2025.11.18 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Stakes-winning Hola Joey is scheduled to return to Oaklawn later this month to begin preparations for a 4-year-old campaign, trainer Gene Jacquot said Tuesday morning.

Hola Joey completed a productive 2025 with a neck victory over older starter-allowance standout Devil’s Tower in an allowance sprint Sept. 22 at Prairie Meadows.

Hola Joey posted a 5-2-0 record in eight starts this year, bankrolling $221,960 for Oklahoma owner Joe D. Casey, who purchased the Adios Charlie gelding for just $3,000 at the 2024 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Jacquot said Hola Joey, who has earned $270,672 overall with six victories from 10 starts, is now at a local training center.

“He had a great year,” Jacquot said. “I gave him a little time off after the Prairie Meadows meet. I’m going to put him back in training in another week or so.”

Hola Joey made four starts last season at Oaklawn, breaking his maiden in his second career start. After clearing his first allowance condition, Hola Joey finished second in the $150,000 Ozark Stakes and fifth in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes – his two-turn debut – March 30.

Returning to sprints, Hola Joey notched his first career stakes victory in the Golden Circle on May 17 at Prairie Meadows.

“I thought I would give him a little time because he’s been at it for a while,” Jacquot said. “We’ll probably have him ready to roll in February. He’s done very well short. He didn’t get much when we tried him long. I hope he can step up as a 4-year-old. He outran older horses in Iowa.”

Jacquot said he trains three other horses for Casey, including Midnight Menace, an unstarted 2-year-old gelding by sprint champion Midnight Lute.

Casey purchased Midnight Menace for $30,000 at the 2025 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Finish Lines

Nominations for the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds, $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes for 3-year-olds and up and $135,000 Astral Spa Overnight Stakes for 2-year-old fillies are due Monday, Dec. 1. The Advent, to be run Friday, Dec. 12, is at 5 ½-furlongs. The Ring the Bell (Saturday, Dec. 13) and Astral Spa (Sunday, Dec. 14) are run at six furlongs. Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Dec. 5 for Oaklawn’s Dec. 12 opening-day program. The 64-day split season ends May 2. Oaklawn’s Holiday racing season is Dec. 12-Jan. 4. The Classic racing season is Jan. 30-May 2. Statistics from the Holiday and Classic seasons will be combined to determine 2025-2026 human and equine champions, according to Jason Milligan, Oaklawn’s director of racing. … Millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Skelly worked a half-mile in :50.60 Monday morning at Oaklawn for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. The track was fast. Skelly has 10 career victories at Oaklawn, including six stakes. E J Harley (13 victories) is the winningest horse in Oaklawn history. Champion Whitmore and Swift Ruler share the Oaklawn record for career stakes victories with seven. … Horses are on the grounds for two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox and Southern California-based Phil D’Amato. … Agent Jay Fedor said Tuesday morning that he will represent jockeys Abel Cedillo and Assael Espinoza at the 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting. Cedillo, after previously being based at Turfway Park, won six races, including two stakes, during the final few weeks of the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting. Espinoza has never ridden at Oaklawn. Then based in northern California, Espinoza won a career-high 155 races in 2023 to rank 34th in North America, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.