2025.01.15 Oaklawn Racing Update

Compiled by Robert Yates —-

Southern California-based trainer Peter Miller plans to be active this week at Oaklawn, with nine horses entered over four racing days, including two in stakes races.

Miller is scheduled to start Kale’s Angel in Saturday’s $150,000 Renaissance for 3-year-olds and a newcomer to the trainer’s barn, Nasty Habit, in Monday’s inaugural $145,000 Byerley Turk Overnight for older horses. Both races are six furlongs.

Kale’s Angel returns to sprinting after a third-place finish as the favorite in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 4, a 1 1/16-miles event that was Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races.

Kale’s Angel, after breaking from the rail, shadowed front-running Coal Battle much of the race before losing ground in the stretch and being beaten 4 ¼ lengths. Coal Battle won the Smarty Jones by four lengths over Mo Quality.

“I thought he ran well,” Miller said of Kale’s Angel. “I think the post kind of hurt us, being down inside. I think it was the deeper part of the track and he kind of had to make a couple of different runs. So, I thought the horse ran very well. The cutback should be more to his liking.”

Kale’s Angel, in his dirt debut, rolled to a 5 ¾-length victory in the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 6 at Oaklawn. That performance generated a career-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure. The son of Complexity broke his maiden at five furlongs on the turf Aug. 23 at Del Mar.

In addition to Kale’s Angel, Perfect Magic and Three Echoes, third and fourth, respectively, in the Advent, return for the Renaissance, which drew a field of seven. Kale’s Angel, the 3-5 program favorite, is scheduled to break from post 4 under Ramon Vazquez and carry top weight of 124 pounds.

“If he runs back to the Advent race, we should be in good shape,” Miller said.

The Renaissance was run on New Year’s Eve the previous two seasons as part of the first two cards in Oaklawn history exclusively for 2-year-olds. But with New Year’s Eve falling on Tuesday in 2024 – Tuesday is now a dark day for Oaklawn – the Renaissance was rebranded this season.

Probable post time for the third running of the Renaissance is 4:25 p.m. (Central). It goes as the ninth of 10 races. Racing begins at 12:25 p.m.

Nasty Habit is among nine horses entered in the Byerley Turk, the first of nine new overnight stakes races scheduled to be run at Oaklawn in 2024-2025.

Nasty Habit, a 6-year-old son of Violence, hasn’t started since winning a May 18 allowance sprint at Pimlico. He then sold for $120,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s June Digital Selected Sale. Las Vegas owner Les Blake purchased Nasty Habit, Miller said, adding it was a “long route” to get to his barn.

“He went to another trainer (after being sold) and then that trainer turned him out,” Miller said. “Then when the horse came back, he came to me.”

Miller said Nasty Habit joined his barn approximately 75 days ago. Nasty Habit began his racing career for Spendthrift Farm and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after being purchased for $550,000 at the 2021 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training.

Nasty Habit has seven published workouts at San Luis Rey Training Center since Dec. 6. San Luis Rey is north of San Diego. Nasty Habit, who has a 2-2-2 record from seven lifetime starts, has never run in a stakes race. A supplemental nominee, the Byerley Turk will be Nasty Habit’s first reported start as a gelding.

“He does train like a good horse,” Miller said. “But it’s one thing to train like a good horse and another thing to run like a good horse. We’ll see.”

Tyrone Shaw oversees Miller’s 20-horse Oaklawn division.

Finish Lines

Oaklawn is scheduled to resume racing Friday. The 10-race program begins at 12:30 p.m. (Central). … Racing and training were canceled last weekend after Hot Springs received almost a foot of snow. Oaklawn plans to make up one of the lost dates Thursday, Jan. 30, which was previously a dark day. … Training was scheduled to resume Wednesday afternoon after being canceled the previous six days because of the winter storm and freezing temperatures.