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‘We’ve Always Loved His Talent’: Silver State Turning To Gold For Asmussen

Two of the best horses developed by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds came to the Hall of Fame trainer on the advice of David Lambert. Silver State hasn't reached championship status yet, but the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun continued his climb toward the top of the country's older two-turn division with a half-length victory in the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) last Saturday at Oaklawn under Ricardo Santana Jr.

The victory was the fifth consecutive for Silver State, who became the first horse to win the Oaklawn Handicap – Oaklawn's biggest prize for older two-turn runners – $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes at 1 mile and the $500,000 Essex Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. The latter two races, Jan. 23 and March 13, respectively, were major local steppingstones to the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap.

Asmussen said on the recommendation of Lambert, a noted equine physiologist, Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell) purchased Silver State for $450,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sales. Lambert, founder and president of Equine Analysis Systems in Midway, Ky., also steered the Winchells toward privately purchasing half-interest in Gun Runner and retaining homebred Untapable to race. Both became Eclipse Award winners.

Now, silver is turning to gold for the Winchells, who campaign Silver State with prominent Arkansas breeder/owner Willis Horton.

“It's a horse the Hortons and Winchells purchased on Dr. Lambert's advice, that has continued to develop and get better,” Asmussen said. “We've always loved his talent level.”

Silver State earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 101, equaling a career high, for his Oaklawn Handicap victory. After falling off the Kentucky Derby trail following a seventh-place finish in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) in March 2020 at Fair Grounds, Silver State returned with two sharp allowance victories last fall in Kentucky before emerging as Oaklawn's top older two-turn runner this year. His Beyer Speed Figures, a numerical representation of performance, have ranged from 97 to 101, during the winning streak. Asmussen calls Silver State, “a gorgeous animal” who needed time to develop because he's “massive in size.”

“This race is significant enough,” Asmussen said. “He'll get the future we were hoping for, and this proves it.”

Asmussen said next-race plans are pending for Silver State, who won for the sixth time in 10 lifetime starts. Silver State ($1,230,094) became a millionaire after collecting the $600,000 winning check.

It was the first Oaklawn Handicap victory for Asmussen and the Winchells and the second for Horton, who also won the race in 2014 with champion Will Take Charge. Horton turned 81 last Saturday.

“The Hortons owning half this horse with the Winchells and how important Oaklawn is to them, the Hortons are to Oaklawn, what a great birthday present for him today,” Asmussen said.

The Oaklawn Handicap was Asmussen's record 95th Oaklawn stakes victory. Asmussen also won the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares in 2015 with Untapable and the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses in 2017 with Gun Runner. Untapable won an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2014. Gun Runner captured two Eclipse Awards (Horse of the Year and older dirt male) in 2017.

Asmussen has a meet-high 49 victories this year as he seeks his record-tying 11th Oaklawn training title. The Oaklawn Handicap pushed his purse earnings at the meet to more than $5 million. He enters the final eight racing days at $5,072,636 and with a chance to break his single-season Oaklawn record ($5,644,609), set in 2019.

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‘I Still Have Fun Out There’: 60-Year-Old Court On Verge Of 700 Oaklawn Wins

The ageless Jon Court continues to make math simple.

The next equation goes like this: 3 + 697 = 700. That's because Court entered Sunday needing three victories to become just the sixth jockey in Oaklawn history to reach 700.

“I'm aware of it,” Court, 60, said late Thursday afternoon. “Actually, I was thinking about the 4,200 wins when I was riding down the lane. I was like, 'No one is taking this one away from me.' When I went to 4,200, I felt as good as I ever did.”

Court was referring to Catholic Guilt's front-running 9 ½-length victory in the first race March 14, which nudged the jockey's overall career total to 4,200. That ranks 63^rd in North American history, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Court won another race on the card to reach another milestone, surpassing $20 million in career purse earnings at Oaklawn with the riding double that came a little more than 40 years after his first in Hot Springs.

Now, Court is poised to join Hall of Famers Pat Day and Calvin Borel, the late Larry Snyder, John Lively and Tim Doocy as the only riders in Oaklawn history to reach 700 career victories. Day holds the Oaklawn record for career victories (1,264).

“I just like Oaklawn,” Court said. “I like the town, the quality of racing. Just the allure keeps bringing me back. Many times, I've struggled, but I enjoy being here. I love winning here, I love being here.”

Court's first Oaklawn victory came Feb. 16, 1981, aboard Velvet Chieftain for future Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and prominent Texas owner Anne Dunigan (Bacacita Farm). Court, who rode his first career winner in 1980, was Oaklawn's leading apprentice jockey in 1981 with 10 victories. Save a stint in Southern California during the mid to late 2000s, Court has rarely missed an Oaklawn meet in the last four decades.

