2025.03.16 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Press Release
Compiled by Robert Yates

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Quietside sizzled in her last major workout for the Fantasy Stakes, covering five furlongs in :59.60 Sunday morning at Oaklawn under Ramon Vazquez.

Quietside’s time was the fastest of 26 published at the distance, with clockers catching her galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 and seven furlongs in 1:26.80. The track was rated fast.

“It was a strong five-eighths,” trainer John Ortiz said, describing the work. “We’ll come back next week and give her a maintenance (half-mile). She did it really well today.”

Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn March 23 for the $750,000 Fantasy (G2), a 1 1/16-mile event that is Oaklawn’s final major prep for the Kentucky Oaks. Future Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna swept both races in 2024.

The Fantasy will offer 200 total points (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest prize for 3-year-old fillies. Quietside tops the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 68 points.

Sunday’s work was Quietside’s second since a breakthrough victory in the $500,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 23 at Oaklawn.

Although Vazquez, among Oaklawn’s leading riders this season, was aboard Quietside for the first time Sunday, Jose Ortiz will retain the mount for the Fantasy. The Fair Grounds-based Ortiz rode Quietside for the first time in the Honeybee.

“He did us a favor,” John Ortiz said, referring to Vazquez. “I wanted to make sure we did everything correctly. We didn’t wantto put on a show with me or anything. He’s a jock and he knows what he’s riding. I wanted all the proper attention to this filly.”

Ortiz was aboard for Quietside’s previous work, a half-mile move in :48 March 8. Quietside went in company with stablemate Spankerboom.

Ortiz said Quietside will have her final breeze for the Fantasy next Sunday.

“Just a maintenance half,” Ortiz said. “Obviously, she’s more than fit. She showed how talented she is last time. The growth continues.”

The Honeybee marked the first career stakes victory for Quietside, a homebred for Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable. Anthony is the winningest owner in Oaklawn history. Quietside had previously finished second in the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) Aug. 31 at Saratoga, third in the $600,000 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) Oct. 4 at Keeneland, second in the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs and second in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 25 at Oaklawn.

Quietside is by the late Malibu Moon out of Benner Island, a Grade 2 winner for Shortleaf. Overall, Quietside has a 2-3-1 record from six lifetime starts and earnings of $552,200.

The Honeybee was the record-tying 39th career Oaklawn stakes victory for Anthony. The late John Franks, a four-time Eclipse Award winner as the country’s outstanding owner, also has 39 career Oaklawn stakes victories, the last coming in 2000.

Promise Fulfilled

American Promise was scheduled to rejoin Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ Oaklawn stable Sunday night, roughly 24 hours after the colt’s record-breaking victory in the $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.

American Promise, who broke his maiden Dec. 29 at Oaklawn, won the Virginia Derby by 7 ¾ lengths under Oaklawn-based jockey Nik Juarez. The final time of 1:46.41 for 1 1/8 miles was a track record.

The Virginia Derby was the first career stakes victory for American Promise ($16.80) and his second in nine starts overall. More important, American Promise earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to secure a spot in the field May 3 at Churchill Dows. He has 55 overall to rank No. 5 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Lukas, 89, is a four-time Kentucky Derby winner.

“This is a typical case of a horse that was in a growth spurt like he is, big and rangy,” Lukas said Sunday morning. “He didn’t actually know what was expected, like a big, rangy kid. But the last 30 days, he has really come around and I expect him to get better the next 30 days.”

American Promise had started in two other Kentucky Derby qualifying races, finishing seventh in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 25 at Oaklawn and fifth in the $500,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds in his last start. Lukas said next-race plans are pending for American Promise, a chestnut son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify who is owned by BC Stables (Brian Coelho and John Bellinger).

“I don’t know if I’m a good enough trainer to train him from now till the Derby and get a good performance,” Lukas said. “I have a tendency to want to run my horses periodically. They do better for me. But I’ll let him get here and get settled in. We have the options of doing something different, but also can be comfortable with the fact that we’re in the Derby already.”

Lukas also trains two other Kentucky Derby hopefuls in Caldera and Innovator.

Caldera is entered in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) at 1 3/16 miles Saturday at Fair Grounds. Innovator is entered in the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at 1 1/8 miles Saturday at Turfway Park. Lukas’ longtime assistant, Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl, saddled American Promise in the Virginia Derby. Lukas, who remained at Oaklawn, said American Promise was being vanned back to Hot Springs.

Purchased for $750,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, American Promise has career earnings of $444,874.