Oaklawn Barn Notes: Bailey Likely Finishing Oaklawn’s Meet as Leading Apprentice

By Robert Yates —-

Bailey Likely Finishing Oaklawn’s Meet as Leading Apprentice

Chel-c Bailey came to the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting known more as a 20-something unbeaten MMA fighter. Barring something unforeseen, Bailey will leave as the leading apprentice jockey.

Bailey’s victory aboard favored Malintent ($8) in the seventh race April 22 represented her 17th at the meeting, breaking a tie with John Hiraldo at the top of the apprentice rider standings. Hiraldo, a finalist for an Eclipse Award in 2021 as the country’s champion apprentice, won 16 races at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting before becoming a journeyman March 19.

With just six days remaining in the Oaklawn meeting, Bailey’s closest pursuers in the race for leading apprentice are Erick Medellin and Kylee Jordan, who have seven and six victories, respectively.

“When I came in here, it’s like I didn’t really have a goal, exactly,” Bailey said during training hours Sunday morning. “I know that I said something like, ‘Oh, I want at least 10 wins or something’ because I just can’t aimlessly have nothing to shoot for. I guess it’s just like work as hard as I can and see how far I can get, just see what I can do and what my capabilities are.”

A former high school and collegiate wrestler, Bailey launched her professional riding career in 2019 and recorded her first career winner Feb. 28, 2020, at Oaklawn aboard Burtnjoe. She added two more winners that year at Oaklawn and another that fall at Keeneland.

Citing COVID-19 issues, protecting her 10-pound weight allowance and possibly resurrecting an MMA career (she’s 3-0-0, but hasn’t fought since early 2018), Bailey spent most of the 2021 Oaklawn meeting working as an exercise rider for trainer Brad Cox. She resumed riding last May in the Mid-Atlantic region, but couldn’t generate business and moved her tack last summer to Arlington Park.

Although Bailey didn’t win a race at Arlington, now shuttered, the move to the Chicago area was fortuitous because she got her foot in the door with trainers Tom Swearingen and John Haran, who both winter at Oaklawn, and began to build momentum. Bailey rode seven winners at the Hawthorne fall meeting before returning to Oaklawn for the expanded 2021-2022 season that began Dec. 3.

Through the first 60 racing days in Hot Springs, Bailey had her first career six-figure victory, first career stakes mount aboard the Swearingen-trained Richness in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders’ March 5, first career riding triple March 6, struck twice in two $106,000 allowance races – the most lucrative of her career to date – including March 27 aboard Summer Shoes for Swearingen and surpassed $1 million in career purse earnings. Summer Shoes (2 for 2 at the meeting) is scheduled to make her next start in the $150,000 Natural State Breeders’ Stakes for Arkansas-bred females at 1 mile May 6.

Bailey’s 17 victories have come for 11 trainers. She has five victories for Swearingen (Bailey’s husband, David Kembrey, is an exercise rider for the trainer), two for Haran and two for Mike Puhich, who, like Bailey, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. Bailey regularly gets on horses in the morning for Puhich. Bailey rode Malintent for trainer Shea Stuart.

“At the beginning of the meet, I thought 10 wins at Oaklawn would be good,” Bailey said. “There’s people who come here every year, I mean, that are leading riders elsewhere, they fall through the cracks here.”

Bailey, who rides with a 7-pound weight allowance, has 28 career victories. In addition to 20 at Oaklawn and seven at Hawthorne, Bailey rode a winner at the 2020 Keeneland fall meeting. The Keeneland victory was noteworthy because it made Bailey the leading apprentice at the meeting.

“Nobody else won other than me, so I consider myself the leading apprentice rider there,” Bailey said. “Here, they would have to do extraordinarily good these last few days to catch me. For sure, this would be the highlight for me.”

Bailey said she will move her tack to Horseshoe Indianapolis (formerly Indiana Grand) after the Oaklawn meeting ends May 8, with John Herbstreit her agent there. Bailey is represented at Oaklawn by “Big Steve” Krajcir of Hot Springs.

