2025.03.20 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Press Release
Compiled by Robert Yates

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Win-machine Devil’s Tower returns to action in Friday’s 10th race at Oaklawn, a salty six-furlong $131,000 allowance for older horses.

Trained by Armando Hernandez, Devil’s Tower hasn’t started since a sharp 2 ¼-length victory over Ninja Warrior in a starter-allowance sprint Jan. 23. Disco Ball, who beat Devil’s Tower in a Dec. 27 starter-allowance sprint at Oaklawn, finished third.

The victory was the eighth for Devil’s Tower at Oaklawn and 18th in 40 starts overall. The 7-year-old Into Mischief gelding has earned $577,530.

“I guess you could say it was one of his best races,” Hernandez said. “We beat a good horse (Disco Ball), a horse that’s really improved in the last year. It felt good to beat him. He just rolled on by. It was good. He’s like this track and he’s happy.”

Devil’s Tower (four victories) was the co-winningest horse at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting. The gelding has won eight races since Hernandez, on behalf of owner Antonio Donato, claimed the gelding for $40,000 out of a fourth-place finish May 26, 2023, at Churchill Downs. Devil’s Tower originally raced for his breeder, Arkansan John Ed Anthony (Shortleaf Stable), the winningest owner in Oaklawn history. After previously being claimed, the gelding also won eight races for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman and two for trainer Tom Amoss.

“We saw him run here prior to that (2023 claim),” Hernandez said. “That day, I called one of my owners, one of my main owners, and said: ‘Hey, this horse is up for the tag.’ He said he liked the name. He said: ‘OK, let’s go for it.’ We dropped the claim on him and got him in a two-way shake. He loves doing what he does. He enjoys it out there. You see him out there training and he’s on the bit, on the muscle, all the time.”

After several recent starter races didn’t fill, Devil’s Tower lands in allowance company for the first time since a runner-up finish in October at FanDuel Sportsbook And Horse Racing (formerly Fairmount Park). Devil’s Tower, then based at the Fair Grounds, finished an even fifth behind multiple stakes winner Ryvit in a February 2024 allowance sprint at Oaklawn.

“That day, nothing went according to plan,” Hernandez said. “It’s different shipping in as opposed to being stabled here and working and galloping here.”

Devil’s Tower (9-2 on the morning line) is scheduled to break from post 5 Friday under Martin Chuan. A strong cast of 14 is entered, including Ryvit, multiple stakes winner and 3-1 program favorite Glengarry, Grade 3 winner Durante, multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Frosted Departure and stakes winners Run Classic and Red Flag.

Glengarry and Durante were scratched from the $250,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) for older horses at 6 furlongs last Saturday at Oaklawn.

“It’s a tough race,” Hernandez said.

Probable post time for Friday’s 10th race is 5:34 p.m. (Central).

Milestone Watch

Eight-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. enters Friday chasing a pair of career milestones. Santana has 1,990 career North American victories (United States and Canada), according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, with 790 coming at Oaklawn.

Santana recorded a riding double Sunday at Oaklawn, winning the second race aboard Rebel Moon ($10.20) for trainer Brad Cox and the fourth race aboard Powerful ($13.80) for trainer David Jacobson. Santana recently passed the retired John Lively to become the fourth-winningest rider in Oaklawn history. Retired Hall of Famer Pat Day (1,264 victories) is the winningest rider in Oaklawn history.

Santana rode his first Oaklawn winner Jan. 21, 2011. He was Oaklawn’s leading rider in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He is also Oaklawn’s career leader in purse earnings for a jockey ($46.4 million). Santana is named on 20 horses this weekend at Oaklawn.

Finish Lines

Racing resumes Friday at Oaklawn. First post is 12:30 p.m. (Central). … Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for six stakes races March 29 at Oaklawn – $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, $750,000 Fantasy (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses, $250,000 Matron for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs, $145,000 Eclipse for older horses at 6 furlongs and the $145,000 American Pharoah for older horses at 1 1/16 miles. … Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen enters Friday with a record 977 career Oaklawn victories. … Next-race plans are pending for multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Booth, Asmussen said Wednesday morning. Booth received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 107, a career high, for a front-running 2 ¼-length victory in last Saturday’s $250,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3).