Oaklawn Barn Notes: Keepmeinmind is Staying Home

By Robert Yates —-

Keepmeinmind is Staying Home

Trainer Robertino Diodoro said Wednesday morning that Keepmeinmind will make his 3-year-old debut in Oaklawn’s $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), rather than ship to Fair Grounds for Saturday’s $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2).

Citing potential bad weather and a short field locally, Diodoro entered Keepmeinmind in the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star as a backup plan. The 1 1/16-mile Southwest, Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby races, was originally scheduled for Monday (Presidents’ Day), but was rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20 because of winter weather. Regardless, Diodoro said, the Southwest will be the landing spot for Keepmeinmind, who has been based at Oaklawn since late December.

Diodoro said several factors played into his decision to remain at Oaklawn, including COVID-19 protocols, shipping to a much warmer climate and the importance of the colt’s first race as a 3-year-old.

“In the end, I feel better running him out of his own stall,” Diodoro said.

Unraced since a last-to-first victory in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs, Keepmeinmind recorded his sixth published workout this year at Oaklawn on a cold, overcast Monday morning under regular rider David Cohen. Keepmeinmind, who breezed again following the second surface renovation break, went an easy half-mile in :49.60. The time over a good-rated surface ranked 13th of 23 published at the distance.

“David did a great job again working him,” said Diodoro, Oaklawn’s leading trainer last year. “A horse like him, as aggressive as he is, you get the wrong guy on him and all of sudden your nice, easy half-mile work could turn into :45, :46. Even with those other works, it’s the same thing. He’s a horse that you’ve definitely got to have the right guy on or you could really blow a work.”

Prior to breaking his maiden in the Kentucky Jockey Club, Keepmeinmind finished second in the $400,000 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

The 1 1/16-mile Southwest will offer 17 points (10-4-2-1, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. Post positions are scheduled to be drawn Thursday.

In addition to Keepmeinmind, the Oaklawn racing department listed three other probables Wednesday morning – Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality for trainer Brad Cox, multiple Grade 1 winner Jackie’s Warrior (Steve Asmussen) and Last Samurai (Dallas Stewart). Asmussen, who has 13 nominees, plans to start a second horse, according to Oaklawn’s racing department.

Essential Quality (3 for 3) was the country’s champion 2-year-old male after winning the Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Jackie’s Warrior, in his last start, finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Jackie’s Warrior (4 for 5) was runner-up in voting for champion 2-year-old male. Essential Quality and Jackie’s Warrior are based at Fair Grounds.

Essential Quality (30), Keepmeinmind (18) and Jackie’s Warrior (12) rank 1-2-6, respectively, on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs.

Winter weather forced a five-day postponement of the 2010 Southwest. It was originally scheduled Feb. 15 (Presidents Day), but run as the 10th and final race Feb. 20 (Saturday), immediately following the regularly scheduled $60,000 Spring Fever Stakes for older female sprinters. Conveyance, the 2010 Southwest winner, marked Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s first Oaklawn starter since 2001.

Also rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20 are the $600,000 Razorback, originally scheduled for Feb. 13 and the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes, originally scheduled Feb. 15. The Bayakoa headliner is two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, who has won 13 of 15 lifetime starts for Cox.

In addition to Monomoy Girl, Another Broad (Asmussen), Finite (Asmussen) and Istan Council (Larry Jones) were listed as probables Wednesday morning by the Oaklawn racing department.

Monomoy Girl was the country’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2018 and champion older dirt female of 2020. She is a two-time winner (2018 and 2020) of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).

Post positions are scheduled to be drawn Thursday for the Bayakoa, the second of three major local preps for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17.

Finish Lines

Champion Whitmore (2020 male sprinter) returned to the work tab Saturday morning at Oaklawn, covering a half-mile in :51 for co-owner trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Whitmore is scheduled to make his 8-year-old debut in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters March 13, a race he’s won a record four consecutive years. … The Moquett-trained Upstriker returned to the work tab Sunday morning at Oaklawn, covering a half-mile in :53.20. Moquett said the major spring objective for Upstriker is the $300,000 Oaklawn Invitational for 3-year-olds May 1 at Oaklawn. Upstriker ran fourth in the $400,000 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland. … Multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Amy’s Challenge worked a half-mile in :48.60 Tuesday morning at Oaklawn. Trainer Mac Robertson said the hope is to run Amy’s Challenge in the $200,000 Spring Fever Stakes for older female sprinters Feb. 27. Amy’s Challenge won the 2019 Spring Fever. … Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn’s leading trainer last year, swept Sunday’s early daily double to move into second in the standings. Diodoro won the first race with First String ($8.40) and the second race with Meistermind ($9.40). After Sunday, Day 10 of the scheduled 57-day meeting, Diodoro had nine victories. … Brad Cox, Oaklawn’s third-leading trainer last year, entered Wednesday with 1,499 career North American victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Cox had eight victories this year at Oaklawn through Sunday to rank third in the standings. Cox, through Sunday, had 213 career Oaklawn victories. … Oaklawn surpassed 100 claims at the meet Sunday, with 102 totaling $1,875,750.