is undefeated in three career starts, including the G1 American Pharoah Stakes. The son of Quality Road was a $1,500,000 purchase at the OBS April sale, selected by Marette Farrell.

“Peter wants to be loyal,” Farrell told DRF. “Corniche won the Breeders' Cup, and he's a possible 2-year-old champion. No decisions have been made — there hasn't even been any talk about another trainer, or who he'd go to if he needs to go to another trainer. If the time comes that a decision needs to be made, if it needs to be that way, we'll put our heads together and make a decision.”