2026.02.05 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Contact: Chris Ho Vice President of Marketing

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026

Bob Baffert’s 47th scheduled starter in a Kentucky Derby points race at Oaklawn resembles so many of his previous 46 – well bred, pricey, lightly raced and a major threat to add to the Hall of Fame trainer’s amazing record in its four-race series.

Buetane will make his two-turn debut in Friday’s $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3), a 1 1/16-mile race Baffert has won a record six times.

“He’s a nice horse,” Baffert said Tuesday afternoon.

Baffert, who is based in Southern California, trains Buetane for major client Amir Zedan (Zedan Racing Stables). Baffert and Zedan have already teamed for two victories in Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby points series, claiming the $750,000 Southwest (G3) in 2023 with Arabian Knight and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2024 with Muth. Zedan plucked Arabian Knight and Muth out of OBS 2-year-old sales for $2.3 million and $2 million, respectively.

Zedan purchased Buetane for $1,150,000 at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training. Buetane, a son of millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, has a 1-2-0 record from three lifetime starts and earnings of $148,000. Buetane’s second dam, Dream of Summer, won the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) in 2005 at Oaklawn and has produced Grade 1 winners Creative Cause and Vexatious and Grade 2 winner Destin.

Buetane exits a runner-up finish in the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes (G2) Jan. 10 at Santa Anita. He completed major preparations for the Southwest, delayed six days because of winter weather, with a half-mile workout in :47.80 Sunday at Santa Anita.

“He’s ready to go,” Baffert said. “He’s ready for this. His last work was just maintenance.”

Buetane is 4-1 on the morning line for the Southwest, which drew 14 entrants. Baffert also had the 5-2 program favorite in Litmus Test, but he didn’t make the trip and will await the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 7 at Santa Anita, the trainer said.

Buetane was cross-entered in the $275,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles last Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“Florida, we just looked at it,” Baffert said. “This time of the year, you just enter everywhere.”

The Southwest is Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Derby qualifying race and will offer 42 points (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown. The series continues with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 1 and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) March 28. Baffert has won the Rebel a record eight times and the Arkansas Derby a record-tying five times.

“I’ll definitely be there for the Rebel,” Baffert said. “I just nominate everywhere. Just like the Kentucky Derby, I nominate all the colts. You just wait and see who’s ready that week and we’ll get on a plane.”

Baffert also has a victory in the Smarty Jones Stakes, Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby qualifying race. His 20 victories overall is also a record for Oaklawn’s series of Kentucky Derby points races.

Sterling Silver

The 2026 Winter Olympics open Friday and, fittingly, Oaklawn President Louis Cella and social media star Dave Portnoy will be going for gold on the same day.

Cella and Portnoy co-own Silver Syndicate, the 3-1 program favorite for the fifth race at Oaklawn, a $110,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. Cella and Portnoy (Go Go Greys Stable) purchased the gray son of Grade 1 winner Liam’s Map, now with trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs, for $400,000 in May’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Cella said his family had never partnered with an outside owner.

Cella’s late father, Charles Cella, campaigned, among others, 1995 male grass champion Northern Spur, and Cyber Secret, winner of the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in 2013. Cella was Oaklawn’s president from 1968 until his death in 2017. Louis Cella has nine career victories at Oaklawn, including three with his brother, John Cella. Moquett trained eight of those winners.

“He (Portnoy) came to Oaklawn a couple of years ago and he loved it so much that he wanted to come back,” Cella said. “But he wanted to get in the game. He has other horses with other trainers and became friends with Ron. He said: ‘Is there any way a Cella would partner with me in a horse that we could run at Oaklawn?’ So, Ron called me up and I said: ‘Sure. I think it would be terrific.’ That’s how our relationship really started. I met him, of course, and got to know him when he was at Oaklawn.”

Silver Syndicate has 11 published workouts – all at Oaklawn – since Nov. 14 in advance of his career debut. Silver Syndicate worked an eighth of a mile in a lively :10.40 in his under-tack preview breeze for the Midlantic sale.

“He had a little delay because of development,” Cella said. “He kept on growing. Every single week, he would add on a couple of pounds, so Ron had to be really methodical with him.”

Silver Syndicate is scheduled to break from post 2 in the projected 11-horse field under Luis Saez.

Portnoy recorded his first victory as an owner with then-3-year-old Wondergirl Carly, a gray daughter of Gun Runner who won her Oct. 20 career debut at Parx for trainer Lindsay Schultz, an Oaklawn regular. Wondergirl Carly trained at Oaklawn during its 2024-2025 meeting.

Probable post time for the fifth race is 1:29 p.m. (Central).

Finish Lines

Oaklawn will race Sunday, which was originally a dark day on its 2025-2026 racing calendar because of the Super Bowl. There is a special first post of noon (CST). Probable post time for the 10th and final race is 4:27 p.m., approximately an hour before Super Bowl kickoff. Oaklawn moved its Feb. 1 card to Sunday after losing three racing dates to last month’s winter storm. … Louisiana-bred star Blue Fire is the 5-2 program favorite for Friday’s $135,000 Bugler Overnight Stakes. The Bugler is for older fillies and mares at six furlongs. … Sir Greylind is the 3-1 program favorite for Friday’s $135,000 General MacArthur Overnight Stakes. Sir Greylind was runner-up in the 2025 General MacArthur, which is for older horses at 1 1/8 miles. … Banksy’s is scheduled to make his career debut in Friday’s fifth race, a $110,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. David Fawkes trains Banksy’s, a son of Paynter, for noted handicapper Bruno De Julio.