Oaklawn Barn Notes; Dixie Belle Recap

By Jennifer Hoyt

Unbeaten Jerrid Set to Make 3-Year-Old Debut

Unbeaten Jerrid is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in a first-level allowance/optional claimer going a mile Friday at Oaklawn, trainer Scott Young said Saturday morning. Jerrid, a son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, broke his maiden at 6 ½ furlongs Dec. 2 at Remington Park.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed,” Young said. “We think he could be something fairly special.”

Jerrid, who races for Sather Family LLC (Jon Sather), has had four published workouts at Oaklawn leading up to his 3-year-old debut. He worked 5 furlongs in 1:03.60 over a fast track Saturday morning. The colt signaled his readiness with a 5-furlong bullet move (:59.60) Jan. 13.

“You never know until you run them,” Young said. “But up until this point, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and done it with a lot of class and fairly easy.”

Jerrid raced close to a solid pace in his career debut, winning by a length over a muddy surface. He covered 6 ½ furlongs in 1:18.75. Young said he wasn’t surprised about the outcome.

“He’d been training like that,” Young said. “We had high hopes for him.”

Young said Belen Quinonez, who rode Jerrid to his debut victory, would have the mount Friday.

Stellaaaaa

D. Wayne Lukas is scheduled to send out My Sweet Stella in Saturday’s $125,000 Dixie Belle Stakes, but the Hall of Fame trainer said the 6-furlong race is a dress rehearsal for a return to distance events next month.

My Sweet Stella, a 3-year-old homebred for Zayat Stables, LLC (Ahmed Zayat), will be making her sprint debut in the 6-furlong Dixie Belle, a race Lukas won in 1995 with Cat Appeal. Lukas said the Dixie Belle will serve as My Sweet Stella’s prep for the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 11.

The 1-mile Martha Washington is the first major local two-turn prep for the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 14.

“Frankly,” Pat Pope hustled me in here,” Lukas said with a laugh when referring to Oaklawn’s racing secretary. “She’s quick from the gate, but we thought maybe a race of some kind would be good if we could get one under our belt before the Martha Washington. This is not ideal.”

My Sweet Stella, in her dirt debut, finished ninth in the $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs in her last start. The daughter of Eskendereya led at every point of call in a 2 ¾-length maiden victory at 1 1/16 miles on the grass Oct. 20 at Keeneland.

My Sweet Stella, who is scheduled to ridden by Jon Court, is 6-1 fourth choice in the program for the Dixie Belle.

At least two other locally based horses, Perfect Wife and Torrent, are pointing for the Martha Washington. Perfect Wife, winner of the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes Dec. 11 at Remington Park, worked a half-mile in :50.80 Friday morning for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Trapeze runner-up Torrent was a comfortable 2 ¼-length winner of her 3-year-old debut in Friday’s eighth race, a first-level allowance/optional claimer at a mile. Ron Moquett of Hot Springs trains Torrent for Little Rock, Ark.-based Westrock Stables LLC (Joe and Scott Ford).Westrock also campaigned Torrent’s dam, Tidal Pool, runner-up to eventual 3-year-old filly champion Blind Luck in the $300,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) in 2010.

On the Move

Jockey Richard Eramia is named on two horses Thursday and plans to ride the remainder of the Oaklawn meet, his agent in Hot Springs, Scott Hare, said Saturday morning.

Eramia is now based at Fair Grounds (6 for 103 at this season’s meet), but won the $100,000 Azalea Stakes Friday night at Delta Downs. A native of Uruguay, Eramia has 1,809 North American victories since 2005, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

Hare said Eramia is laying the groundwork for a new summer home (he’s a perennial riding champion at Louisiana Downs) by moving his tack to Oaklawn. The agent also had Eramia’s book at the 2016 Remington Park meet, where he rode 48 winners the last two months to tie for third in the standings.

“Just wanting a change in venue,” Hare said. “He did well at Remington. Looking to go somewhere different for the summer, really.”

Eramia has ranked among the nation’s top 100 riders in victories and purse earnings every year since 2010, according to Equibase. His biggest career victory came aboard Gantry in the $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (G2) in 2012 at Calder.

The jockey’s only Oaklawn mount was a second-place finish in 2013. He is named on Drip Brew for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs in Thursday’s sixth race and Crush for Karl Broberg, the nation’s winningest trainer the last three years, in the ninth race.

