Nick Zito-trained Horses Arrive at Oaklawn

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Nick Zito-trained Horses Arrive at Oaklawn

Oaklawn had 781 horses on the grounds early Thursday morning, including 20 for a newcomer with quite the resume.

According to stall superintendent Beverly Fowler, the contingent for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito arrived at 1:45 a.m. (Central) Thursday and was then dispatched to the Citation barn, located directly across from horses housed for his friend, trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs.

A two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer, Zito, 70, is a winter fixture in his native New York and Florida and now has a division at Oaklawn for the first time. Zito has started only a handful of horses in Hot Springs since saddling his first career winner in 1973.

“He’ll be right there beside me,” Moquett said Thursday morning. “We actually made sure to have his stalls ready for him. No matter what, when I ship to Belmont, he’s kind of an ambassador. Whenever he’s here, I’ll do the same.”

Becoming friends, Moquett said, helped his career and facilitate a deal about a year later, when owner Ted Bowman purchased a nine-horse package put together by Zito and his longtime client, Robert LaPenta. One of those horses, Seek Gold, at odds of 91-1, gave Moquett his first Grade 1 victory several weeks later in the $844,500 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs.

“He thought whenever those owners wanted to get rid of those horses, he thought somebody taking care of them with a smaller outfit could probably get more out of them,” Moquett said. “Those guys, to be honest, weren’t interested in shipping horses to a $100,000 stake at Mountaineer. They wanted to win Grade 1 races. That’s fine. I was OK with going to Mountaineer or Louisiana Downs or wherever I needed.”

Moquett said the presence of Zito in Hot Springs is a win-win for Oaklawn, which is already a winter home for two other Hall of Fame trainers, D. Wayne Lukas and Steve Asmussen.

“He is somebody that these fans will love,” Moquett said. “He has won the big races on the national stage, still approachable and still loves the game. He is the kind of guy Oaklawn wraps itself around. The racing community of Oaklawn will love having Nick Zito here. I think Nick, in turn, will come one time and fall in love and he’ll be a regular.”

Zito had 2,031 career North American victories through Wednesday, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Armed with five Triple Crown race victories, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2005.

Moquett and LaPenta are co-owners of multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Whitmore, runner-up in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

Oaklawn’s 2019 meeting begins Jan. 25.

Solid as a Rock

Shortleaf Stable’s Lone Rock returned to Oaklawn Monday, a day after his first career stakes victory in the $75,000 Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial at Remington Park.

Under Alex Canchari, Oaklawn’s seventh-leading rider in 2018, Lone Rock won the Hawk Memorial by a neck to punctuate a banner year for owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs.

Lone Rock, a son of Majestic Warrior, began his 3-year-old campaign with a fourth-place finish in an allowance race last January at Oaklawn, but he missed most of the meeting with a hind-end problem.

“I’ve been so high on that horse,” VanMeter said Wednesday morning. “I thought he was, potentially, a horse that could have got us to the (Kentucky) Derby. For some reason, I don’t want to say he got injured, but it just took a while to get him right.”

The Hawk Memorial marked the second consecutive victory for Lone Rock, who captured a Nov. 16 allowance/optional claimer at Churchill Downs by 1 ¼ lengths under Canchari. Lone Rock was racing for a $100,000 claiming tag.

VanMeter praised Canchari for his work with Lone Rock (the colt won his Aug. 1 comeback race at Indiana Grand under the jockey), noting his running style is like a “big tidal wave.”

“He doesn’t have a quick turn of foot,” VanMeter said. “He likes to build up … being in the clear and having his opportunity to get his stride going, I think that’s the key to him. Canchari, when he rides him, he really kind rocks along with him. For whatever reason, his style suits Lone Rock”.

In the Hawk Memorial, Lone Rock ($14.20) ran a mile and 70 yards over a fast track in 1:42.62. The victory, Lone Rock’s fourth in 12 lifetime starts, increased his earnings to $155,255 for the resurgent Anthony, among the most successful owners in Oaklawn history.

Through Wednesday, Anthony ranked 51st nationally in purse earnings this year ($1,564,759), by far Shortleaf’s highest total, dating to 2000, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

Anthony campaigned Eclipse Award winners Temperence Hill (3-year-old male of 1980), Vanlandingham (older male of 1985) and Prairie Bayou (3-year-old male of 1993) under his Loblolly Stable operation. Before being phased out in the mid-1990s, Loblolly ranked fourth nationally in purse earnings in 1993 ($3,301,307) after winning 50 of 204 starts.

Anthony, who also employs trainer Brad Cox, has 26 victories this year, another high-water mark for Shortleaf, according to Equibase, and five stakes scores – one more than its combined total in 2002-2017.

The Cox-trained High North won the $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes for 3-year-olds April 14 at Oaklawn and the $250,000 Iowa Derby July 6 at Prairie Meadows. Plainsman, another Cox trainee for Anthony, won the $186,600 Discovery Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Nov. 24 at Aqueduct. Plainsman, then under the care of VanMeter, broke his maiden last January at Oaklawn.

The VanMeter-trained Dutch Parrot, an Anthony homebred, won the $200,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes Aug. 18 at Thistledown.

“It’s great,” VanMeter said of Anthony’s 2018 success. “So deserving.”

VanMeter said Lone Rock could be a candidate for the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Feb. 18 at Oaklawn. Other potential Razorback starters for Anthony are Plainsman, now based in Hot Springs, and High North, who returned to the work tab Saturday at Louisiana Downs.

“Obviously he’s going to have some decisions to make, if he can keep all these horses healthy,” VanMeter said.

The 1 1/16-mile Razorback is the first major local prep for the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 13.

Finish Lines
Oaklawn’s surface was rated fast for workouts Thursday morning. … Oaklawn shifted to normal training hours (7 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Central) Wednesday. … Unbeaten 3-year-old Exclamation Point – a half-brother to champion and 2017 Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire – returned to the work tab Wednesday morning at Oaklawn, covering 3 furlongs in :37 over a fast track. Trained by Brad Cox, Exclamation Point (3 for 3) won his first two career starts at the 2018 Oaklawn meeting, but hasn’t run since April because of a minor leg problem. … Mississippi, third in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 31 at Gulfstream, is being pointed for an allowance race “fairly early in the meet” at Oaklawn, trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs said Thursday morning. Purchased earlier this year, Moquett said his new addition is owned by Ella Lou Smith of Hot Springs. … Newly minted Remington Park riding champion David Cabrera is scheduled to get on his horses this weekend at Oaklawn, his agent, Joe Santos, said Wednesday morning. Cabrera, in his debut, was Oaklawn’s second-leading rider in 2018. Santos will also represent newcomer Israel Rodriguez, who is already on the grounds working horses. … In addition to Alex Canchari, Oaklawn’s seventh-leading rider in 2018, agent Gene Short of Hot Springs said he will represent newcomer John Bisono, who rode 12 winners at the recently concluded Remington Park meeting. Bisono, approaching 2,000 career victories, had been a fixture at Parx. … Through Wednesday, Allen Milligan, Oaklawn’s leading trainer in 2009, had 998 career North American victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.