Oaklawn Barn Notes: Bloom and Asmussen Look Strong in Azeri, Essex

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Bloom and Asmussen Look Strong in Azeri, Essex

One owner has a chance to sweep the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares and $350,000 Essex Handicap for older horses Saturday at Oaklawn.

That’s Jeff Bloom, who will be represented by 6-5 program favorite Midnight Bisou in the Azeri and Snapper Sinclair, an early 9-2 choice in the Essex.

The Southern California-based Bloom has already had a productive Oaklawn meeting, winning a Feb. 17 allowance race with Snapper Sinclair and a maiden special weights event the following day with Comedian. Midnight Bisou, Snapper Sinclair and Comedian are trained by Hall of Famer and nine-time Oaklawn champion Steve Asmussen, Bloom’s primary conditioner.

“I love Oaklawn, and Steve and I have had really good luck together,” Bloom said Wednesday afternoon. “Oaklawn’s a great spot.”

Midnight Bisou was a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly of 2018 after winning 5 of 9 starts, including the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) at Santa Anita and $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx (via a race-related disqualification). Midnight Bisou launched her 4-year-old campaign with a three-quarter length victory in the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 27 at Sam Houston.

“It really did work out well for our filly to jump over there,” Bloom said. “She got out of the race what she needed to get out of it. There were certainly some anxious moments during the course of that race that you didn’t expect to have, but she definitely showed her talent and her class in overcoming the trip.”

Bloom said Midnight Bisou’s major spring objective is the $750,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 14 at Oaklawn.

Snapper Sinclair exits a powerful 2 ½-length score in his local debut. It was the first dirt victory for Snapper Sinclair, who was beaten a nose by Bravazo in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) last year at Fair Grounds.

“His numbers reflect improvement on the dirt,” Bloom said. “His three most recent races are some of his best numbers and those are on the dirt. It was really nice to see him validate what we thought he was about in that last start at Oaklawn. That, to me, was just visually ultra-impressive.”

Triple Crown nominee Comedian was under consideration for Saturday’s split $750,000 Rebel Stakes (G2), but landed in a 1 1/16-mile entry-level allowance race on the undercard. The race has a $101,000 purse.

“This is a colt that we have very high expectations for,” Bloom said. “He’s like one of these big Baby Hueys that’s still kind of figuring things out. Talent-wise, we really do feel as though he’s there, he’s up to the task. But because he’s not as seasoned, we just figured, ‘Let’s put him in the first condition, let him continue to develop and if things go right we still have time to get to that we want to be in, potentially, coming back in a race like the Arkansas Derby or something if everything goes well.’ ”

By Into Mischief, Comedian has a 1-2-0 record from three lifetime starts.

Fox on the Run

There hadn’t been a three-time winner at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting through Thursday, the 28th day of the scheduled 57-day season.

Laughing Fox will get his chance at a triple in the second division of Saturday’s $750,000 Rebel (G2) for 3-year-olds, the stakes debut for the son of Union Rags.

Laughing Fox is unbeaten around two turns, both 1 1/16-miles races this year at Oaklawn. He broke his maiden Jan. 25 and won a Feb. 18 first-level allowance race by 1 ¼ lengths. The chestnut colt ran twice at 2, finishing seventh and fifth in 7-furlong maiden special weights events.

Owner Alex Lieblong said Laughing Fox was “absolutely” going to be a two-turn horse from Day 1.

“The 7-furlong races were more for education purposes,” Lieblong said. “Sure, we would have loved to have won the races, but I didn’t have any feeling that was going to happen. But that’s kind of what you’ve got to do with a horse like this, I think.”

Laughing Fox made his first career start for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs before being moved to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Lieblong, who chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission, purchased Laughing Fox for $375,000 at the OBS March 2-year-old in training sale.

A Market King?

Pricey yearling purchase Market King is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the second division of Saturday’s $750,000 Rebel (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

A son of Into Mischief, Market King is coming off a third-place finish in a Feb. 24 allowance sprint for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Market King was wheeled back in the 6-furlong race after breaking his maiden at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 9.

“I’ve done that before,” Lukas said Friday morning. “I thought I would just sharpen him a little.”

Market King races for Lukas’ longtime clients Robert Baker and William Mack, who purchased the colt for $550,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The owner/trainer team finished third in the 2010 Rebel with Dublin, 4th in the 2014 Rebel with Strong Mandate and fifth in last year’s race with Sporting Chance.

Market King tuned up for the Rebel with a 5-furlong bullet workout (1:01.20) March 8.

“It’s the time of the year when you need to find out where you’re at a little bit, whether you drop back with the lesser allowance horses or if you can move forward and maybe develop a horse with Triple Crown potential,” Lukas said. “We’ll just see.”

Lukas won the Rebel in 1989 with Manastash Ridge and again in 2013 with Will Take Charge, who went on to become the country’s champion 3-year-old male that year.