Oaklawn Barn Notes: Santana Jr. at Top of Standings after Opening Weekend

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Santana Jr. at Top of Standings after Opening Weekend

After the first three days of the scheduled 57-day Oaklawn meeting, a familiar name is atop the jockey standings. It’s Ricardo Santana Jr., who is seeking his seventh consecutive Oaklawn riding title.

Although Oaklawn’s new racing schedule means the season concludes May 4 – it ended three weeks earlier every year since 1996 – there’s nothing new about Santana’s goal, his agent, Ruben Munoz, said Monday morning.

“I want to pass Pat Day,” Munoz said. “That’s the bottom line. Not many can say that, and maybe no one ever will.”

Day, who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991, won a record 12 consecutive Oaklawn riding titles (1993-2004).

Santana, 26, is almost halfway there after riding 69 winners and setting a single-season record for purse earnings ($4,240,304) at the 2018 meeting.

Handicapping Santana’s chances in 2019 is tricky because Oaklawn’s extended season means it will overlap with the entire Keeneland meeting and the first week of Churchill Downs. Both Kentucky venues will feature a slew of graded stakes races, notably the Kentucky Oaks (May 3) and Kentucky Derby (May 4) at Churchill Downs. Santana would likely be tapped for some of those high-profile events, particularly by his major client, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Oaklawn’s signature race, the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1), is April 13 – three weeks before the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m not going to leave here April 15,” Munoz said, pointing to Oaklawn’s rich purse structure. “Unless (Kentucky) Derby week, if I have something that I have to go ride … I’ll stay here as long as possible. I’m not picking up after the Arkansas Derby like they do in Florida for the Florida Derby, that they all pick up and leave and go back north.”

Santana and Ramon Vazquez, also represented by Munoz, each had four victories opening weekend. Santana rode three winners for Asmussen, including promising 3-year-old Jersey Agenda in a first-level allowance event at a mile Saturday. Santana and Asmussen, a nine-time Oaklawn training champion, have teamed for 482 victories, including 174 in Hot Springs.

Vazquez, Oaklawn’s second-leading rider in 2015, 2016 and 2017, had doubles Friday and Sunday. Two of his victories were for Danny Caldwell, Oaklawn’s leading owner in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Vazquez and Caldwell have reunited this year after ending their lengthy, successful partnership at the 2018 Oaklawn meeting.

“I’m OK,” Munoz said. “Ricardo is healthy, he’s happy. Ramon is healthy and happy.”

Racing resumes at 1:30 p.m. (Central) Friday.

Hot Start

Orlando Mojica had only one victory at Oaklawn in 2010, but the jockey has already raced past that output after the opening weekend of racing.

Mojica has a 3-1-0 mark from eight mounts, highlighted by a double Saturday. Represented by agent Bill Castle, Mojica returned to Hot Springs for the first time in almost a decade to ride for Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn’s second-leading trainer the last two years.

“I’m blessed,” Mojica said Monday morning. “I’m very blessed to be here. I’ve been riding nice horses for good trainers. My agent, Billy, is working hard.”

Mojica won Saturday’s third race with favored Holiday Mischief ($6.40) for Diodoro and the fourth race with Cool Catomine ($10.20) for trainer Norman McKnight. Mojica and McKnight teamed to win Sunday’s first race with Redeal ($12). McKnight was Oaklawn’s co-seventh-leading trainer last year in his local debut and has topped the standings the last two years at Woodbine in Canada.

“Blessed to win three races so far,” Mojica said. “Not that bad. I’m very happy and proud of myself, too.”

Mojica, 37, had 2,305 career North American victories through Sunday, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. He won the $250,000 Zia Park Derby Nov. 21 at Zia Park aboard the Diodoro-trained Nanoosh.

Nanoosh is now based at Oaklawn and pointing for the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Feb. 18, Diodoro said. Nanoosh worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 Sunday morning.

On the Road Again

Top Arkansas-bred Hoonani Road moved closer to his 4-year-old debut with a half-mile work Monday morning under regular rider Channing Hill.

Owned by Jerry Caroom of Hot Springs, Hoonani Road has won 4 of 8 career starts, including the $100,000 Rainbow Stakes for state-breds last year at Oaklawn.

Hoonani Road has had four published works this month in advance of his 2019 debut, which is expected in February, trainer Wayne Catalano said.

Hill, the trainer’s son-in-law, said Monday morning that Hoonani Road’s size, particularly for an Arkansas-bred, stamps him a horse to watch.

“Every time I get on him, I always have people go, ‘Wow! He’s big,’ ” Hill said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, and he’s an Arkansas-bred, too’ They’re like, ‘What?’ You just don’t see them come with that size.”

By millionaire and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Jonesboro, Hoonani Road won his first three career starts last year in Hot Springs and was good enough to topple open company in a June 22 allowance sprint at Churchill Downs. He also ran fourth in another open race, the $75,000 Ellis Park Derby, Aug. 12 at Ellis Park.

“He’s a cool horse,” Hill said. “He’s a good boy. Does everything right. Really classy. I’m really excited to kind of see what he does, now that he’s a little older.”

Finish Lines
Post positions were to be drawn Wednesday for Saturday’s $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile, Oaklawn’s first of three major preps for the Kentucky Oaks. … Bravazo arrived around 8:30 a.m. (Central) Monday following his fourth-place finish in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas vanned the 4-year-old colt, a 2018 Oaklawn allowance winner and based this winter in Hot Springs, to and from south Florida. … About a half-dozen horses for south Florida-based trainer David Fawkes are on the grounds, including unstarted 3-year-old Flawless Moon, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner The Big Beast by Malibu Moon. Fawkes, who co-owned and trained 2010 Oaklawn Handicap winner Duke of Mischief, has a small string in Hot Springs for the first time this year. … Following her victory in the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Sunday at Sam Houston, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Midnight Bisou would most likely have one more race before the $700,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares April 14 at Oaklawn. The final major local prep for the Apple Blossom is the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 16. … Nominations to the $100,000 King Cotton Stakes for older sprinters Feb. 9 close Thursday. … Plainsman, who broke his maiden last year at Oaklawn and completed his 3-year-old campaign with a victory in the $186,600 Discovery Stakes (G3) Nov. 24 at Aqueduct, is “just chillin,” trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday afternoon, adding he’s unsure if the Flatter colt will start at the meeting.