2/19/26 Barn Notes
The Oaklawn racing department listed eight early probables for the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds March 1, including two for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.
Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Saturday for the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, which is Oaklawn’s third Kentucky Derby qualifying race, and the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies March 1. The 1 1/16-mile Honeybee is Oaklawn’s second of three qualifying races for the Kentucky Oaks.
Reported as Rebel probables by the Oaklawn racing department are Blackout Time for trainer Kenny McPeek, Class President (Todd Pletcher), Honey’s to Blame (McPeek), Probably Dreaming (Phil D’Amato), Rancho Santa Fe (Brad Cox), Silent Tactic (Casse), Soldier N Diplomat (Steve Asmussen) and Strategic Risk (Casse).
Casse is seeking his fourth consecutive victory in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race at Oaklawn. He won the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) last season with Sandman and captured the first two legs in 2025-2026; the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 3 with Strategic Risk and the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 6 with late-running Silent Tactic.
Soldier N Diplomat and Rancho Santa Fe finished second and fourth, respectively, in the Southwest. Lightly raced Class President (one-for-two) was second in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes Jan. 31 at Gulfstream Park in his last start.
Blackout Time is unraced since finishing second to eventual champion Ted Noffey in the Breeders’ Futurity Stakes (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 4 at Keeneland.
Early Honeybee probables, according to the Oaklawn racing department, are Classic Glide for trainer Robbie Medina, Counting Stars (Casse), Grace Is Free (Robert N. Cline), Knickleandime (Randy Morse), Newtown Pike (Lindsay Schultz), Percy’s Bar (Ben Colebrook), Take Charge Macy (Peter Miller) and Taken by the Wind (McPeek).
Taken by the Wind is unbeaten in three lifetime starts, including the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at 1 mile and 70 yards Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds. Percy’s Bar, in her last start, finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 31 at Del Mar.
The Rebel and Honeybee will both offer 105 total points (50-25-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.
The Honeybee has a record purse in 2026 after previously being worth $500,000.
$2 Million Man
Cristian Torres became the fastest jockey to reach $2 million purse earnings at an Oaklawn meeting after a riding double Feb. 7, Day 16 of the scheduled 64-day split season that began Dec. 12. Torres set the previous record at the 2023-2024 meeting, hitting $2 million in purse earnings on Day 19.
Torres, a two-time Oaklawn riding champion, was positioned to break his record after teaming with dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse for two stakes victories Feb. 6 – $300,000 Martha Washington with Search Party and the $1 million Southwest (G3) with Silent Tactic. Torres entered Feb. 7 with $1,930,628 in purse earnings.
Torres and Casse also teamed to win the inaugural $135,000 Oaklawn Sports Overnight Stakes for older fillies and mares Jan. 1 with Nerazurri and last Saturday’s $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with unbeaten French Friction.
“He will be forever my boss,” Torres said of Casse. “I worked for him for almost two years. My brother breaks babies for him in Ocala (Florida). We’ve been together for a lot of years, so I’m just very grateful for him always giving me the opportunities.”
Torres was attending Puerto Rico’s Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Reveron when Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, roughly two months before he said he was to graduate from the famed jockey school. He moved to Florida and eventually New York, where he began exercising horses for Casse in 2018. Among the horses Torres said he got on for Casse were multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy, millionaire Awesome Slew and 2019 Preakness champion War of Will.
Torres, 28, was brought to Oaklawn in early 2021 by agent Ruben Munoz, best known for his work with eight-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. Torres had been based at Gulfstream Park in Florida.
A native of Puerto Rico, Torres won 22 races in 2021 at Oaklawn and 19 in 2021-2022. Torres authored one of the greatest seasons in Oaklawn history in 2022-2023, finishing with 100 victories and $6,163,941 in purse earnings, a single-season local record. Retired Hall of Famer Pat Day is the only other jockey to reach 100 victories at an Oaklawn meeting.
Torres was also Oaklawn’s riding champion in 2023-2024 with 82 victories and finished second last season with 62. Torres, who is represented by agent Cody Autrey, enters Thursday with meet highs for victories (28) and purse earnings ($2,475,467) in 2025-2026. Torres recorded his 300th career Oaklawn victory Jan. 2 aboard the Casse-trained Tiz in Sight.
Torres makes Arkansas and Kentucky his year-round circuit.
Finish Lines
Jockeys Francisco Arrieta and Johan Rosado escaped serious injury following a spill in Monday’s eighth race. Arrieta, a two-time Oaklawn riding champion, is scheduled to resume riding Friday after serving a one-day suspension Thursday because of a HISA crop violation, his agent, Kevin Meyocks, said in a text message Thursday morning. Rosado, riding at Oaklawn for the first time this season, is scheduled to fulfill his engagements this week. “Very fortunate,” Rosado’s agent, Ruben Munoz, said in a text message Thursday morning. “We played basketball yesterday.” … Multiple Grade 1 winner La Cara worked a half-mile in :48.80 Thursday morning under exercise rider Autumn Lavertu. The track was fast. Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he’s pointing La Cara and champion Nitrogen to the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 7. The Azeri is for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. … Multiple stakes winner Standoutsensation is pointing for the Azeri, trainer Tom Amoss said Monday night. Standoutsensation won the $150,000 Pippin Stakes Dec. 26 at Oaklawn. … Millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Battle worked a half-mile in :49.80 Thursday morning for trainer Lonnie Briley. The hope, Briley said, is Coal Battle can make his 4-year-old debut in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) March 28. … Grade 1 winner Lexitonian was represented by his first Oaklawn winner as a sire with River Wind in Monday’s opener, a $110,000 maiden special weight sprint. The 3-year-old filly is trained by Norm Casse.