Bailey has 28 victories from 414 mounts and purse earnings of $1,062,353 in her career, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

The Natural State Breeders’

Unbridled Twister will not run in the $150,000 Natural State Breeders’ Stakes May 6 following a subpar performance in an April 8 allowance race, trainer Al Cates of Hot Springs said Sunday morning.

Unbridled Twister finished a fast-closing second in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes for Arkansas-bred female sprinters March 5. Cates won the 2010 Natural State Breeders’ Stakes – its only running to date – with Smell the Roses. The race for Arkansas-bred females has been brought back in 2022 and extended from 6 furlongs to a mile. Unbridled Twister figured to among the favorites May 6 before finishing seventh against open company in a first-level allowance at 1 mile earlier this month.

“We’re still a little confused if she wants to go two turns or not and that last time, there was a pretty fast pace and she quit,” Cates said. “She’s OK, but we’re going to skip it. Hope to run her somewhere before the end of the meet.”

The Natural State Breeders’ Stakes field is expected to be headed by The Mary Rose, a two-time allowance winner in open company at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting for trainer John Ortiz and breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs.

A victory in the Natural State Breeders’ Stakes would make The Mary Rose ($438,904) the all-time leading Arkansas-bred female money winner in history. Multiple Grade 3 winner Humble Clerk earned a record $503,545 racing in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

The Mary Rose hasn’t started since finishing a weakening fifth over a synthetic surface in the $200,000 Latonia Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles April 2 at Turfway Park.

“She just didn’t like the surface,” Ortiz said. “We know she likes it here, so she wants to be back home.”

The Natural State Breeders’ Stakes closed April 22 with 17 nominations. Post positions will be drawn Saturday. Summer Shoes (2 for 2 at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting) also is pointing for the Natural State Breeders’ Stakes, trainer Tom Swearingen said.

Next Race Plans for Oaklawn Stakes Winner Home Brew Undecided

Trainer Brad Cox has definite next-race plans for his 2021 Oaklawn Stakes winner. Things are a little more fluid for his 2022 champion.

Cox, scheduled to start three horses in the Kentucky Derby, including Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife, already is guaranteed a spot in the second leg of the Triple Crown after Home Brew captured Saturday’s $150,000 Oaklawn Stakes at Oaklawn.

The 7-5 favorite, Home Brew ($4.80) held off Kuchar by 1 ¾ lengths to give Cox his second consecutive victory in the 1 1/8-mile race that was inaugurated in 2019.

A homebred for Gary and Mary West, Home Brew hadn’t started since finishing a disappointing 10th as the favorite in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1. The 1-mile Smarty Jones, Home Brew’s stakes debut, was Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby points races.

Home Brew had nine published workouts at Oaklawn since Feb. 19 for his comeback race.

“He was a little light – not a big, robust horse,” Cox said. “He’s a little bit on the smaller side and just kind of thought we would back off him a little bit and get some weight on him. He responded really well. He looks a lot better and I think he’s a horse that’s still developing physically as well.”

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Home Brew was a stalking fourth on the outside down the backstretch before taking the lead with a three-wide bid turning for home. Home Brew held Kuchar, the early leader, safe through the stretch and completed the distance in 1:50.63 over a fast track.

A son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Home Brew was assigned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 84, a career high, following his third victory from five lifetime starts. Home Brew, a front-running entry-level allowance winner at 1 mile Dec. 4 at Oaklawn, has earned $203,625.

Being a Triple Crown nominee, Home Brew earned automatic entry into the Preakness with his Oaklawn Stakes victory. Cox also won the 2021 Oaklawn Stakes with Fulsome, but he wasn’t seriously considered for the Preakness because the races were only two weeks apart. The Oaklawn Stakes was run four weeks before the Preakness, May 21 at Pimlico, this year.

“We’ll think about it,” Cox said. “We’ll see. It’s something we’ll watch. We’ll see what happens with the Kentucky Derby and how he comes out of it and make a decision down the road – bottom line.”

In addition to Cyberknife, Cox also is scheduled to send out devastating Feb. 11 Oaklawn entry-level allowance winner Zozos in the Kentucky Derby May 7 at Churchill Downs.

Zozos and Fulsome worked together April 22 at Churchill Downs, each credited with 6 furlongs in 1:12.40. Fulsome was breezing for the second time since a last-to-first victory in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses April 2 at Oaklawn.

