Oaklawn Barn Notes: Ivan Fallunovalot Works Toward King Cotton

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Ivan Fallunovalot Works Toward King Cotton

Multiple stakes winner Ivan Fallunovalot worked an easy half-mile Sunday morning at Oaklawn in preparation for his scheduled 7-year-old debut in Saturday’s $125,000 King Cotton Stakes for older sprinters.

Ivan Fallunovalot, who won the King Cotton in 2015 and 2016, breezed in :49.40 over a fast track under Hall of Famer Calvin Borel. Clockers caught him in :12.20 for his first eighth, :25 for a quarter-mile and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:02.80.

“Everything went real well,” trainer Tom Howard of Hot Springs said.

On behalf of owner Lewis Mathews of Bismarck Ark., Howard claimed Ivan Fallunovalot for $25,000 at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting. He has amassed $800,808 in career earnings, winning 15 of 24 starts.

Ivan Fallunovalot, a Texas-bred gelded son of Valid Expectations, has won four consecutive races, the last coming in the $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Nov. 19 at Laurel.

The King Cotton closed Friday with 33 nominations.

Other prominent nominees include millionaire Alsvid, runner-up in the King Cotton the last four years, and Whitmore, a powerful Jan. 15 allowance/optional claiming winner.

I Want to be a Kowboy

Multiple stakes winner Shotgun Kowboy will be pointed for the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Feb. 20 following his comeback victory, C.R. Trout, 5-year-old gelding’s breeder, owner and trainer, said Saturday morning.

Shotgun Kowboy surpassed $800,000 in career earnings with a front-running neck victory in Friday’s seventh race, a conditioned allowance/optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles.

“He’s a nice colt,” Trout said.

Shotgun Kowboy, a 5-year-old gelded son of sprint champion Kodiak Kowboy, snapped a seven-race losing streak Friday, although he had run second in his previous four starts, notably the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) July 2 at Prairie Meadows.

Shotgun Kowboy hadn’t started since an Aug. 13 grass race at Remington Park.

“He had a little bone soreness,” Trout said. “Just required some time off, but that was all. Just needed some R and R.”

The victory was Shotgun Kowboy’s seventh in 16 lifetime starts. His biggest career score came in the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby (G3) in 2015 at Remington Park.

Shotgun Kowboy ran fourth, beaten two lengths by Upstart, in last year’s Razorback.

Also pointing for the 1 1/16-mile Razorback is Smack Smack, who beat Shotgun Kowboy by a neck in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap. Smack Smack finished second in Oaklawn’s first major two-turn race for older horses, the $125,000 Fifth Season Stakes Jan. 13, for trainer Don Von Hemel of Hot Springs.

Fifth Season winner Domain’s Rap is under consideration for the Razorback, owner Danny Caldwell said.

Joy of Six

Arkansas-bred star Weast Hill is pointing for the $100,000 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes Feb. 25, trainer Brad Cox said Friday morning.

Weast Hill won the 2016 Nodouble, a 6-furlong race restricted to Arkansas-breds, 3-year-olds and upward.

Bred and owned by Starsky Weast of Star City, Ark., Weast Hill, in his 5-year-old debut, remained perfect in six career starts at Oaklawn with a front-running three-quarter length decision in a Jan. 22 state-bred allowance sprint.

Weast Hill was making his first start since an 11th-place finish in the $150,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G3) May 6 at Churchill Downs.

“He probably wasn’t 100 percent fit,” Cox said of the gelding’s comeback start. “I’m sure he got a lot out of the race, and, hopefully, he moves forward from it.”

A gelded son of Rockport Harbor, Weast Hill has a 7-1-0 record from 10 starts overall and earnings of $326,2010.

Weast Hill was 2 for 2 at the 2015 Oaklawn meeting (maiden special weights debut and $100,000 Rainbow Stakes) and 3 for 3 at the 2016 Oaklawn meeting (allowance/optional claimer against open company, $100,000 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes and $100,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Stakes).

All to Stormy, a 3-year-old half-brother to Weast Hill, finished 10th in his Jan. 16 career debut for trainer Tim Martin.

Finish Lines

Rowdy the Warrior, third in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 16, worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.80 before the renovation break Sunday morning for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel, who said the 3-year-old colt is under consideration for the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 20 and a first-level allowance race. … Following the renovation break Sunday morning, Ready to Confess, runner-up in the $125,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares Jan. 14, worked a half-mile in :49.40 for Von Hemel. … Leading rider Ramon Vazquez ($514,128) became the first jockey at the meet to surpass $500,000 purse earnings Saturday – the 11th day of racing. Vazquez (14 victories) didn’t reach $500,000 in purse earnings at the 2016 meeting until the 22nd day of racing. Vazquez was Oaklawn’s second-leading rider the last two years. … Saturday’s $125,000 American Beauty for older filly and mare sprinters (Athena) represented the first Oaklawn stakes victory for trainer Helen Pitts and 10th for jockey Joe Rocco Jr. … Trainer Ingrid Mason said she plans an equipment change for Marquee Miss, who was disqualified from second (beaten three-quarters of a length) to last in the American Beauty after lugging in badly in the stretch. Marquee Miss also lugged in during a runner-up finish, beaten a neck by Athena, in a Jan. 13 allowance/optional claiming sprint. … Mason won Saturday’s seventh race with favored Seven Forty Seven ($3.60), a 3-year-old Tiz Wonderful gelding who broke his maiden at 5 ½ furlongs. Seven Forty Seven was favored in his career debut last August at Saratoga. … Favored Snickerboxer ($3.60) became the meet’s first two-time winner in Saturday’s third race for three-time defending leading owner Danny Caldwell. It was a meet-high 10th victory for Caldwell and trainer Federico Villafranco. … Athena became the meet’s second two-time winner in the American Beauty. … Trainer Kim Puhl and jockey Eddie Perez swept Saturday’s early daily double with Wildcat Friendship ($11.80) in the first race and Lotto Cat ($12) in the second race. … Trainer John Ortiz scored his second winner of the meet, and fourth of his career, in Saturday’s ninth race with favored Her Love for Pappy ($3.80), a 4-year-old Colonel John filly who broke her maiden by eight lengths under Channing Hill. … Jon Court, Oaklawn’s leading rider in 2000, has $98,878,203 in career earnings, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Court is named on two horses Sunday. … Oaklawn surpassed $1 million in claims Saturday. There have been 83 claims for $1,098,500. … Two-time Oaklawn riding champion Terry Thompson, who hasn’t ridden since Aug. 13, is named on one horse Friday. Thompson said he took a break after the Prairie Meadows meeting ended to “regroup” and has hired a new agent, Tony King.

Cover Photo: Ivan Fallunovalot; Coady Photography