2025.01.19 Oaklawn Racing Update

Compiled by Robert Yates

No. 32 was the “one” for Canadian trainer Ian Jewell.

Jewell saddled his first career Oaklawn winner in Friday’s fourth race when Chick Command broke his maiden by 1 ¼ front-running lengths under apprentice jockey Joseph Romero.

Chick Command ($15.80) represented the 32nd career Oaklawn starter for Jewell, who wintered for the first time in Hot Springs during the 2023-2024 meeting. Jewell was 0 for 24 last season at Oaklawn and 0 for seven in 2024-2025 before his breakthrough victory.

“I just felt like last year I left with some unfinished business because I got shut out last year,” Jewell said Saturday morning. “It was just nice to get that win.”

Chick Command is one of six horses Jewell has at Oaklawn. All are owned by WYN Racing Stables Corp. of Christopher and Tasha Ceraldi, who reside in Vancouver, British Columbia, a major Canadian city approximately 140 miles north of Seattle.

Chick Command, who was bred in British Columbia, made his first four career starts in stakes races for 2-year-olds last year at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver. Hastings is Jewell’s home track.

In Chick Command’s American debut, and first start at Oaklawn, he finished sixth against $30,000 maiden claimers Dec. 29. Chick Command was also racing for a $30,000 claiming tag Friday.

Jewell said he was confident Chick Command would be competitive in his second Oaklawn sprint race.

“Training really well,” Jewell said. “I think he came up a little short last time. Hadn’t run in 2 ½ months, so really need the race. Yeah, very happy with the way he’s performed. I thought he was going to be pretty tough yesterday.”

Jewell’s 2023-2024 Oaklawn resume included three seconds and two thirds, all coming in the final two months of the meeting. Jewell said he has a better feel for Oaklawn this season.

“I navigated pretty good at the end of the meet last year and I came down this year with a different set of horses and horses I thought would compete a lot better here,” Jewell said.

Jewell has 11 career training victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, the first coming Nov. 8, 1992, at Sandown Park in British Columbia.

Before relaunching his training career in 2022, Jewell spent more than a decade working under the late Glen Todd, an iconic British Columbian horseman, and, most recently, as an assistant to trainer Larry Grieve (Tasha Ceraldi’s uncle).

Jewell said he was steered to Oaklawn by trainer Mike Puhich, a Pacific Northwest native who wintered in recent years at Oaklawn. Puhich has also trained for WYN. Jewell calls Vancouver home, but said he now considers Oaklawn a second home.

“So far, so good,” Jewell said. “My wife and I love it here. I know my owners love it here.”

Finish Lines

Citing freezing temperatures, Oaklawn canceled training Sunday morning. … Oaklawn also moved Monday’s scheduled card to Thursday. First post is 12:30 p.m. (Central). … Entries were accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for six stakes races Jan. 25 at Oaklawn, including the $1 million Southwest (G3) for 3-year-olds and the $300,000 Martha Washington for 3-year-old fillies. Both races are 1 1/16 miles. The Southwest is Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races and the Martha Washington is Oaklawn’s first of three Kentucky Oaks qualifying races. … Heavily favored Kale’s Angel ($2.60) could receive a break following his neck victory in the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn, trainer Peter Miller said. The six-furlong Renaissance was the third start of the meeting for Kale’s Angel, who earlier won the $150,000 Advent Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 6 and finished third as the favorite in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 4. “I don’t know if we’ll run in the next one,” Miller said moments after the Renaissance victory. “He’s deserved a little time between races.” Oaklawn’s stakes series for 3-year-old sprinters continues with the six-furlong $150,000 Ozark Feb. 17. Kale’s Angel, who was ridden by Ramon Vazquez, became the meet’s first two-time stakes winner. …. Vazquez ($1,049,743) and Rafael Bejarano ($1,016,655) surpassed $1 million in purse earnings at the meeting Saturday, the 16th day of racing. Two other jockeys, Cristian Torres and Francisco Arrieta, had previously reached seven figures. … Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen won two races Saturday, pushing his career-record Oaklawn total to 955. Asmussen won the seventh race with Onthestage ($29.40) and the 10th race with favored Absinthe ($8). Asmussen’s youngest son, Erik Asmussen, rode Onthestage and the trainer’s oldest son, Keith Asmussen, rode Absinthe. Erik Asmussen is one of three finalists for an Eclipse Award as the country’s outstanding apprentice jockey of 2024. His uncle, Cash Asmussen, won the award in 1979. … Tyler Bacon, Oaklawn’s leading apprentice in 2024-2025, recorded two victories Saturday. Bacon, 17, won the first race aboard Stephanie Starfish ($13) for trainer Jaime Gonzalez and the third race aboard favored Going Steady ($5.20) for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, 89. It was the third multi-win day of the meeting for Bacon, who has 11 victories overall. … Kenny McPeek, Oaklawn’s leading trainer this season, won Saturday’s sixth race with First Division ($11.20), who was making his career debut under Julien Leparoux. First Division was the 54th victory in the last three seasons at Oaklawn for McPeek and his 28th in a maiden event. McPeek, a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country’s outstanding trainer of 2024, was Oaklawn’s second-leading trainer in 2023-2024 with 30 victories, a single-season personal high in Hot Springs. He has 10 victories this season. … Agent Bobby Dean said he’s now representing apprentice jockey Jose Ramos Gutierrez, whose first two career victories have come at the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting.