Oaklawn Barn Notes: Desormeaux Returns to Oaklawn With Another Bargain-priced Stakes Runner

by Robert Yates —-

Photo Credit: Coady Photography

Desormeaux Returns to Oaklawn With Another Bargain-priced Stakes Runner

Trainer Keith Desormeaux has returned to Oaklawn in search of another stakes victory with a modestly priced Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate.

On the heels of My Boy Jack ($20,000) and Confidence Game ($25,000) comes former bad boy Surveillance, who is entered in Saturday’s $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for older horses at 6 furlongs.

A 6-year-old gelded son of millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution, Surveillance brought just $25,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Now a multiple stakes winner armed with $470,367 in career earnings, Surveillance is another rags-to-riches story for Desormeaux, the older brother of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux.

“That was Constitution’s first year and out of a dam that was unproven,” Keith Desormeaux said Wednesday afternoon. “I could never get away with getting that horse for $25,000 now. Keeneland’s the source of the champion, but also a source of bargains.”

Illustrating those bargains, My Boy Jack won the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds in 2018 at Oaklawn. Confidence Game, in his last start, won the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds Feb. 25 at Oaklawn. While My Boy Jack and Confidence Game flourished as young horses, Surveillance needed 10 starts to break his maiden.

“He’s a good horse, but he was a battle,” Desormeaux said. “He defined the word rogue when he was younger. He would prop and refuse to train and rear up and take the gap at a full gallop. I just tried what I could with him, giving him breaks, trying to be the best horseman as possible. But I had to go to the ultimate equipment change, finally. That seemed to do the trick. He allowed himself to train and when that happened, the talent emerged.”

After being gelded, Surveillance broke his maiden Jan. 1, 2022, at Fair Grounds. He’s never been worse than fifth in 13 subsequent starts, highlighted by three sprint stake victories at Fair Grounds – $175,000 Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 24, $100,000 Richard R. Scherer Memorial Dec. 26 and the $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner Jan. 21.

“He’s a very talented horse,” Desormeaux said.

Desormeaux, who co-owns Surveillance, is seeking his fourth career Oaklawn stakes victory. His first came with Sonneteer, a Calumet Farm homebred, in the $125,000 Fifth Season for older horses in 2018.

Surveillance, 6-1 on the morning line for the Count Fleet, has a 6-3-5 record from 23 starts overall. James Graham is named to ride.

The Great Race

With 12 days remaining in the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting, the race for leading rider is down to Cristian Torres (a meet-high 80 victories) and last season’s co-champion, Francisco Arrieta (73). Eight-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. is a distant third with 48 victories.

Torres is seeking his first career Oaklawn riding title after winning 22 races in 2021 – his debut season in Hot Springs – and 19 during an injury-shortened 2021-2022 meeting.

“Francisco’s a great guy,” Torres said. “We’re really good friends. I’m really happy that both of us are on top and we’re doing good. If I win it, I’ll be happy. And if he wins, I’ll be happy, too.”

Torres enters Friday with 499 career victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Torres is named on 25 horses this week at Oaklawn – seven Friday, 11 Saturday and seven Sunday.

In addition to overall victories, Torres leads all riders at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting in stakes victories (six) and purse earnings ($4,953,576). Santana set Oaklawn’s single-season record for purse earnings by a jockey ($5,643,023) in 2021.

Arrieta rode 50 winners in his Oaklawn debut in 2021 and 62 last season, when he shared the title with David Cabrera. Arrieta, in 2022-2023, has also already eclipsed his previous single-season Oaklawn bests with $4,456,624 in purse earnings (ranks second) and five stakes victories (tied for second).

“I’m doing really good and feel confident,” Arrieta said. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing. Thanks to all the people that have supported me.”

Arrieta is named on 21 horses this week at Oaklawn – six Friday, nine Saturday and six Sunday. Arrieta is scheduled to ride Tejano Twist, the 5-2 program favorite, in Saturday’s $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) for older horses at 6 furlongs. Arrieta notched his first career graded stakes victory at Oaklawn, and second overall in the United States, aboard Tejano Twist in the $200,000 Whitmore (G3) March 18.

Torres and Arrieta both said they will be based in Kentucky after the Oaklawn meeting ends May 6.

Finish Lines

Red Route One is pointing for the $200,000 Bath House Row Stakes (formerly the Oaklawn Stakes) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles April 22 at Oaklawn, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Wednesday morning. The Bath House Row winner, providing it’s Triple Crown nominated, will receive automatic entry into the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, May 20 at Pimlico. Red Route One ran in the final three legs of Oaklawn’s four-race Kentucky Derby points series, finishing second in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28, second in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25 and sixth in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 1. Asmussen won the inaugural running of the Bath House Row (then called the Oaklawn Invitational Stakes) in 2019 with Laughing Fox, who finished fifth in the Preakness two weeks later. … Asmussen enters Friday with an Oaklawn record $49,795,948 in career purse earnings. … Last Samurai, last year’s winner, 2022 Kentucky Derby champion Rich Strike and Grade 1 winners Classic Causeway and Stilleto Boy are nominated to the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles April 22 at Oaklawn. … Two-time Oaklawn stakes runner-up Ice Orchid was to have been bred last Sunday to Candy Ride, according to John Gasper, racing manager for John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable. Gasper said the plan is to race Ice Orchid, a 4-year-old homebred daughter of Super Saver, in foal. Based the last two seasons at Oaklawn with trainer John Ortiz, Ice Orchid finished second in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) in 2022 and second in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes Jan. 7.