2025.10.07 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

Norman Stables’ Coal Battle, the well-traveled multiple Oaklawn stakes winner, is targeting the $300,000 Zia Park Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 25 at Zia Park, trainer Lonnie Briley said Thursday morning.

Coal Battle is training at Keeneland after being scratched from the $400,000 G3-Oklahoma Derby Sept. 28 at Remington Park. Coal Battle returned to the work tab Saturday morning, covering a half-mile in :47.60 over a fast track. The son of millionaire Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front hasn’t started since finishing second, beaten a half-length, in the $300,000 G3-Indiana Derby July 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“We had him over at Ellis Park and they caught a couple of thunderstorms,” said Briley, who has six horses stabled at Keeneland. “I gave him 30 days off, just jogging, not working, because every time he ran, he ran his heart out. But he’s good and he’s fresh right now. I missed a couple of works with the rain and the thunderstorms they had at Ellis. He wasn’t quite ready (for the Oklahoma Derby).”

Briley said Coal Battle could prep for the Zia Park Derby during the Keeneland fall meet that concludes Oct. 25.

“I’d like to run him another time, then I want to go to the Zia Park Derby and then go to Oaklawn after that,” Briley said.

Briley had a string at Oaklawn for the first time in 2024-2025. Coal Battle was the unquestioned stable star, capturing two of the track’s four Kentucky Derby points races – $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and the $1.25 million G2-Rebel Stakes. Both races were 1 1/16 miles. Coal Battle also finished third in Oaklawn’s $1.5 million G1-Arkansas Derby before running 11th in the Kentucky Derby. He also finished third in the $400,000 G3-Matt Winn Stakes June 8 at Churchill Downs.

Briley said he plans on returning to Oaklawn for the 2025-2026 split season that begins Dec. 12.

Coal Battle has a 5-1-2 record from 11 lifetime starts and earnings of $1,287,675. He concluded his 2-year-old campaign with victories in the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs and the $300,000 Remington Park Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park.

Heavenly Result

Oaklawn-raced Praying held off favored Vahva by a half-length to win the six-furlong $400,000 G2-Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes for fillies and mares Saturday at Keeneland. The TCA Stakes was a “Win and You’re In” for the $1 million G1-Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez rode Praying, a 3-year-old daughter of Vekoma, for trainer Robbie Medina.

Praying finished second, beaten a length, in the $145,000 Southern Hospitality Overnight Stakes March 30 at Oaklawn. The six-furlong Southern Hospitality Overnight was for 3-year-old fillies that hadn’t won a stakes race. Praying scored her first career stakes victory in the $175,000 G3-Prioress Aug. 30 at Saratoga and captured the TCA in her next start. Praying ($21.74) was facing older horses for the first time in the TCA. The winning time over a fast track was 1:10.49. Zeitlos, an Oaklawn stakes winner, finished 1 ¾ lengths behind Vahva in third.

Praying has a 3-4-0 mark from nine lifetime starts and earnings of $466,040.

Finish Lines

Oaklawn’s stable area opens Oct. 23, with the track opening for training Oct. 28 in advance of its 2025-2026 meeting. The 64-day split season is scheduled to run Dec. 12-May 2. … Oaklawn-raced Tawny Port finished second in the $750,000 G1-Canadian International Stakes at 1 ½ miles on the turf Saturday at Woodbine. … Joseph Bealmear, Oaklawn’s leading apprentice jockey in 2023-2024, recorded his first career stakes victory aboard favored Corningstone ($4.80) in the $150,000 Piedi Bianchi Handicap for Indiana-bred fillies and mares at Horseshoe Indianapolis Oct 1.. Bealmear rode his first career winner Dec. 30, 2023, at Oaklawn and entered Tuesday with 58 career victories, including 28 in Hot Springs. Corningstone is a multiple Oaklawn stakes winner. The Piedi Bianchi equaled the most lucrative career victory to date for Bealmear, who won a $150,000 allowance race in 2024 at Oaklawn. … Oaklawn all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen enters Tuesday with a record 10,995 career North American victories, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Asmussen has 993 career Oaklawn victories.