Illustrating the breadth of Court's career, Oaklawn's 1981 riding colony included Lively (he retired in 1991), Snyder (he retired in 1994) and Doocy (he retired in 2009). Day's first year as an Oaklawn regular was 1982. He won 12 consecutive Oaklawn riding titles (1983-1994) before retiring in 2005. Borel, 54, is still active and based at Oaklawn.

Court was Oaklawn's leading rider in 2000 and won consecutive runnings of Oaklawn's $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2010 and 2011 with Line of David and Archarcharch, respectively. Court likely would have already eclipsed 700 victories at Oaklawn if he hadn't missed most of the 2020 meeting because of rib and lung injuries suffered in an accident going to the gate before a race. Injury free in 2021, Court had rebounded with nine victories through Saturday, including two aboard Kentucky Oaks candidate Will's Secret for breeder/owner Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark., and trainer Dallas Stewart. Will's Secret won the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 30 and the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 6.

“If everyone stays healthy and we're still having fun, the Oaks is the target for the short term,” Court said. “From there, I see her finishing up in Breeders' Cups. It's exciting.”

Horton has been among Court's biggest supporters the last decade. They teamed to capture Oaklawn's $600,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) in 2013 with eventual 3-year-old Eclipse Award-winning male Will Take Charge (the sire of Will's Secret), 2015 Martha Washington with Eclipse Award winner Take Charge Brandi and the first division of the 2019 Rebel with Long Range Toddy. Court, then 58, was reportedly the oldest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby when he finished 16^th aboard Long Range Toddy in 2019.

“It's very enjoyable to see what he's doing for the Hortons,” said Stewart, adding he was Court's valet in the mid-1980s at Louisiana Downs. “He's always been a great rider and a great competitor. He loves the game and he loves his job. But he just steps his game up for the Hortons and that's a plus for me.”

Will's Secret is among 28 nominees to the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 3 at Oaklawn. The 1 1/16-mile Fantasy is a major prep for the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) – the nation's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies – April 30 at Churchill Downs. Will's Secret worked a half-mile in :49.20 Saturday at Fair Grounds, where she has been based this year.

Court, in his pursuit of 700, was named on five horses Sunday. Court's career numbers through Saturday at Oaklawn included 6,367 (mounts), 697 (victories), $20,030,356 (purse earnings) and 35 (stakes victories).

Court said he plans to keep making math simple.

“No thoughts of retirement at this time,” Court said. “I'm going to continue to ride. I'm enjoying it. We always have the joy until that day comes. Like Pat Day, he and I had that discussion. He said one day he went and rode a race, a little stake, and said he didn't enjoy it. It was no fun. He was like, 'Maybe it's time to hang it up.' I was like, 'Man, I don't want to hit that wall.' You can see I still have fun out there. I have fun in the morning, I have fun in the room. Just going to continue to enjoy it until the day I know it's time to step away. I don't want an injury to take me out, some tragedy, that makes the decision for me. I want to be able to say, 'OK, you've reached the point and it's time to step away.' ”

Terry Thompson, who entered Sunday with 653 career Oaklawn victories, and Luis Quinonez (608) are also riding at the 2021 meeting that ends May 1.

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Silver State Chasing Fourth Straight Victory In Saturday’s Essex Handicap

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State is the 2-1 program favorite for the $500,000 Essex Handicap for older horses at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn.

Probable post time for the Essex, which goes as the seventh of 12 races, is 3:08 p.m. (Central). The Essex is a major local prep for the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 17.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Silver State is bidding for his fourth consecutive victory after the son of Hard Spun fell off the Triple Crown trail following a seventh-place finish in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) last March at Fair Grounds. Silver State resurfaced last fall and recorded two allowance victories in Kentucky before capturing the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes by a nose Jan. 23 at Oaklawn in his 2021 debut.

“He's as beautiful as a horse can be,” Asmussen said. “For the Winchells and the Hortons to show the patience they did with him last year, they deserve to have a huge 4-year-old campaign with him and we expect it to happen.”

Among six other horses entered are Rated R Superstar and Night Ops, who won the Essex in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Rated R Superstar wheels back after finishing fifth behind Dubai World Cup-bound Mystic Guide in the $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Feb. 27 at Oaklawn. Rated R Superstar was making his first start since being claimed for $50,000 out of a Jan. 30 victory at Oaklawn by four-time local leading owner Danny Caldwell.

Night Ops finished third, beaten 3 ¾ lengths in the 1-mile Fifth Season, for Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. The Fifth Season marked the first start for Night Ops since winning the $100,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) July 5 at Prairie Meadows. Night Ops opened his 2020 campaign with a third-place finish in the first division of the Fifth Season.

“It was every bit as good as it was last year in that exact race,” Cox said. “I thought it was a good race off the layoff. He had been off a while. I thought he showed up and ran his race. Probably needs a little more ground and maybe a little bit better setup and, hopefully, he'll come back into form.”

The Essex also lured two starters from the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park in Tax (10th) and Harpers First Ride (12th).

