4/3/26 Rainbow Advance
By Robert Yates
Oaklawn Stakes Preview - $150,000 Rainbow – Saturday, April 4
Strollsmischief is the 2-1 program favorite for the six-furlong $150,000 Rainbow Stakes Saturday at Oaklawn.
Probable post time for the Rainbow, the 10th of 11 races, is 5:42 p.m. CDT. Racing begins at 12:45 p.m.
The Rainbow, which is restricted to accredited Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds, drew a field of nine, including Strollsmischief for trainer F. Dewaine Loy of Bismarck, Ark., who is seeking his first career Oaklawn stakes victory.
Strollsmischief, a gelded son of Grade 1 winner Stroll, was a sharp winner of his March 7 career debut at Oaklawn. Breaking from the rail under runaway Oaklawn leading apprentice jockey Amir Mendoza, Strollsmischief, at odds of 26-1, went straight to the front and finished four lengths clear of fellow Rainbow entrant Instamania.
Strollsmischief covered six furlongs over a sloppy, sealed surface in 1:10.82 and received a Beyer Speed Figure of 72, highest in the Rainbow field.
“He really surprised us first time out,” Loy said. “One hole, first time in the mud. He can run. He ran a hell of a race. I’m looking forward to moving a little forward, we hope.”
Loy trains Strollsmischief for Daniel T. Rogers, who bred the gelding in partnership. Loy said he’s trained for Rogers for two years, adding the owner resides in Kansas and has cattle farming interests in Arkansas and Nebraska.
Strollsmischief’s victory marked the first at Oaklawn for Rogers and Loy as a team and their second together overall, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.
“I was not impressed with him (Strollsmischief) when I first got him,” Loy said. “But the more I trained him, the better he did.”
Strollsmischief drew the rail again for the Rainbow, with Mendoza, seeking his first career stakes victory, named to ride.
“The horse is doing very well,” Loy said. “I expect him to run a very good race.”
Instamania (7-2) will be making his second career start for trainer Tom Van Berg and Bismarck breeder/co-owner Lewis E. Mathews Jr. They teamed to win the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes for state-bred sprinters Feb. 21 at Oaklawn with Touchdown Arkansas.
Seventies Music (5-2) is being wheeled back in a week after breaking his maiden against state-breds by five lengths for breeder/owner/trainer Randy Morse.
“It’s going to be the only time in his life that he gets to run against straight 3-year-old Arkansas-breds,” Morse said, referring to the Rainbow. “It (returning in a week) wasn’t the plan. I didn’t think it would take him three starts to break his maiden. He caught slop two times in a row, which I don’t think helped him. Now, here we go again. It’s supposed to be sloppy tomorrow.”
Morse, who won the 2016 Rainbow with Maize Road, also entered Cattle Baron and Sir Henry Oliver.
