Oaklawn Barn Notes: Moquett Scores 200th Oaklawn Win

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Ron Moquett; All photos provided by Oaklawn

Moquett Scores 200th Oaklawn Win

Zaevion represented the 200th career Oaklawn victory for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs in Sunday’s fourth race, a $40,000 maiden-claiming sprint for 3-year-olds and upward. Moquett, 46, saddled his first Oaklawn winner in 1999, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, a year after starting his first horse in Hot Springs.

The trainer, who grew up along the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, about 130 miles northwest of Hot Springs, has started 1,766 horses at Oaklawn, with those runners totaling $7,559,183 in purse earnings. Moquett has 11 stakes victories at Oaklawn, including three last year – Whitmore in the $125,000 Hot Springs and $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) and Rockshaw in the $125,000 Gazebo.

At the 2015 Oaklawn meeting, Moquett also won the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and $300,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) with Far Right, who would later finish second to future Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1).

Moquett has 646 career victories since his first in 1998. His 500th career victory came Feb. 6, 2015, at Oaklawn with Heykittykittykitty. Moquett was Oaklawn’s third-leading trainer in 2016 with 24 victories, a single-season best in Hot Springs.

Zaevion ($8) was ridden by Richard Eramia and is owned by Moquett’s Southern Springs Stables. Moquett began the 2018 meeting with 198 victories at Oaklawn.

Claiming Game

Robertino Diodoro said before the meet that he would be active at the claim box, and Oaklawn’s second-leading trainer last year has been just that through the first six days of racing in 2018.

Diodoro has claimed a meet-high six horses – all for Texas-based Mike Sisk’s M and M Racing. Sisk is founder of Low T Center, a chain of clinics that treats low testosterone in men. M and M Racing leads in starts (18) and victories (3) and is second in purse earnings ($108,085) at the young meeting.

“Definitely a claiming barn,” Diodoro said. “We have been building up for it, so we’ll see what happens.”

Diodoro has approximately 150 horses in training at four venues – Turf Paradise in Phoenix (his home base), Oaklawn, New York and Evangeline Training Center in Louisiana. The trainer said he plans to spend more time this year at Oaklawn, where he has won 26 percent of his starts (65 of 252) since his first season in Hot Springs in 2015
“Think there’s going to be a little more action, horse-wise and owner-wise,” Diodoro said. “When you have 40 horses at an Oaklawn meet, it’s a pretty important meet.”

Diodoro won 31 races last year at Oaklawn and is tied for third in the standings this year with three victories.

Through the first six days of racing, 35 claims have totaled $452,500.

Gunning for an Eclipse

Gun Runner, runaway winner of the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) in his 4-year-old debut last February at Oaklawn, is among three finalists for Horse of the Year, which will be announced during the 47th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony Thursday night at Gulfstream Park.

Gun Runner is also one of three finalists for champion older dirt male, along with Collected, fourth in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at the 2016 Oaklawn meeting.

The 17 horse and human categories include five others with Oaklawn connections.

Elate, third in the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at the 2017 meeting, is among three finalists for champion 3-year-old filly. Forever Unbridled and Stellar Wind, two of the three finalists for champion older dirt female, won the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen is one of three finalists for outstanding trainer. Asmussen has won eight Oaklawn training titles since 2008, including the last two years. He saddled Gun Runner to his Razorback victory. Katie Clawson, who won eight races at the 2017 meeting to lead all apprentice riders, is one of three finalists for outstanding apprentice jockey.

Finalists in each Eclipse Awards category were determined by the top three selections from voters representing the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first-place votes.

The 2017 Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order):

Horse of the Year: Arrogate, Gun Runner, World Approval
Two-Year-Old Male: Bolt d’Oro, Good Magic, Solomini
Two-Year-Old Filly: Caledonia Road, Moonshine Memories, Rushing Fall
Three-Year-Old Male: Always Dreaming, Battle of Midway, West Coast
Three-Year-Old Filly: Abel Tasman, Elate, Unique Bella
Older Dirt Male: Arrogate, Collected, Gun Runner
Older Dirt Female: Forever Unbridled, Songbird, Stellar Wind
Male Sprinter: Imperial Hint, Mind Your Biscuits, Roy H
Female Sprinter: Bar of Gold, Paulassilverlining, Unique Bella
Male Turf Horse: Beach Patrol, Talismanic (GB), World Approval
Female Turf Horse: Lady Eli, Off Limits (IRE), Wuheida (GB)
Steeplechase Horse: All the Way Jose, Mr. Hot Stuff, Scorpiancer (IRE)
Owner: Godolphin Racing LLC, Juddmonte Farms, Winchell Thoroughbreds & Three Chimneys Farm
Breeder: Besilu Stables LLC, Clearsky Farms, WinStar Farm, LLC
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Chad Brown
Jockey: Javier Castellano, Jose Ortiz, Mike Smith
Apprentice Jockey: Katie Clawson, Hector Rafael Diaz Jr., Evin A. Roman

Finish Lines

The track was rated fast for workouts Wednesday morning. … Multiple Oaklawn stakes winner and near-millionaire Ivan Fallunovalot worked a half-mile in :47.60 Wednesday morning for trainer Tom Howard of Hot Springs and owner Lewis Mathews of Bismarck, Ark. Ivan Fallunovalot ($961,403 in career earnings) is pointing for the $125,000 King Cotton Stakes for older sprinters Feb. 3, a race he won in 2015 and 2016. Clockers caught Ivan Fallunovalot’s last quarter-mile in :23.20 and galloping out 5 furlongs in :59.80. … In his first work as Exclamation Point, the formerly unnamed 3-year-old half-brother to champion and 2017 Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, worked 5 furlongs from the gate in 1:01 Monday morning for trainer Brad Cox, who is a targeting a February debut for the son Concord Point. Exclamation Point is owned by his breeders, Steve and Brandi Nicholson, who also bred Classic Empire. Monday’s work was the fifth recorded at Oaklawn, and second from the gate, since Dec. 16 for Exclamation Point. … Jockey David Cabrera, who has a meet-high six victories, is appealing a three-day riding suspension that was scheduled to begin last Sunday, state steward Stan Bowker said. Stewards cited Cabrera for allowing Komrad “to drop down from the outside without being clear of inside horses” in the ninth race Jan. 13. Cabrera’s suspension was to continue Thursday and Friday. … Jockey Luis Contreras is scheduled to return Friday from a three-day suspension (last Saturday and Sunday and Thursday). Stewards cited Contreras for allowing Picknngrinn “to angle down without being clear of the inside horses” in the sixth race Jan. 14. … Favored Johnny Whip ($7.20) became the meet’s first two-time winner in Saturday’s first race. Johnny Whip races for Karl Broberg, the nation’s winningest trainer last year. … Abbaa, who won a meet-high four races at the 2017 Oaklawn meeting, is scheduled to make his 2018 debut in Thursday’s fifth race, a starter-allowance sprint, for trainer Johnny Ortiz … He won his first race at last year’s meeting for trainer Chris Richard ($25,000 claiming price), then was claimed out of his next start for $35,000 by Ortiz Abbaa won his next three starts for Ortiz. Ortiz lost the gelding for a $20,000 claiming price last June at Churchill Downs before claiming him back for $25,000 Sept. 29 at Churchill Downs.