Tax, a multiple graded stakes winner of almost $1 million for trainer Danny Gargan, returns to Hot Springs after finishing fifth in last year's Oaklawn Handicap.

Multiple stakes winner Harpers First Ride will be making his first start for Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer last year, after being privately purchased before the Pegasus. Harpers First Ride (10 of 18 overall) has recorded two workouts at Oaklawn leading up to his local debut.

“He ran real bad, but he had some issues that came up that we fixed,” Diodoro said, referring to the Pegasus. “I don't know how he'll stack up with these guys, but there's good form on him. He's a nice horse.”

The projected seven-horse Essex field from the rail out: Uphold, Fernando De La Cruz to ride, 113 pounds, 20-1 on the morning line; Harpers First Ride, David Cohen, 119, 4-1; Rated R Superstar, Ramon Vazquez, 114, 12-1; Tax, Joel Rosario, 120, 3-1; Silver State, Ricardo Santana Jr., 118, 2-1; Green Light Go, Francisco Arrieta, 116, 6-1; and Night Ops, Javier Castellano, 118, 3-1.

Also on Saturday's card is another stakes race for older horses, the $150,000 Temperence Hill at 1 ½ miles. The 3-1 program favorite is You're to Blame for trainer Ron Moquett and owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs

The 7-2 second choice in the program is Campaign, who was runner-up, beaten a neck, in last year's inaugural running for Southern California-based trainer John Sadler. Campaign was the 3-2 favorite in the 2020 Temperence Hill.

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Will Take Charge’s Will’s Secret Creates More ‘Buzz’ In Honeybee

Will's Secret added her third consecutive victory, while adding 50 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Oaks, in Saturday's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park. Sent off the 2-1 choice, the dark bay rushed up to contend with the Ken McPeek-trained duo of Tabor Hall (Candy Ride {Arg}), breaking from the inside, and Oliviaofthedesert (Bernardini), who settled in the three path around the first turn, while 'TDN Rising Star' Sun Path drafted behind the leading trio. Eagerly taking the advantage following a half in :24.25, Will's Secret was again headed by Tabor Hall following a half in :49.70. Her rival's lead didn't last long, however, and Will's Secret returned to the front exiting the far turn as Sun Path loomed large on her outside flank. In front turning for home, Will's Secret dispensed of the tiring Tabor Hall, and while Sun Path took her best shot to her outside, it was Will's Secret who held the edge late, winning by 3/4 of a length over the rail-skimming Pauline's Pearl, who was up in time to best Sun Path by 3/4 of a length.

“She broke really well today and we weren't pressured early on,” winning jockey Jon Court said. “She was comfortable on the front end and able to dictate a moderate, easy pace. I was able to have plenty of horse to finish with and when I called on her, she was full of run down the stretch.”

“It was a great ride,” said winning trainer Dallas Stewart. “She loves that track. She showed a little more versatility, that she can be on the lead and finish it off and that's really good to have in a racehorse. I just told [jockey Jon Court] to stay out of her mouth, let her break away from there and get around that first turn. I think that's important at Oaklawn. You've got to get around that first turn and be in good shape. Looks like we've got that down. She just coasted home from there.”

Will's Secret hit the board in two of her first three trips to post, including the most recent a third-place finish behind Clairiere (Curlin) at Churchill Downs Oct. 25. The Willis Horton homebred returned with a 2 3/4-length score in an off-turf test at Fair Grounds Dec. 20 before airing by 5 1/4 lengths in a muddy renewal of the one-mile Martha Washington S. at the Hot Springs oval Jan. 30.

Pedigree Notes:
Will's Secret is the second graded winner for the D. Wayne Lukas-trained 2013 Champion 3-year-old colt Will Take Charge, who was also campaigned by Willis Horton. The winner's dam, Girls Secret, was purchased by Horton for $375,000 at Keeneland November in 2016 after winning once in seven tries for trainer Anthony Dutrow. The first foal out the Giant's Causeway mare, Will's Secret has a juvenile full-brother as well as a yearling half-brother by Hard Spun. Girls Secret was bred back to Hard Spun.

Saturday, Oaklawn
HONEYBEE S.-GIII, $300,000, Oaklawn, 3-6, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.61, ft.
1–WILL'S SECRET, 122, f, 3, by Will Take Charge
1st Dam: Girls Secret, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Well Monied, by Maria's Mon
3rd Dam: Queen of America, by Quiet American
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Willis Horton Racing LLC (KY);
T-Dallas Stewart; J-Jon Kenton Court. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 6-3-0-2, $343,300. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pauline's Pearl, 117, f, 3, Tapit–Hot Dixie Chick, by Dixie
Union. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $60,000.
3–Sun Path, 117, f, 3, Munnings–Touch the Star, by Tapit.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $30,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, 5 3/4. Odds: 2.10, 18.90, 2.90.
Also Ran: Oliviaofthedesert, Coach, Tabor Hall, Willful Woman. Scratched: Absolute Anna.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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