Semaphore Man Returns to Oaklawn
One horse Oaklawn fans can count on is Semaphore Man (pictured). When he comes to Oaklawn he will help you cash a ticket. From eleven starts at Oaklawn, the Kelly Von Hemel trainee has won seven, ran second and third twice. It's proven that he loves Oaklawn, and will be going for his third consecutive win in the King Cotton on Saturday’s card.
Azeri and E J Harley are the only horses to record a three-peat in Oaklawn stakes conditions. We all know Azeri was one of the greats that have crossed the finish line here at Oaklawn, now horse for the course Semaphore Man hopes to mark his name down as an Oaklawn great.
“We finally got him to win a race outside of the state of Arkansas at Remington Park,” smiled Von Hemel. “He loves Oaklawn. It’s like he kind of waits until he gets to Oaklawn to win. Finally, in his last start at Remington he decided to win, he was warming up for Oaklawn.”
The son of Formal Gold will be ridden by veteran jockey Tim Doocy, who is approaching 5,000 career winners. Semaphore Man will break from post four, and has been working steadily for his 2009 debut. “He is a fun horse to be around. I have been lucky to be around him and to be able to train him,” Von Hemel commented. “He loves Oaklawn, and hopefully he will come through for the fans.”
The King Cotton comes up a short, but tough field with the likes of D. Wayne Lukas and Gary Thomas’s entries. Gary Thomas sends out Greely’s Conquest, whose coming off a third place finish in the Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs. “He’s been training well, done everything we could ask of him,” mentioned Thomas. “It will be a good race, there’s no doubt about that.”
Lukas sends out Silver Edition, who in his last start comes off an eigth place finish in the Kings Bishop at Saratoga. Ridden by Terry Thompson, the son of Silver Deputy will break from the outside in the six furlong sprint.
The rest of the field includes, horse with trainer: Island Warrior, Cliff Berry; Courting Wisdom, Joe Johnson; Native Ruler, Eddie Razo, Jr. The 59th running of the King Cotton will be the featured eighth race on the Saturday card with a post time of 4:33 p.m.
Burress: One Hard Luck Gal
Oaklawn fans know that Beverly Burress (pictured) has had her fair share of bumps and bruises. Fans won’t often see her at the top of the jockey standings, but she pushes through and can be an underdog worth rooting for.
Burress in 2006 set a record for a female apprentice jockey, and comes from a family rich in racing history. Her father and grandfather trained and owned horses, and her sister Christy has even trained her own horses. To be the Sport of Kings, one has to be a true athlete and be prepared for the unexpected. Burress has had her fair share of ups and downs, and battles back every time.
“I hurried back from an injury that occurred at Remington Park so I could ride here at Oaklawn. This is my favorite track,” she smiled, “I have a plate with six screws in upper left arm, an anchor and screw in the other shoulder, and two screws in my left knee. My right collar bone isn’t the prettiest, and I’ve had surgery on my left knee.” It’s safe to say airport security would have a field day with Burress.
Burress will be the first to admit that she will ride most horses that other jockeys will refuse. “I’ll ride them, and know that someday one of them will pay-off. I know that I have to be careful, but I love riding, and will pay my dues until my big horse comes along,” commented Burress.
Burress points out that some jockeys have developed a technique of hitting the ground in a roll when involved in an accident. “Not me. It seems I hit the ground like Wally Coyote and just go splat,” she mentioned with a grin.
A Little Bit More
Trainer Don Von Hemel has Sebastian County (pictured) on the comeback trail for 2009. Sebastian County took last years running of the Northern Spur stakes and in preparation for his first start this year worked a bullet five-eighths in 1:00:0. “We are looking for a race for him; we will see what comes up for him in the condition book. He’s done everything right since he’s been back,” commented Von Hemel.
Add another name to the jockey colony here at Oaklawn. Jose Ferrer got into town on Wednesday from Chicago and will ride his first race at Oaklawn on Friday. “I’m excited to be at Oaklawn. I kept hearing good things about Hot Springs, and figured I needed to see what it was all about,” said Ferrer. “I can’t wait to start riding and meeting new people.” Jockey agent Gene Short will handle the book for Ferrer.
Fans will have to wait another week to see Larry Jones’s Old Fashioned. Due to the weather conditions here at Oaklawn, Jones kept Old Fashioned down at Fair Grounds a week longer to prepare him for his seasonal bow in the Grade III Southwest according to DRF’s Marcus Hersh. This morning Old Fashioned worked an impressive five furlongs at Fair Grounds from the gate in 58.4, easily the fastest time of the morning for the distance. The freezing temperatures kept horses off the track at Oaklawn both Tuesday and Thursday for training.
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