2025.12.26 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

Oaklawn’s fourth-annual card exclusively for 2-year-olds Saturday drew 106 entrants, including several pricey first-time starters and a full sibling to a record-setting Arkansas-bred.

The 10-race program includes the $150,000 Year’s End Stakes for fillies at one mile and five $100,000 maiden special weight races.

Oaklawn began running an all 2-year-old card in 2022, a year after shifting its calendar to incorporate December racing. The inaugural edition spawned a future Grade 1 winner (Defining Purpose) and Kentucky Derby starter (maiden special graduate Sun Thunder). American Promise broke his maiden in last year’s event and won the Virgina Derby before running in the Kentucky Derby.

Defining Purpose (2022 Year’s End) was one of four winners on the card for trainer Kenny McPeek. He has two Year’s End entrants Saturday (supplemental nominees Authentic Cat and Sticker Shocked). Scot’s Law, a half-sister to millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner Scottish Lassie, will be making her stakes debut for trainer John Ortiz.

The seventh race is a maiden special weight for fillies at six furlongs. The 3-1 program favorite is Izzy’s Gunna Run, who is trained by Southern California-based Phil D’Amato. Izzy’s Gunna Run, a daughter of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, was purchased for $635,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Other first-time starters entered are My Gun’s Loaded for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, French Friction for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and Charted Destiny for trainer Tom Amoss.

My Gun’s Loaded, also by Gun Runner, brought $650,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. French Friction, by millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light, was purchased for $250,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She has worked at Oaklawn with millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner La Cara, who is also trained by Casse.

Charted Destiny is by millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner Liam’s Map. Her second dam, Comedy, produced millionaire Grade 1 winner Taris. Charted Destiny brought $525,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“She’s very well bred,” said Tom Amoss, who trains Charted Destiny. “That race looks like it came up really, really tough. Look, it’s time to get started with her. She’s ready. She’ll build on this race, no matter how she runs.”

The fifth race, a maiden special weight for Arkansas-bred fillies at one mile, features the local debut of She’s So Coal for trainer Lindsay Schultz and breeder/owner Eugenia Thompson-Benight of Sheridan, Ark. She’s So Coal is a full sister to multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Haulin Ice, the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history ($978,650). She’s So Coal, who began her racing career with Shultz and Thompson-Benight, finished ninth sprinting in her Nov 13 debut at Churchill Downs.

Racing begins Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (Central).

Asmussen Approaching 1,000

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen entered Friday with a record 999 career Oaklawn victories after winning two races Sunday.

Asmussen won the third race with Solevo ($11) and the seventh race with Ripped ($11.40). Both horses were ridden by the trainer’s son, Erik Asmussen, North America’s champion apprentice jockey of 2024.

Steve Asmussen is poised to reach 1,000 career Oaklawn victories this weekend with a combined 20 horses entered Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One entrant, 2025 Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up Publisher, is the 6-5 program favorite for Friday’s fourth race, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up at one mile.

Asmussen has a meet-high six victories through the first six days of racing in 2025-2026.

Asmussen, North America’s all-time winningest trainer, has already reached 1,000 career victories at four tracks. Asmussen has 1,666 victories at Lone Star Park, 1,375 at Remington Park, 1,172 at Fair Grounds and 1,032 at Sam Houston Race Park, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

Asmussen owns every major Oaklawn training record, including career purse earnings ($64.2 million), career stakes victories (123), single-season purse earnings ($6,685,459 in 2023-2024) and single-season stakes victories (11 in 2023-2024). Asmussen equaled the late Cole Norman’s single-season Oaklawn record for victories (71) in 2023-2024.

Asmussen won 46 races last season at Oaklawn en route to his record-extending 14th meet title. Asmussen was also Oaklawn’s leading trainer in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2021-2022.

Asmussen became the first trainer to reach 10,000 career North American victories when he saddled Bet He’s Ready to win the fifth race Feb. 20, 2023, at Oaklawn. Asmussen’s first Oaklawn victory was Feb. 9, 1996. Asmussen has 11,081 career North American victories, according to Equibase.

Ewing Arrives

Unbeaten Grade 2 winner Ewing and stablemate Strategic Risk arrived around 4:30 a.m. (Central) Monday after previously being based in Florida with trainer Mark Casse, said Caden Arthur, who oversees the dual Hall of Famer’s Oaklawn division.

Arthur said Ewing (two for two) is scheduled to work Sunday morning in advance of his 3-year-old debut, which Casse indicated could come in a January allowance sprint. Ewing is unraced since the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) at 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 2 at Saratoga.

Arthur said Strategic Risk will work an “easy half-mile” Saturday morning in preparation for the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 3. The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones is Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races. It will offer 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1, respectively) to its top five finishers toward Kentucky Derby starting eligibility.

“Going to do a half-mile seven days out, just to get over the surface a little and see how he does,” Arthur said Friday morning. “(Casse) said he’s been training great. He looks great.”

Strategic Risk, in his last start, was a nine-length winner of the restricted Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

Arthur said Casse also plans to start Silent Tactic in the Smarty Jones, which would mark his dirt debut. Both of Silent Tactic’s starts have come over a synthetic surface at Woodbine in Canada, the last a runner-up finish in the Grey Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 2.

Arthur said Silent Tactic is also scheduled to work Saturday morning.

Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for the Smarty Jones. Other early probables include Universe and Sleepingonfreedom for trainer Kenny McPeek. Trainer Tom Amoss said he plans to start Big Dom or Oscar’s Hope.

Finish Lines

Racing resumes Friday at Oaklawn, with first post for the 10-race card 12:30 p.m. CST. … Speed King is the 5-2 program favorite for Friday’s ninth race, a $116,000 allowance sprint. Speed King is seeking his first victory since the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles last January at Oaklawn. … Favored Bohemian Bo ($4.40) represented the 200th career Oaklawn victory for jockey Walter De La Cruz in Saturday’s fourth race, a $117,000 Arkansas-bred allowance sprint. … Bedard, unraced since an allowance victory last February at Oaklawn, returned to the work tab Saturday morning for trainer Brad Cox, covering three furlongs in :37. Bedard, co-owned by Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, ran third in the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes, in 2024. … Through the first six days of racing, 29 claims totaled $577,500, according to Oaklawn.