Oaklawn Barn Notes: Rebel Winners Exit Respective Races Well

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Rebel Winners Exit Respective Races Well

Fox Hill Farm’s Omaha Beach emerged in good order from his nose victory in the second division of the $750,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles and will be flown back to his Southern California base Tuesday, the colt’s Hall of Fame trainer, Richard Mandella, said in a text message Sunday morning.

Whether Omaha Beach returns to Oaklawn for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13 remains to be seen.

“We’ll just have to play it by ear,” Mandella said moments after Omaha Beach nipped champion and previously unbeaten Game Winner before an estimated crowd of 45,500 late Saturday afternoon.

Omaha Beach ($10.80) earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 96 – a career high – in his stakes debut and first start outside California. Long Range Toddy ($18.80) also earned a career-high Beyer (95) for his neck victory over previously unbeaten Improbable in the first division of the Rebel.

Long Range Toddy was fine physically Sunday morning, said Darren Fleming, assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“Everything’s good,” Fleming said.

The major Oaklawn objective for Long Range Toddy has been the Arkansas Derby. The son of Take Charge Indy races for his breeder, Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark., who won the 2013 Rebel with eventual 3-year-old champion male Will Take Charge.

Long Range Toddy ran in Oaklawn’s first two Kentucky Derby points races, finishing second in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 25 and third in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 18.

The Rebel was originally a $1 million race, but it was split and the purse adjusted to accommodate Southern California horsemen impacted by Santa Anita’s March 5 announcement that it was suspending racing indefinitely because of poor weather and track conditions. Game Winner and Improbable had been scheduled to make their 3-year-old debuts in the $500,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) March 9 at Santa Anita, but were re-routed to Arkansas because of events on the West Coast.

In addition to Game Winner and Improbable, six other Southern California-based Rebel entrants were flown to Arkansas, including Omaha Beach and stablemate Extra Hope (fourth in the first division).

“He was set to go here,” Mandella said of Omaha Beach. “Extra Hope was set to run in the San Felipe out there. And when this happened, we ran them both. And other horse ran well, too. He had kind of a mixed-up trip. He can do better than that.”

Each division offered 63.75 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby to the top four finishers (37.5, 15, 7.5 and 3.75). Long Range Toddy (53.5) ranks third on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Omaha Beach is seventh with 37.5. The race is limited to 20 starters.

Baffert said following the race that Improbable will probably return for the Arkansas Derby, with Game Winner remaining home for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 6 at Santa Anita.

Jockeying for Position

Tyler Baze, among the top jockeys on the Southern California circuit, was scheduled to ride three horses Sunday in his first day as a regular at Oaklawn.

Baze, 36, will be represented by agent Joe Santos, who has booked mounts at the meet for David Cabrera, Israel Rodriguez and apprentice Luis Fuentes. Arkansas Racing Commission rules permit an agent to carry two journeymen riders and an apprentice. Santos said Rodriguez’s last day as a regular is Thursday and he will ride this summer at Gulfstream Park. Cabrera rode Thursday before returning to his native Mexico because of a “family issue,” Santos said Sunday morning, adding the jockey’s timetable for returning is unknown.

Baze is the seventh-leading rider at the Santa Anita winter/spring meet, but that venue has been in a state of flux after it was announced March 5 that racing was being suspended indefinitely because of poor weather and track conditions.

Santos said Oaklawn track announcer Vic Stauffer, Baze’s former agent, was instrumental in getting the jockey to Hot Springs. The deal was closed, quickly, Friday night, Santos said.

“I guess Vic Stauffer was talking to him about coming over here because he was looking for a place to come,” Santos said. “Didn’t have too much going on over there right now. It all happened in about five minutes. Just got a phone call. Vic gave me a head’s up to call him.”

Santos said the plan is for Baze to ride at Oaklawn until the meeting ends May 4. He was scheduled to ride Knocks Big Thirst for trainer Lynn Chleborad in the fourth race, Summer’s Indy in the sixth race for trainer Karl Broberg and Bolita Boyz for trainer Robertino Diodoro in the seventh race. Cabrera had been named on the first two horses. Baze is named to ride three horses Thursday and five Friday.

“Hoping to make it work out good,” Santos said. “The last time I saw Tyler Baze, interestingly enough, was 2005 or 2006. He had a party at his house during the Breeders’ Cup and that’s the only time I met him. I was about 8 or 9.”

Baze earned an Eclipse Award as the country’s champion apprentice jockey of 2000 and entered Sunday with 2,605 victories and $115,877,627 in purse earnings in his North American career, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. He is a cousin of retired Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze.

Tyler Baze won the $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes for 3-year-olds in 2017 at Oaklawn with Cistron.

Joe Rocco Jr., who won 62 races as an Oaklawn regular in 2015-2017, rejoined the local colony Friday after previously being based this winter at Fair Grounds. Rocco said he plans to ride at Oaklawn until the meeting ends.

“I didn’t want to go to Keeneland,” Rocco said. “It’s kind of nice that they run until after the (Arkansas) Derby here. I probably should have come in December, but stayed at Fair Grounds chasing a couple of horses.”

Rocco is the brother-in-law of Jed Doro, Oaklawn’s director of racing.

Shades of Gray

Gray Attempt is scheduled to return to stakes action and turn back in distance in the $125,000 Gazebo for 3-year-old sprinters March 23, trainer Jinks Fires of Hot Springs said Saturday morning.

Gray Attempt had won three consecutive starts, including the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 25, before finishing 11th in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 18. The Smarty Jones and Southwest – both two-turn races – are Oaklawn’s first two Kentucky Derby points races.

Fires said Gray Attempt had a minor setback coming out of the Southwest, which removed him from consideration for Saturday’s split $750,000 Rebel Stakes (G2).

“I’d like to be running today, but unfortunately we had to walk him two weeks,” Fires said. “We had to work on him, trying to get him back where we had him.”

Under 2000 Oaklawn riding champion Jon Court, Gray Attempt worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 Saturday morning. Also pointing for the Gazebo is Smarty Jones and Southwest fourth Six Shooter, trainer Paul Holthus of Hot Springs said.

The $100,000 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes for Arkansas-bred sprinters will also be run Saturday. Fires said he plans to start 2017 Nodouble winner Racer and possibly another horse.

Post positions for both 6-furlong races will be drawn Saturday.

Finish Lines

The track was rated fast for workouts Sunday morning. … Multiple stakes winner Mia Mischief worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 Sunday morning for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. … Millionaire Shotgun Kowboy worked a half-mile in :49.20 Sunday morning for trainer C.R. Trout. … Trainer Mac Robertson said Sunday morning that multiple stakes winner Amy’s Challenge is “doing good” and will probably work Monday morning. Robertson said next-race plans are pending for Amy’s Challenge, but he’s leaning toward the $300,000 Madison Stakes (G1) April 6 at Keeneland. Amy’s Challenge is 2 for 2 at the meeting – $100,000 American Beauty Stakes Jan. 26 and $100,000 Spring Fever Stakes March 2. … David Cohen began a two-day riding suspension Sunday for an incident in the seventh race Feb. 14. Cohen is scheduled to return Friday. He entered Sunday with a 35-33 lead in the standings over six-time defending champion Ricardo Santana Jr.

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