Oaklawn Park Saturday Stakes Previews

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Bronze Age Prepares For 4-Year-Old Debut

Only four horses finished ahead of probable 3-year-old champion male West Coast during his nine-race campaign last year. One is Bronze Age, who is scheduled to make his 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s fifth race at Oaklawn, an entry-level allowance at a mile.

Bronze Age will be making his first start for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs after his major clients, Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway, Ark., privately purchased the chestnut son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft following a third-place finish in an April 29 allowance/optional claimer at Santa Anita.

Bronze Age previously raced in Southern California for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and famed Juddmonte Farms, Inc. Bronze Age broke his maiden last February at Santa Anita (the Baffert-trained West Coast was second in his career debut).

“He told me to do what I thought was best for him, so I kicked him out,” Moquett said, referring to Alex Lieblong, chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission. “He was gelded before we bought him. I talked to Bob and he thought he was a good enough horse to invest the time in. We kicked him out and pointed to having a 4-year-old here.”

Bronze Age has a 1-0-1 record from five lifetime starts and earnings of $39,810. Bronze Age has been sold three times at public auction, including $600,000 as a 2-year-old.

The only other horses to beat West Coast last year all raced at Oaklawn.

West Coast finished second to Senior Investment, an allowance/optional claiming winner at the 2017 Oaklawn meeting, in the $200,000 Lexington Stakes (G3) last April at Keeneland, and was third behind probable Horse of the Year Gun Runner and Collected in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

Gun Runner won the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) last year at Oaklawn to begin his 4-year-old campaign. The Baffert-trained Collected finished fourth as the favorite in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds in 2016 at Oaklawn.

UNDEFEATED AMY’S CHALLENGE HEAVY FAVORITE IN DIXIE BELLE

Unbeaten Amy’s Challenge is the 3-2 program favorite for the $125,000 Dixie Belle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Oaklawn.

Probable post time for the 6-furlong Dixie Belle, the eighth of nine races, is 4:38 p.m. (Central). Gates open Saturday at 11 a.m., with first post 1:05 p.m.

Amy’s Challenge, who races for Novogratz Racing Stables Inc. (Joseph Novogratz) and trainer Mac Robertson, beat males in both career starts last year at Canterbury Park, including the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile Stakes Sept. 16. She was a 16 ½-length winner of her Aug. 6 career debut.

“The only reason I ran her against males at Canterbury was I had some decent fillies, not like her, but that I thought could win,” Robertson said, specifically mentioning another debut winner, Glamorized. “They got ready at the same time, so it made sense to run Glamorized against fillies and Amy’s Challenge against boys. I thought she could win wherever I ran her.”

Amy’s Challenge earned eye-popping Beyer Speed Figures of 91 for her maiden victory and 92 for her stakes score, both ratings among the highest in the country for a 2-year-old last year.

“There wasn’t a filly stake, there was only a boy’s stake,” Robertson said, referring to Canterbury. “Obviously, everybody wants to stay home. It made sense. With 2-year-olds, I think, maybe in the summer they’re some fillies just as fast as boys, anyway.”

Amy’s Challenge, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Artie Schiller, is scheduled to break from post 6 under regular rider Jareth Loveberry and carry equal top weight of 119 pounds.

The remainder of the projected seven-horse Dixie Belle field from the rail out:
Getupbabygetup, Channing Hill to ride, 114 pounds, 15-1 on the morning line; Secret Passion, Edwin Maldonado, 119, 12-1; Vision of Justice, Mike Luzzi, 119, 5-1; Thoughtless Doll, C.J. McMahon, 114, 15-1; Mia Mischief, Ricardo Santana Jr., 119, 9-5; and Minit to Stardom, Gary Stevens, 119, 6-1.

Mia Mischief will be making her 3-year-old debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who has topped the Oaklawn standings eight times since 2007.

Owned by the trainer’s longtime clients, Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, the speedy Mia Mischief was a 16 1/4-length maiden winner last October at Keeneland and a 3 ¾-length entry-level allowance winner of her last start, Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.

Both Amy’s Challenge and Mia Mischief have led virtually every step in their victories.

