2025.12.27 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Contact: Chris Ho Vice President of Marketing

cho@oaklawn.com, 501-623-4411 ext. 420

Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

The Oaklawn racing department late Saturday morning listed nine probables and two other horses under consideration for the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds Jan. 3.

Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones, which is Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races. The Smarty Jones will offer 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Expected Smarty Jones entrants are Baytown Dreamer for trainer Paul McEntee, Boca Beach Club (Jimmy DiVito), Honey’s to Blame (Kenny McPeek), Large Risk (Cipriano Contreras), Rancho Santa Fe (Brad Cox), Silent Tactic (Mark Casse), Speed It Up (Steve Asmussen), Strategic Risk (Casse) and Universe (McPeek). Trainer Tom Amoss is scheduled to start Big Dom or Oscar’s Hope.

Universe has competed against some of the country’s top 2-year-olds, finishing third in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at one mile Oct. 4 at Aqueduct, second in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 26 at Churchill Downs and second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs. The Street Sense and Kentucky Jockey Club were both 1 1/16 miles.

McPeek and Universe’s co-owner, 4 G Racing (Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway), teamed to win the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan, who ran fifth in the Smarty Jones.

Unbeaten Rancho Santa Fe, a half-brother to millionaire Grade 3 winner Heroic Move, will be making his stakes debut after winning his first two starts in Kentucky.

Strategic Risk, in his last start, was a nine-length winner of the restricted Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

The Smarty Jones will mark the dirt debut for Silent Tactic, who exits a runner-up finish in the Grey Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 2 over Woodbine’s synthetic surface.

Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic both recorded half-mile workouts over a fast track Saturday morning at Oaklawn. Strategic Risk went in :48.60, Silent Tactic in :49.

“Strategic Risk looked really good this morning,” said Caden Arthur, who oversees Casse’s Oaklawn division. “Silent Tactic, he’s not much of a work horse, but he looked very good today.”



Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series continues with the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 31, $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 1 and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles March 28.

Casse won last season’s Arkansas Derby (G1) with Sandman.

Back to Work

Sandman and La Cara, Grade 1 winners for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, both had five-furlong workouts over a fast track Saturday morning at Oaklawn.

Sandman, under two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres, went in :59.60, fastest of 16 works published at the distance. Sandman, according to Oaklawn clockers, covered his opening eighth of a mile in :12, a quarter-mile in :24 and 3 furlongs in :35.80. The gray son of Tapit galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:12.40.

Unraced since late August, Sandman has had five published workouts the last month in advance of his yet-to-be determined 4-year-old debut.

“He’s great,” said Torres, who rode Sandman three times last season at Oaklawn and regularly breezed the colt. “He’s an easy horse to work with. He did it all on his own. He’s a nice horse to ride, so I just put my hands down and he did all the work. He had a target today and he actually liked it. There was a horse that started like five lengths in front of me. When I asked him at the quarter pole, he went on and passed that horse. He’s feeling good.”

La Cara also worked moments after the surface renovation break, clocking five furlongs in 1:00.20 under exercise rider Autumn Lavertu. La Cara galloped out six furlongs in 1:13, according to clockers.

“Went good and easy,” Arthur said. “Just trying to get her a little more fit for the race in February.”

La Cara is scheduled to make her 4-year-old debut in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 7 at Oaklawn. The 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa is for older fillies and mares.

La Cara hasn’t started since finishing fifth in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies Sept. 20 at Parx. She won the Grade 1 Ashland and Grade 1 Acorn earlier this year.

Finish Lines

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen enters Saturday with a record 999 career Oaklawn victories. … Jockey Luis Saez recorded his first career Oaklawn triple Friday, winning the fourth race aboard Nu What’s New ($4.20) for trainer Jimmy DiVito, eighth race, the $150,000 Pippin Stakes, aboard favored Standoutsensation ($4) for trainer Tom Amoss and the ninth race aboard favored Speed King ($5.60) for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. The nationally prominent Saez is riding regularly at Oaklawn for the first time in 2025-2026. … Speed King romped to a front-running 5 ½-length victory in the $116,000 allowance sprint. The winning time for six furlongs over a fast track was 1:09.45. Speed King won for the first time since the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) – a major two-turn Kentucky Derby prep last January at Oaklawn – and gave Moquett his 377th career Oaklawn victory. … Raymond ($7.20) whipped starter-allowance rivals by 2 ¾ lengths in Friday’s sixth race. It was the seventh career Oaklawn victory for Raymond, who covered six furlongs in 1:09.47. Tyler Bacon, Oaklawn’s champion apprentice of 2024-2025, rode Raymond for trainer Tim Martin. Raymond (four victories) was the co-winningest horse at the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting. … Jockey Ramon Vazquez rode two winners Friday, pushing his career Oaklawn total to 481. Vazquez teamed with trainer Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez and owner Karl Broberg (End Zone Athletics) to win the second race with favored Apollo Rising ($6.20) and the seventh race with Creative Minister ($10.80). … Vazquez will ride at Sam Houston Race Park during Oaklawn’s January break, his agent, Cody Autrey, said Saturday morning. Oaklawn’s Holiday racing season ends Jan. 4. Oaklawn’s Classic racing season is Jan. 30-May 2.