2026.01.04 Oaklawn – Racing Update

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse did it again Saturday at Oaklawn, padding his glowing resume with a 1-2 finish in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Strategic Risk beat stablemate Silent Tactic by 4 ½ lengths in the Smarty Jones, which marked Casse’s meet-high fourth stakes victory and 11th in 23 starts overall at the 13-day Holiday racing season that concludes Sunday.

“I’ve had a lot of people commenting on how well Oaklawn’s gone for us,” the Florida-based Casse said by phone, moments after the Smarty Jones. “Obviously, I train a large number of horses and I just kind of tried to handpick the ones that I thought would make sense for Oaklawn and it’s worked pretty good. The other thing that’s funny is some of my biggest meets always come off one of our worst meets. It works that way. We were like, at Churchill, I think we were 1 for (31). You save a lot of conditions. I think we had 10 thirds, so that’s what happens. That how that works.”

Strategic Risk received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 87 – a career high – for his performance in the Smarty Jones. The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races and offered 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic are both owned by John Oxley, who also bred the Smarty Jones winner. Strategic Risk ($7) stalked a slow pace under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, poked his head in front on the outside turning for home and drew off in the stretch, completing 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:45.06

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Strategic Risk, by Noble Bird, another Casse/Oxley collaboration, was exiting a ninth-length victory in the restricted Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

“Really from that point, that day, Mr. Oxley and I talked about the Smarty Jones being the plan,” Casse said

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Silent Tactic rallied to finish second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Baytown Dreamer, an 84-1 outsider. Silent Tactic was making his dirt debut after finishing second in the Grey Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 2 at Woodbine.

Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series continues with the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 31, $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 1 and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles March 28. Oxley and Casse teamed to win the 2017 Arkansas Derby with Classic Empire. Casse won the Arkansas Derby again last year with Sandman.

“We love the Oaklawn series,” Casse said. “We feel really good about our two colts today.”

Casse said Strategic Risk will “probably” make his next start in the Southwest, adding “he’s not leaving; he’s staying right there.”

Silent Tactic, Casse said, could resurface in an allowance race to build confidence.

Casse also trains unbeaten Grade 2 winner Ewing, who moved closer to his 3-year-old debut with a five-furlong work Sunday morning at Oaklawn. Ewing, breezing by himself over a fast track, went in 1:03 under Prairie Meadows and Will Rogers riding champion Kylee Jordan.

Casse is shopping for an allowance sprint as a bridge to the Rebel for Ewing, who is from the first crop of 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go.

“He’s pretty close to running,” Casse said. “He’s something. What a beautiful moving horse he is.”

Casse has 25 horses at Oaklawn. His string is overseen by assistant Caden Arthur, who said Sunday morning that both Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic exited the Smarty Jones in good shape physically.

Obliteration Does Just That

Grade 3 winner Obliteration could be headed to the Middle East following his devastating victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Renaissance Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Sunday morning.

Obliteration, returning to dirt for the first time since August, coasted to a 7 ½-length victory under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario.

Obliteration ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.03 to generate a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 90, just off his career-high 91 for a front-running 10 ½-length victory in the Sanford Stakes (G3) last July at Saratoga.

“He’s a nice horse,” Asmussen said. “Very proud of who he is. Very fortunate to have him and anxious for what he can get done in the future.”

Asmussen said Obliteration is under consideration for the $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) at 1,600 meters on dirt Feb. 14 in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s one turn,” Asmussen said. “We were second in it with Cowan a few years back. Kind of a similar resume going in.”

Cowan finished second in the 2021 Saudi Derby after running second approximately a month earlier in Oaklawn’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at one mile.

Obliteration, first or second in six of seven lifetime starts, is co-owned by Texan Leland Ackerley, who also campaigned Valid Expectations with Asmussen. Asmussen, in 1996, collected his first career Oaklawn stakes victory with Valid Expectations in the $50,000 Mountain Valley.

Obliteration ($3.40) was Asmussen’s record-extending 125th career Oaklawn stakes victory. He notched No. 126 later Saturday with Bourbon Bash in the $135,000 Commodore Overnight for older horses at six furlongs.

Asmussen Eyes Return



Jockey Keith Asmussen began getting on horses late last month at Oaklawn in advance of his comeback, which could come during Oaklawn’s Classic racing season (Jan. 30-May 2) or at Sam Houston Race Park.

Asmussen, Oaklawn’s second-leading jockey in 2023-2024, hasn’t ridden since fracturing the right side of his pelvis in a Nov. 8 spill at Churchill Downs. Asmussen said there was no displacement of the bone and no surgery was required.

“It stinks any time you get hurt, but considering the timing of the break at Oaklawn it hasn’t really put a rush on things,” Asmussen said Sunday morning. “On my six-week mark, I got released to ride and I started getting on horses here. It’s been smooth for the most part. I’m excited to get on horses and be around the races.”

Asmussen said there’s no set timetable for his return. Sunday is the final day of Oaklawn’s 13-day Holiday racing season. Sam Houston Race Park opened Friday.

Asmussen frequently rides for his father, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmusen, who has horses at both tracks.

Finish Lines

Oaklawn’s 13-day Holiday racing season ends Sunday. The 51-day Classic racing season is Jan. 30-May 2. … Trainer Rodolphe Brisset had two winners Saturday, taking the first race with N Z Holly ($10.60) and the third race with Bricklin ($16.60). Bricklin was making his first start since finishing sixth in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 26 at Churchill Downs. … N Z Holly represented the first Oaklawn winner sired by Yaupon, North America’s leading first-crop sire of 2025. … Favored Stiglets ($4.20) ran the fastest 6 furlongs of the 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting (1:08.85) in a front-running 6 ½-length victory in Saturday’s 11th race. Francisco Arrieta rode Stiglets for Southern California-based trainer Phil D’Amato, who has a string of horses in Hot Springs. … Grade 1 winners Sandman and La Cara worked five furlongs together Sunday morning for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Both were timed in 1:02.80 over a fast track. La Cara is scheduled to make her 4-year-old debut in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 7 at Oaklawn.