“I’m glad I’m outside Asmussen,” Robertson said.

Asmussen is seeking his fourth Dixie Belle victory and 73rd career Oaklawn stakes triumph

I Want to be Cowboy

The runner-up (Untrapped) and third-place finisher (Chief Know It All) from November’s $200,000 Zia Park Derby at Zia Park have already run at the meet in the $125,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses Jan. 12.

Now, P C Cowboy, fourth in the Zia Park Derby, is scheduled to make his 4-year-old debut in Sunday’s eighth race, an allowance/optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles for owner Thomas Julian and trainer Scott Young.

A son of 2011 Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch, P C Cowboy was the first maiden special weights winner at last year’s Oaklawn meeting before being sold privately by Danny Caldwell, perennial leading owner in Hot Springs.

P C Cowboy has made his last two starts for Young, clearing his first allowance condition Sept. 30 at Remington Park before running fourth, beaten five lengths, in the Zia Park Derby Nov. 22. In his stakes debut, P C Cowboy finished eighth behind undefeated One Liner in the $500,000 Southwest (G3) last year at Oaklawn.

“He falls into that category,” Young said, referring to a return to stakes action for P C Cowboy. “We’re not real sure how good he’s going to be. He ran against some really nice horses in the Zia Park Derby. I want to get to get that two-other-than condition knocked out. It’s like a stake here.”

The purse for Sunday’s race is $77,000.

P C Cowboy, in company with stakes-winning stablemate Jerrid, drilled 5 furlongs in 1:01 Jan. 6 at Oaklawn, fastest of 65 times recorded at the distance.

Jerrid, a son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, was winless in four starts at last year’s Oaklawn meeting before scoring his breakthrough victory in the $65,000 Prairie Mile Stakes for 3-year-olds June 9 at Prairie Meadows. He completed his 2017 campaign beating older horses in an Oct. 7 allowance race at Remington Park.

“He was having problems relaxing,” said Young, a former jockey who was on Jerrid for his Jan. 6 breeze. “He was just getting rank early. I think we’ve kind of gotten that straightened out. He’s grown up and matured. I think he’s the kind of horse, instead of trying to take him back, we let him be kind of forwardly placed on his own. That’s really seemed to help him relax and be pretty good.”

Young said he’s pointing Jerrid for an early season allowance race, with the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 14 the major spring objective.

“But, we’ve got to let him tells us that,” Young said.

Finish Lines

Nominations to the $125,000 American Beauty Stakes for older female sprinters close Friday. … Grade 1 stakes-placed sprinter Jazzy Times, an allowance/optional claiming winner at the 2017 Oaklawn meeting, is scheduled to make his 5-year-old debut in Saturday’s seventh race. Jazzy Times will be making his first start since being claimed for $62,500 Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs by trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs on behalf of a partnership that includes Mark Lamberth, a member of the Arkansas Racing Commission. Also entered in the allowance/optional claiming sprint are Black Bear; Guns Loaded, who has returned to Oaklawn with trainer Doug O’Neill; and Long Station, the 498th career winner for trainer Paul Holthus of Hot Springs. Holthus has 499 career victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. … L and N Racing LLC’s Lookin At Lee, runner-up in last year’s Kentucky Derby, returned to the work tab Tuesday at Fair Grounds, breezing a half-mile in :51 for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Lookin At Lee ran three times last year at Oaklawn, finishing third in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), sixth in the $900,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) and third in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Michael Levinson, stable manager and co-owner of L and N Racing, said middle to late February is the target date for Lookin At Lee’s 4-year-old debut. Lookin At Lee had been at Oaklawn this season before heading south because of arctic temperatures. … Unmoored, the final starter and winner for Oaklawn President Charles Cella before his death Dec. 6, is entered in the $50,000 Forego Stakes Friday at Turfway Park. Unmoored, a Dec. 1 allowance winner at Turfway Park, is the first scheduled starter for Louis and John Cella, who are continuing their father’s racing operation. Unmoored has been based this month at Oaklawn with Mike Johnson, who has trained for the Cella family for more than a decade. Louis Cella was named Oaklawn’s president Dec. 20.