Oaklawn Barn Notes: Robertson Plots Next Move for Amy’s Challenge

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Robertson Plots Next Move for Amy’s Challenge

After watching Amy’s Challenge set a stakes record in the $100,000 American Beauty Saturday at Oaklawn, trainer Mac Robertson was plotting his next move for the filly Sunday morning.

Making her 4-year-old debut, Amy’s Challenge was a front-running 5 ¾-length winner of the American Beauty under Alex Canchari, covering 6 furlongs over a fast track in a sharp 1:09.32. Nizhanee (1984) and Ann’s Bid (1987) shared the previous stakes record of 1:09.40.

Amy’s Challenge ($9) had three bullet workouts at Oaklawn leading up to the American Beauty, which marked her first start since a sixth-place finish in the $250,000 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at 7 furlongs Oct. 20 at Keeneland.

“She’s a little better this year,” Robertson said. “She’s working a little straighter, a little better. She was drifting out a little bit last year. It seems like she’s a little stronger.”

Robertson said at the moment, “it looks like” Amy’s Challenge will remain around one turn and be pointed for the $100,000 Spring Fever Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs March 2 at Oaklawn.

Amy’s Challenge began her 3-year-old campaign with a narrow victory in Oaklawn’s $125,000 Dixie Belle Stakes before stretching out to finish second in the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) and third in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) later in the meeting.

“She ran so hard that first race last year,” Robertson said. “It took a lot out of her. When you’re a 3-year-old and chasing horses a little better than her and little farther than she wanted to run last year, it wasn’t ideal.”

Saturday’s victory was the fifth in nine starts for Amy’s Challenge and bumped her earnings to $299,159. She is a three-time stakes winner for Novogratz Racing Stables Inc. (Joseph Novogratz) and unbeaten in three 6-furlong races.

Double Trouble

Trainer Jimmy DiVito and owner Doubledown Stables, Inc. (Richard Templer) teamed for two victories on Saturday’s card, including Oncewewerebrothers in the nightcap, a maiden special weights sprint for 3-year-olds.

The second victory was noteworthy because Oncewewerebrothers, a Cairo Prince gelding, was making his first start since finishing second in his career debut Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. The winner, Gray Attempt, has returned to win two consecutive stakes races, including the $150,000 Smarty Jones Friday at Oaklawn.

“We’ve always been high on this horse,” DiVito said Sunday morning. “He’s been training really good for a couple of months, three months now. He’s a nice horse. I think he’s going to go a route of ground, too.”

Under David Cabrera, Oncewewerebrothers ($6.40) ran 6 furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.34.
DiVito said he’ll look at a stakes race for the gelding, possibly the $125,000 Gazebo March 23 at Oaklawn. The Gazebo is 6 furlongs.

DiVito and Doubledown also won Saturday’s fifth race with Shanghai Tariff ($12.40).

I Want to be a Kowboy

Millionaire Shotgun Kowboy has recorded two workouts this season at Oaklawn, including a 5-furlong move Saturday morning in preparation for his 7-year-old debut.

“Got one more work and then we’ll look for a spot for him to go,” breeder/owner/trainer C.R. Trout said Sunday morning.

Shotgun Kowboy eclipsed $1 million in career earnings with an allowance victory last February at Oaklawn and won the $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (G3) May 27 at Lone Star Park. The gelding went off form in his final two starts last year, finishing fifth in the $150,000 Zia Park Championship Handicap Nov. 21 at Zia Park and seventh in the $75,000 Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial Stakes Dec. 16 at Remington Park.

“We don’t throw him to the wolves as much as we used to,” Trout said. “We’re just going to pick and choose our spots. The last two times on off tracks … he’s just got now where he won’t run on off tracks. We’ll look for a spot where the track’s good.”

Shotgun Kowboy, an Oklahoma-bred son of Kodiak Kowboy, has amassed $1,375,501 in career earnings after winning 13 of 33 starts.

Asked if 2019 will be Shotgun Kowboy’s final year to race, Trout said he’ll leave that up to the horse.

“He’s never had a dime’s worth of trouble anywhere, feet, ankles, knees, nothing,” Trout said. “I’ll let him tell us. When he does, we’ll make a stable pony out of him.”

Trout said Shotgun Kowboy will probably resurface in an allowance race.

Shining Brightly

Oaklawn-raced horses finished 1-3-4 in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday at Gulfstream Park, with 2018 Oaklawn Handicap winner City of Light romping to a 5 ¾-length victory in the country’s richest race.

City of Light handed eventual champion older dirt male Accelerate his only loss of 2018 in the Oaklawn Handicap, a Grade 2 event that is the biggest two-turn prize for older horses in Hot Springs.

Bravazo, who is based this winter at Oaklawn with Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, finished fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. Bravazo opened his 3-year-old campaign with an allowance victory last year at Oaklawn.

City of Light, who was making his final career start before entering stud, became the second consecutive Oaklawn stakes winner to win the Pegasus.

Gun Runner began his 2017 Horse of the Year campaign with a runaway victory in Oaklawn’s $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) and concluded his career last January by capturing the Pegasus.

Finish Lines

The track was rated fast for workouts Sunday morning … Super Steed will be pointed for the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 18, trainer Larry Jones said Sunday morning. Super Steed finished seventh, beaten 7 ¼ lengths, in Friday’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes. The Smarty Jones and Southwest are Oaklawn’s first two preps for the Kentucky Derby. Jones said Super Steed came out of the Smarty Jones, his two-turn debut, fine physically. …Trainer Brad Cox said Saturday morning that “he’s looking for a race” for stakes-winning High North and unbeaten Exclamation Point. High North won the $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes for 3-year-olds last year at Oaklawn for owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. Exclamation Point, a 4-year-old half-brother to champion and 2017 Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, won his first two career starts last year at Oaklawn … Trivista, an unstarted 3-year-old full brother to One Liner, has been moved from Oaklawn to Fair Grounds to begin his racing career on turf, Cox said Saturday morning. Owned by Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, Trivista has been a regular workout partner of Oaklawn-based stablemate Cowboy Diplomacy, an unstarted 3-year-old full brother to champion Monomoy Girl worked a half-mile in :48.40 Sunday morning in advance of his scheduled debut next month …. Flurry co-owns Exclamation Point. … Four-time Oaklawn winner Leofric (foot) will not race at the meeting, Cox said Saturday morning. Leofric finished second in the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) last year at Oaklawn and won the $500,000 Clark Handicap (G1) Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs in his last start. Leofric is owned by prominent Arkansas automobile dealer Steve Landers, a member of the Arkansas Racing Commission.