Oaklawn Barn Notes: Champion Unique Bella Arrives for Apple Blossom

Posted On 13 Apr 2018

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Unique Bella; Coady Photography

Video Link here: Solomini and Unique Bella

https://youtu.be/Lg2IW81NTa8 – Unique Bella

Champion Unique Bella schooled in the gate and paddock Thursday morning, Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said, in advance of a scheduled start in the $700,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares Friday at Oaklawn.

Unique Bella and several leading contenders for other Racing Festival of the South events arrived Wednesday afternoon on a flight that originated in Southern California.

Unique Bella, an Eclipse Award winner as champion female sprinter last year, has never raced outside California.

“Actually, I’m quite surprised the way’s she shipped and handled everything,” Hollendorfer said before Unique Bella trained Thursday morning. “She seems totally into being here. She relaxed and settled in better than I thought she would. She’s been a little bit nervous back home, but she doesn’t seem to be at all here.”

Unique Bella was reluctant to load several times during her gate schooling session. She finally stood fine and later went to the paddock to school.

Last-minute Decision

Early Wednesday morning, Shortleaf Stable’s Plainsman was headed to Saturday’s $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes for 3-year-ods.

A few hours later, Shortleaf owner John Ed Anthony called an audible and opted to run Plainsman in Saturday’s $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1), a race he won in 1980 with eventual champion Temperence Hill, in 1987 with Demons Begone and again in 1992 with Pine Bluff.

Plainsman was entered so late in the Arkansas Derby that his name wasn’t included on the draw sheet for Wednesday afternoon’s post position draw.

Trainer Will VanMeter said he was preparing to school Plainsman in the infield for the Northern Spur, when he was informed around noon (Central) Wednesday that the Flatter colt would instead run in the Arkansas Derby.

“We had talked a couple of times throughout the morning about this and that,” VanMeter said. “I answered and I go, ‘What the heck did you all do before you got that cell phone?’ Anyway, it will be fun.”

Plainsman will be running for a purse of $1,060,000 Saturday since he’s eligible for Oaklawn’s “Lasix-free” bonus, which provides a 10 percent boost to the winner’s share of the purse for all horses that run and win without the anti-bleeder medication.

Anthony collected a $4,500 bonus when Plainsman broke his maiden Jan. 20, becoming the first Lasix-free winner of the meeting.

The Arkansas lumberman would pocket a record $60,000 if Plainsman scores an upset victory Saturday.

“That would be really cool,” VanMeter said.

Oaklawn’s “Lasix-free Bonus Program” began in 2015.

Shuffling the Deck

Solomini had been ticketed for the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) last Saturday at Aqueduct before an injury to stablemate McKinzie led Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to reroute the colt to Arkansas for Saturday’s $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1).

Baffert had originally targeted the Arkansas Derby with lightly raced Justify, but McKinzie’s injury kept Justify home for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) last Saturday at Santa Anita.

Justify won the Santa Anita Derby to remain perfect in three career starts.

“We had to come up with another plan,” Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s top assistant, said Thursday morning. “I wanted to run him there, anyway. I wanted to leave Justify at Santa Anita and not have to travel. I’d rather just led him 100 yards away from his stall and run and have the other horse that’s a little more seasoned come this way.”

Solomini returns to Oaklawn after finishing a troubled second in the $900,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) March 17, the final major local prep for the Arkansas Derby.

A son of 2007 Rebel and Arkansas Derby winner Curlin, Solomini was disqualified from a victory in the $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) Dec. 9 at Los Alamitos (interference in the stretch) and finished second in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 4 at Del Mar and $300,000 FrontRunner Stakes (G1) Sept. 30 at Santa Anita.

Solomini found traffic trouble along the rail turning for home in the Rebel, which marked his 3-year-old debut, and was beaten 3 ½ lengths by Magnum Moon.

“He wasn’t giving up,” Barnes said. “He was still trying. That’s him. He just kind of plugs along. He didn’t get the exact kind of trip that you would have wanted, behind horses, and trying to find a place to go at the top of the stretch.”

End of the Line?

Streamline can sweep all four of Oaklawn’s two-turn stakes races for older fillies and mares with a victory in Friday’s $700,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1).

The 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom could also be the final Oaklawn start for Streamline, a 6-year-old Illinois-bred daughter of Straight Line, before she becomes a broodmare.

“How about it, man? Kind of sad,” trainer Brian Williamson said Thursday morning. “It’s sad in a way. It will probably be her last race here, but you never know. Who knows? We might bring her back – if she wins this.”

Streamline has competed in the last 11 two-turn stakes races for older fillies and mares at Oaklawn and finished worse than third just one – an eighth-place showing in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 17, the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom.

Streamline has scored series victories in the Pippin (2016), Azeri (2017) and Bayakoa (2018). The Bayakoa had been run in April, a consolation prize for horses not wanting to test the much deeper waters of the Apple Blossom, before being moved to February in 2011

In her previous two Apple Blossom appearances, Streamline ran second to future champion Forever Unbridled in 2016 and third behind champion Stellar Wind last year. Friday’s field is headlined by champion Unique Bella.

“We missed the one, Songbird,” Williamson said, referring to the two-time Eclipse Award winner. “Otherwise, we would have really been against the best.”

Streamline has an 8-3-9 record from 22 career starts and earnings of $795,499.