Fulsome is targeting the $500,000 Alysheba Stakes (G2) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles May 6 at Churchill Downs, Cox said.

Fulsome received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 99 – a career high – for his neck victory in the Oaklawn Mile, which marked the 4-year-old debut for the son of super sire Into Mischief. Fulsome ($18.80) covered the mile over fast track in a meet-best 1:36.43.

“I’ll tell you, he was doing really well,” Cox said. “I was excited about bringing him up here from the Fair Grounds. I thought about the New Orleans Handicap with him. Didn’t really want to run a mile and an eighth off the layoff. Didn’t want to run against Olympiad off the layoff. Not taking anything away from the group (April 2) because I thought it was a very, very good group of horses, but I thought the two-turn mile we would get a setup, and we got a setup. That horse needs a setup. He’s not a horse that’s very tactical or wants to be forwardly placed. He likes to break and kind of find his way around there. If there’s a hot pace, he’s always going to be in contention at the right time.”

Fulsome added victories in the $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) at Parx following last year’s Oaklawn Stakes.

Compton Eyes Stake

Full Authority will be pointed to the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) May 21 at Pimlico following two consecutive allowance victories this year at Oaklawn, co-owner/trainer Greg Compton said.

Full Authority was a 2 ½-length winner March 12, then edged 2021 Maryland Sprint Stakes entrant Seven Nation Army by a neck April 16. Both races were 6 furlongs. The Maryland Sprint Stakes also is 6 furlongs.

“After winning those two races, he deserves a chance at that,” Compton said. “He’ll be solid in those hundred grand races back east all summer, but we’ll give him a shot on Preakness Day in that Maryland Sprint.”

Compton claimed Full Authority, a 5-year-old son of Summer Front, for $40,000 last November at Churchill Downs. The horse had spent the 2021 Oaklawn meeting with trainer Jinks Fires of Hot Springs and finished sixth behind future Grade 1 winner Silver State in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses at 1 mile.

“The whole reason I dropped on him was because he ran really good numbers here last year and he never did win,” Compton said. “He was running like second, third and fourth in the allowance races last year here.”

Full Authority has a 5-2-3 record from 26 lifetime starts and earnings of $282,367. He’s earned $155,854 in five starts this year at Oaklawn. Jon Court was aboard for both victories.

Finish Lines

Emmanuel Esquivel, who rode six winners at the 2015 Oaklawn meeting, will ride the final six days of the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting that ends May 8, his agent, Joe Santos, said in a text message Thursday morning. Esquivel’s six victories in 2015 at Oaklawn included the $100,000 Pippin Stakes and $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3). Both victories were aboard Mufajaah for trainer Dan Peitz. Esquivel was based this winter at Turfway Park. … Jockey Alex Canchari entered Thursday with 990 career victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Canchari has 207 career victories at Oaklawn, including nine at the 2021-2022 meeting. … The $200,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship Stakes for state-breds at 1 1/16 miles closed April 22 with 20 nominations. The May 7 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship is the final stakes race of the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting. … Tiago Pereira recorded his first career Oaklawn riding triple Sunday, winning the second race aboard favored Undecoded ($4.60) for trainer Jimmy DiVito, fifth race aboard favored Press Snooze ($6.80) for trainer Lynn Chleborad and the ninth race aboard Choctaw Charlie ($17.40) for Chleborad. Pereira, riding regularly for the first time this season at Oaklawn, is represented by agent Gary Stevens, the retired Hall of Fame jockey. … Oaklawn has raised the purse for the Trail’s End, a 1 ¾-mile starter-allowance event May 8, from $75,000 to a record $125,000. The Trail’s End is traditionally the final race of the Oaklawn meeting. … Through Sunday, Day 60 of the scheduled 66-day meeting, 636 claims had totaled $12,922,500. … Millionaire Tenfold is entered in Keeneland’s April Horses of Racing Age Sale. The one-day sale is Friday. Tenfold, a 7-year-old son of Curlin, is based at Oaklawn and will be offered remotely. Tenfold finished third in the $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes for older horses at 1 ½ miles April 3.