Apple Blossom Kicks Festival into Gear
Get ready because the Racing Festival of the South will be upon us in less than 48 hours. The posts have been drawn for opening day of the festival, which features the $500,000 Apple Blossom and the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap.
The Grade I $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap kicks things into gear on Saturday. A field of five will compete in the mile and one-sixteenth event. Acoma (pictured) heads the Saturday co-feature. The Empire Maker filly will look for second win at Oaklawn after her four length romp in the Azeri Handicap and her fourth consecutive win. Regular rider Julien Leparoux will be in the saddle once again for trainer David Carroll.
The second choice in the field will be Seventh Street, who comes from the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin. The four-year-old filly will be making only her second start against graded stakes company, but she most recently finished second in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap. Seventh Street has finished no worse than third from five career starts. Rajiv Maragh will be in from New York to ride.
Trainer Gary “Red Dog” Hartlage sends out French Kiss, who was made six to one in the morning line. The Hussonet filly will be looking for her third win of the Oaklawn meeting as she took $50,000 Pippin Stakes on February 14th and an allowance race opening weekend. “French Kiss is a lot smarter than her dam (Ornate),” mentioned Hartlage. “French Kiss uses every bit of talent she has. She leaves nothing out on the track.”
Superior Storm, the top Louisiana bred filly, comes from Oaklawn regular Rick Jackson’s barn. The Stormy Atlantic four-year-old filly has posted a stellar record of 11 wins from 16 starts and most recently beat Proud Spell in an allowance optional claiming race. Luis Quinonez will ride Superior Storm and will break from the two hole. D. Wayne Lukas sends out Color Me Up off a disappointing effort in the Azeri Handicap where she ran seventh. The Aptitude filly will be making her fourth start of the meet, where she has recorded one win. Terry Thompson will be aboard Color Me Up and will break from the four post.
Post time for the $500,000 Apple Blossom will be 4:57 p.m. CDT.
Oaklawn Handicap Draws Seven
The king supreme at Oaklawn for older handicap horses will be the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap. The mile and one-eighth event will challenge seven older horses and earn one of them top honors in the Grade II race.
Honest Man, trained by Larry Jones, headlines the Oaklawn Handicap and drew post position four. The five-year-old Unbridled’s Song horse will make his first start at Oaklawn and try to add to his record of 7-1-12 from 14 starts and earnings of $461,450. “We are right in the middle of things with the four hole,” said Jones. “This race has it all; speed, stalkers, and horses that can come from out of it. It has a little bit of everything He is doing well right now. We are excited about him.”
Prom Shoes (pictured), the William Fires trainee, will break from the two post under jockey Chris Emigh. The five-year-old son of Include will be looking for his first graded stakes win and his second Racing Festival of the South win. He took the 2008 edition of the Fifth Season. “The post doesn’t make much difference for him. He comes from so far back that it doesn’t really bother him where he breaks,” mentioned Fires at the post position draw. “He is doing everything like he should, and has trained like he has up to his last two races.”
Trainer Mike Stidham sends out barn star Secret Getaway in the Handicap. The four-year-old colt by Skip Away tried to go gate to wire in his last outing in the New Orleans Handicap only to be run down by Macho Again in the final strides. “I have a solid contender in Secret Getaway. I’m glad to be getting the opportunity to ride him,” said jockey Cliff Berry, who has the mount on Secret Getaway in the Oaklawn Handicap. “Life doesn’t get any better than this. I’m ready to go!”
The complete field for the 63rd running of the Oaklawn Handicap, listed with trainer and jockey: Catmantoo, Tim Ice, Terry Thompson; It’s A Bird, Marty Wolfson, Julien Leparoux; Jonesboro, Randy Morse, Calvin Borel; Runforthedoe, Paulo Lobo, Jon Court.
Post time for the Saturday co-feature will be 6:02 p.m. CDT.
A Little Bit More
Jockey Tim Doocy (pictured) continues to inch closer to his 5,000 win. The veteran jockey lacks four wins from his 5,000 milestone. On Thursday’s card he posted two second place finishes as of the fifth race. Doocy has two more mounts on the card and will have seven mounts on Friday’s card.
If anybody’s favorite number was two they were in luck on Thursday’s card. The number two hit the board in every race on the card. The post position won three races, finished second five times, and ran third once.
A Boeing 727 airplane carrying four starters for the Racing Festival of the South arrived at Hot Springs Memorial Airport today at 3:00 p.m. Trainer Rick Dutrow’s Danger to Society, who runs in the Arkansas Derby, Marty Wolfson’s It’s A Bird, Seventh Street for Kiaran McLaughlin, and Wally Dollase’s Distinctive Dixie for the Bayakoa Stakes got off the plane and loaded the awaiting van that would carry them to Oaklawn’s backside.
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