Hare also represents Channing Hill, who rode Uncontested to a record-breaking victory in Monday’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Finish Lines

The track was rated fast for workouts Saturday morning. … Suddenbreakingnews went a half-mile in :49 following the renovation break Saturday morning for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel in preparation for his 4-year-old debut. Suddenbreakingnews won Oaklawn’s $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) last February. … Millionaire Alsvid, scheduled to make his 2017 debut in an allowance/optional claimer Thursday, went 5 furlongs in 1:02 before the renovation break Saturday morning for trainer Chris Hartman. Alsvid won the $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) in 2015 at Oaklawn. … Multiple stakes winner Super Saks went 5 furlongs in 1:01 just after the track opened Saturday morning for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Super Saks is scheduled to make her 2017 debut in next Saturday’s $125,000 American Beauty Stakes for older female sprinters, Lukas said. … Grade 1 stakes-placed sprinter Jazzy Time, previously based in Southern California with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 just after the track opened Saturday morning for trainer Brad Cox, who said he would like to run in the 4-year-old in a second-level allowance race. … After missing the first five days (riding suspension from the 2016 meeting), four-time defending Oaklawn jockey champion Ricardo Santana Jr. rode two winners Friday. Santana won the fourth race aboard favored Medal of Courage ($4.60) for trainer Scott Young and the featured eighth race aboard favored Torrent ($3.60) for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Santana is nearing an Oaklawn milestone with 292 career victories in Hot Springs.

CHANEL’S LEGACY PULLS MILD DIXIE BELLE UPSET

Chanel’s Legacy, at odds of 5-1, came flying down the lane to win Saturday’s $125,000 Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn before an on-track crowd of 10,000. It was the second Dixie Belle victory for owner Allen Poindexter and trainer Lynn Chleborad since 2013 when American Sugar won the six furlong race.

Jockey Alex Birzer kept Chanel’s Legacy within striking distance from the start and the pair followed in third as Country Candy and 3-5 favorite Vertical Oak battled through fractions of :22 and :45 3/5 for the first half mile. The winner came three wide into the turn and as soon as she hit the stretch, she shook clear of her competition to win by 2 ½ lengths. My Sweet Stella closed from last to get second, a half-length in front of third-place finisher Five Star Factor. The winning time was 1:11 4/5 for six furlongs over a fast track.

The favorite, Vertical Oak, was fourth. She was followed by I Be Jeannie B, Country Candy and No Closure.

“We talked about it this morning and we thought there would be speed,” Chleborad said. “We thought we’d be laying about third, right off of them, pressing the pace if things worked out. But, you never know until they break. I think she could have gone to the lead pretty easy, but she’s got to save her kick for the end. And, that makes her a better horse, when she comes from off the pace and then kick ’em on down the lane.”

Chanel’s Legacy, a 3-year-old homebred daughter of Dominus, has now won half of her six career starts and has earned $159,394. She returned $13.40, $5.20 and $3.20.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. first post.

Dixie Belle Quotes:

Winning Owner Allen Poindexter, Chanel’s Legacy: “(Feels) great, especially since I raised her at my house.”

Winning trainer Lynn Chleboard, Chanel’s Legacy: “We talked about it this morning and we thought there would be speed,” Chleborad said. “We thought we’d be laying about third, right off of them, pressing the pace if things worked out. But, you never know until they break. I think she could have gone to the lead pretty easy, but she’s got to save her kick for the end. And, that makes her a better horse, when she comes from off the pace and then kick ’em on down the lane.”

Chleboard said the filly will be pointed toward the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 11 at Oaklawn.

Winning jockey Alex Birzer, Chanel’s Legacy: “You know she ran such a nice race. Lynn and her group did an excellent job prepping her. She relaxed and settled for me real nice and when I asked her around the turn to get a little closer, she just responded. Everything I asked her, she was so push button. It was an easy win.”

Jockey Jon Court, My Sweet Stella, second: “She ran well. She rallied up from behind. I expected her speed to hold up a little more down the backside, but the speed got away. She broke good, but just couldn’t stay with them. She was trying. Took a lot of dirt and she came rallying up there for 2nd place, so she ran big. Closed on them well.”

Jockey Ramon Vazquez, 3-5 favorite Vertical Oak, fourth: “I just had bad position the entire race. I was never able to her to the outside.”

Cover Photo: Chanel’s Legacy; Coady Photography