2025.12.28 Oaklawn Racing Update

Compiled by Robert Yates

It’s an opportunity for a polite bounce back.

Yes Ma’am, a half-sister to 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, is scheduled to make her career debut in Sunday’s seventh race at Oaklawn, a six-furlong maiden allowance event that is among the highlights of the track’s third annual program exclusively for 2-year-olds.

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First post is 12:30 p.m. CST, with probable post time for the seventh race 3:18 p.m. The 10-race card is anchored by the $175,000 Year’s End Stakes for fillies at one mile.

Yes Ma’am will be running approximately 72 hours after Mystik Dan finished last of six in his comeback start, the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs Thursday at Santa Anita.

Yes Ma’am and Mystik Dan are both out of Ma’am, who broke her maiden at the 2016 Oaklawn meeting for trainer Kenny McPeek. McPeek also conditions Mystik Dan, but Yes Ma’am is trained by John Ortiz.

“Physically, I think they look alike,” Ortiz said, referring to Yes Ma’am and Mystik Dan. “She has a very fiery, forward kind of mentality. So, she’s got like a winner’s attitude. Hopefully, that transitions to the afternoons. You never know until those gates open in the afternoon.”

Yes Ma’am has eight published workouts since Nov. 2, the last four at Oaklawn. She completed major preparations for her debut with a half-mile gate drill (:48) last Sunday morning. Ramon Vazquez is named to ride Yes Ma’am (12-1 on the morning line) from post 8.

“She’ll develop into a two-turn horse,” Ortiz said. “She’s shown some talent in the morning.”

Yes Ma’am is a homebred for Lance Gasaway of Star City, Ark., 4G Racing (Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway of Little Rock, Ark.) and Hot Springs native Banks Hamby.

Gasaway, 4 G and Hamby also bred and race Mystik Dan. Hamby’s younger brother, Scott, who races under the Valley View Farm banner, purchased an interest in Mystik Dan following his victory in the $800,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) last February at Oaklawn.

Yes Ma’am is by multiple graded stakes winner Unified. After recommending Ma’am be bred to Goldencents (resulting in Mystik Dan), McPeek steered the ownership group toward Unified, Lance Gasaway said.

“He said from the sales he (worked), he thought he was producing the best-looking babies,” Gasaway said.

Sharilyn Gasaway named the filly. It was 4G’s turn, in the ownership rotation, to name a horse and a trainer to employ. Ortiz and 4G had a prior business relationship, campaigning, among others, Hollis, who set Oaklawn’s 5 ½-furlong track record (1:02.17) in a December 2021 allowance race.

“So, we sent her to John and John’s dad in Florida,” Sharilyn Gasaway said. “I had originally had a named saved, ‘Universe,’ because I was hoping it would be a colt. When it was a filly, I was like: ‘Crap, now what am I going to name it?’ I wanted something that had to do with Ma’am and just came up with Yes Ma’am. That’s all the significance I can tell you. Lance loved it, so it was OK.”

Lance Gasaway and Banks Hamby also raced Ma’am.

Purses for Sunday’s card total $1,027,000. There are five maiden special weight races, each worth $110,000, and a $130,000 allowance.

Other horses of note entered, include:

Adeera, a three-quarter sister to Grade 1 winner Newgate and 2023 Year’s End runner-up Denim and Pearls, in the Year’s End for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.
Caribbean Dream, an unraced Tapit colt out of Golden Mischief, in the third race for two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. Golden Mischief ran the fastest six furlongs by a female in Oaklawn history (1:08.77) in a 2018 allowance race.
Castle Gap, an unraced Arkansas-bred son of Oaklawn stakes winners High North and Sekani, in the fifth race for Ortiz.
Innovator, who returns to the maiden special weight ranks in the third race for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas after finishing second in the $150,000 Advent Stakes Dec. 6 at Oaklawn.