2025.11.20 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025

As anticipated, it was a quiet 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting for Hot Springs owner Staton Flurry.

Flurry, a season removed from a full-force push for his first Oaklawn owner’s title, had only 19 starts as a sole owner, with his lone victory coming in a December starter-allowance sprint with Therideofalifetime.

Flurry predicted a muted meeting after checking off a bucket-list item when he topped the 2023-2024 Oaklawn standings with 26 victories from 81 starts. Flurry ranked sixth in purse earnings ($782,894).

Flurry said Tuesday morning that his 2025-2026 Oaklawn outlook is similar to last season.

“Just win a few races,” Flurry said. “I think I’ve got nine (horses) coming here, nine or 10, on my own or partnerships. Just go out there and win some races.”

Two Flurry runners that should be seen this season at Oaklawn are entered in stakes races on Tuesday at Zia Park. Zero Sugar, who broke his maiden at 1 1/8 miles last March at Oaklawn, is entered in the $300,000 Zia Park Derby. Oaklawn allowance winner Woodcourt is entered in the $100,000 Zia Park Championship. Both stakes are 1 1/16 miles.

Zero Sugar hasn’t started since his maiden victory because of a leg problem, Flurry said.

“Nothing major,” Flurry said. “He’s training lights out right now.”

Woodcourt will be making his second start since a February allowance victory at Oaklawn. He finished eighth in his Oct. 30 allowance comeback at Churchill Downs.

“The track was just a mess that day,” Flurry said. “He gets a free pass that day. He’s been training good since then.”

Cipriano Contreras trains Zero Sugar and Woodcourt. Flurry said he’s also scheduled to have horses this season at Oaklawn with trainers Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox and Kevin Martin.

Among the horses already at Oaklawn for Cox is Jarrett, an unstarted 2-year-old Tapit colt that Flurry purchased for $330,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Flurry, active in motor sports, named Jarrett after NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

Flurry said Bedard, unraced since a 1 1/8-mile allowance victory in early February at Oaklawn, should rejoin Cox by the end of the month. Bedard finished third in the Prince of Wales Stakes – the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown – in 2024 at Fort Erie.

Flurry has 64 career Oaklawn victories as a sole owner, the first coming Feb. 17, 2013.

Jockeying for Position

Gary Stevens, the retired Hall of Fame jockey turned jockey agent, said Wednesday morning that he will represent three riders this season at Oaklawn, including newcomer Eswan Flores.

Flores, now based at Woodbine in Canada, enters Thursday with 599 career North American victories, the first coming July 4, 2011, at Hollywood Park, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

“He started out in California,” Stevens said. “I rode with him there. He’s been up in Toronto (Woodbine) the last couple of years.”

Stevens said Flores was steered to him by trainer Norman McKnight, who, beginning in 2018, made Oaklawn and Woodbine his year-round circuit. McKnight, who has 87 career Oaklawn victories, is reportedly retiring this year.

“Norm McKnight called and asked me about it,” Stevens said. “I said: ‘Absolutely, I would love to have him.’ ”

Flores was fourth in voting for North America’s champion apprentice jockey of 2012 after setting career highs for mounts (726), victories (86) and purse earnings ($3,010,177). He enters Thursday with 59 winners this season at Woodbine.

Stevens said he will also represent veteran Travis Wales and apprentice Amanda Poston this season at Oaklawn.

Poston recorded her first three career victories at the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting.

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. … Jockey Ramon Vazquez was working horses Wednesday morning at Oaklawn, including Kinzie Queen for trainer Greg Compton. Vazquez is based at Remington Park, where he is the runaway leader in the rider standings with 64 victories. Vazquez (472 victories) is the 12th-winningest rider in Oaklawn history. Kinzie Queen ran third in the G2-Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies last May at Pimlico. … Grade 3 winner Frost Free recorded a half-mile bullet workout (:47.20) Saturday morning at Oaklawn for trainer Brett Creighton. The track was fast. Frost Free is unraced since the G1-Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters in June 2024 at Saratoga. Frost Free was a 2024 Oaklawn allowance winner. … Agent Bobby Dean said he will represent jockeys Alexis Centeno and Israel Hernandez in 2025-2026 at Oaklawn. Hernandez and Centeno were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final standings at the recently concluded Hawthorne meeting