Oaklawn Barn Notes: Six Shooter Works towards Gazebo Stakes

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Six Shooter Works towards Gazebo Stakes

Six Shooter will make his next start in the $125,000 Gazebo Stakes for 3-year-olds March 23 at Oaklawn, trainer Paul Holthus of Hot Springs said Friday morning.

Six Shooter had been under consideration for the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 16, but Holthus said the Trappe Shot gelding will return to a sprint in the 6-furlong Gazebo. Six Shooter ran in Oaklawn’s first two Kentucky Derby points races, finishing fourth in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 25 and $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 18.

“I think this horse can win the Gazebo,” Holthus said moments after Six Shooter worked a half-mile in :49.40 under Stewart Elliott. “I just think it’s the right thing to do, to run where I think I’ve got a chance to win. I think he’s a versatile horse. I think he can sprint. I’m not too sure he might not be a better sprinter. He could be a really good closing sprinter. Who knows? He may be one of the better 3-year-old sprinters around, if we get to it and figure it out, because he’s got such a big turn of foot. He blows up there going long all the time. I think seven-eighths, a mile, might be his best gig.”

Holthus co-owns Six Shooter with wife Nancy, Oaklawn’s paddock analyst, Dundalk 5 LLC (Tim Kindlon) and Wes Herek. Paul Holthus claimed Six Shooter for $20,000 out of his Sept. 20 career debut at Churchill Downs. Before the Smarty Jones and Southwest, Six Shooter was a maiden special weights winner at Indiana Grand, an allowance winner at Churchill Downs and captured the $75,000 Big Drama Stakes Jan. 5 at Delta Downs in his 3-year-old debut. Overall, he has a 3-0-3 record from nine career starts and earnings of $156,350.

Although the course was obscured by fog most of the morning, Six Shooter was still able to record a timed work over a fast track after Holthus alerted clockers the gelding would breeze a half-mile after the renovation break. As Six Shooter neared the half-mile pole to begin his work, Elliott screamed loud enough for clockers in the press box a couple of hundred yards away to start their watches. Six Shooter covered his last eighth of a mile in :11.80 and galloped out 5 furlongs in 1:01.80.

“He said it’s the best he’s worked,” Holthus said. “He hollered right before he got to the pole. The clockers heard him hollering and they got him.”

Hot Springs was under a Dense Fog Advisory Friday morning.

Rebel candidate Frosted Ice worked a half-mile in :48.60 just after the track opened Friday morning for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Moquett said a decision on the Rebel will be made after conferring Friday afternoon with breeder/owner Catherine Adams Hutt.

Frosted Ice has won 2 of 3 career starts, including the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes for New York-breds Sept. 21 at Belmont Park in his final race at 2. The gray son of Bellamy Road has had three published workouts this year at Oaklawn in advance of his 3-year-old debut.

Nominations to the Rebel closed Friday. It is the final major local prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13.

On the Road, Again.

Heartwood returned to Oaklawn Thursday afternoon following a nine-hour van ride from his base at The Thoroughbred Center near Lexington, Ky., to run in Saturday’s $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters.

Road trips are nothing new for the 5-year-old gray son of super sire Tapit. Co-owner/trainer James Chapman said he has also hauled Heartwood to venues like Aqueduct (New York), Saratoga (New York), Gulfstream Park (Florida), Mahoning Valley (Ohio), Pimlico (Maryland) and Mountaineer (West Virginia).

“This trip here is really not that bad,” Chapman said Friday morning. “He has no stress traveling. I look back and I know he’s done it because there’s shavings on his blanket. He’s actually laid down and rolled in that trailer.”

Heartwood exits a half-length victory in the $100,000 King Cotton Stakes Feb. 9, Oaklawn’s first stepping stone to the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G1) April 13.

Citing easier travel, Chapman said he chose the Hot Springs over the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (G3) Saturday at Aqueduct. Also entered in the 6-furlong Hot Springs is two-time defending champion Whitmore, who will be making his first start since finishing second in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

“He always runs better second over the track – not that I’ve run in the same place twice in a row,” Chapman said of Heartwood. “I know Whitmore’s in there, but if you’re going to beat him now’s the time to try to beat him, I guess, coming off a layoff. I think actually if he would win that race, I think he’s going to get more prestige as a stallion, beating Whitmore, than running second up there.”

Chapman said the hope is Heartwood will return to Oaklawn for the Count Fleet, another event Whitmore has won the last two years.

“I want to run him in that race, the big race here,” Chapman said.

Heartwood has earned $451,403 with six victories from 26 lifetime starts. Heartwood is housed in the Susan’s Girl barn with horses trained by Dallas Stewart. Chapman’s son, Beau, oversees Stewart’s Oaklawn division.

Dawn at Oaklawn

Track announcer/handicapper Vic Stauffer is the special guest for Saturday’s Dawn at Oaklawn, a weekly question and answer session hosted by paddock analyst Nancy Holthus.

Weather permitting, Holthus will interview Stauffer at 8:30 a.m. (Central) on the south grandstand apron. The interview will be held inside if there is rain.

The weekly free program runs 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and features barn tours and complimentary pastries and coffee.

Finish Lines
Multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Ministry returned to the work tab Friday morning, covering 3 furlongs in :37.80 for owner Linda Robbins. Ministry is unraced since June because of a leg problem, but the hope is she can run before the meeting ends May 4, Robbins said. … Bye Bye J, a 3-year-old Arkansas-bred stakes-winning filly and recent addition to trainer Ron Moquett’s barn, worked a half-mile in :49.60 Friday morning. She is entered in Thursday’s eighth race, an $85,000 second level allowance race at six furlongs … M and M Racing (Mike and Mickala Sisk) recorded its meet-high 23rd victory in Thursday’s first race with Pocket Personality ($8.20), who was the stable’s 100th starter this season. M and M captured its first career owner’s title last year at Oaklawn with 21 victories. M and M had 100 starters at the 2018 Oaklawn meeting and 104 starters through Thursday, the 24th day of the scheduled 57-day season. … Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen had two winners Thursday – favored Chauncey ($3.60) in the fourth race and favored Awe Emma ($3.80) in the eighth race. Chauncey represented jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.’s 497th victory for Asmussen, who has collected nine Oaklawn training titles since 2007.