Southwest & Martha Washington Stakes 2025

Compiled by Robert Yates

Contact: Chris Ho, Vice President of Marketing, cho@oaklawn.com, 501-623-4411 ext. 4201

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Photo Credit: Coady Media
SPEED KING - The Southwest Stakes G3 - 60th Running

Photo Credit: Coady Media
TAKE CHARGE MILADY - The Martha Washington Stakes - 47th Running

HOT SPRINGS, AR – Speed King was just that Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn, scoring a wire-to-wire victory in an eventful running of the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds.

The 1 1/16-miles Southwest was Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races. Speed King collected 20 points for the victory, bumping his total to 25, according to Churchill Downs. Speed King ranks No. 2 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The Southwest offered 42 total points (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

Rafael Bejarano rode Speed King, a gray son of Volatile, for trainer Ron Moquett and owner Ted Bowman, both of Hot Springs. Bowman races under the Triton Thoroughbreds banner.

Speed King ($30.60) finished one length ahead of late-running Sandman, who was last early after spotting the field roughly four lengths at the start when he broke in a tangle. It was another 1 ½ lengths farther back to Tiztastic in third. Patch Adams, who finished a head farther back in fourth, was followed, in order, by Monet’s Magic, Publisher, American Promise, Gaming and Bon Temps. Render Judgment was scratched.

Patch Adams, the 4-5 favorite, was much farther back than expected after bobbling at the start in his two-turn debut. Gaming, a Grade 1 winner and finalist for champion 2-year-old male, was trying to give Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his record-extending seventh Southwest victory. Instead, Gaming was never a factor after being rank and having to check when it tight early.

American Promise crossed the finish line sixth, but he was disqualified and placed seventh following a stewards’ inquiry for bothering Publisher in midstretch.

Speed King, meanwhile, stayed out of trouble, which proved the difference.

After breaking sharply from post 9, Speed King controlled the pace through a moderate fractions of :24.11, :47.82 and 1:12.23 for six furlongs. Speed King shook his closest challenger, American Promise, late on the second turn and opened a 3 ½-length in midstretch. After recovering from his disastrous start, Sandman advanced five-wide on the second turn and was cutting into Speed King’s margin late on the outside. The winning time over a fast track was 1:45.86.

Speed King entered the Southwest off a runner-up finish, beaten a half-length by Coal Battle, in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park. Coal Battle returned to win the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 4, Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby qualifying race.

Speed King increased his career earnings to $669,000 after winning for the second time in three starts.

Bowman, one of Moquett’s most treasured clients, purchased Speed King for $100,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training.

Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series continues with the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 22 and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) March 29.

Oaklawn’s companion feature Saturday was the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes, its first of three Kentucky Oaks qualifying races.

The 1 1/16-miles Martha Washington produced a familiar result – trainer Kenny McPeek striking in an Oaklawn stakes race for 3-year-old fillies.

Take Charge Milady ($7.20) gave McPeek his second consecutive Martha Washington victory when she toppled heavily favored Quietside by 5 ¾ lengths under Julien Leparoux.

The Martha Washington offered 42 total points (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks. Oaklawn’s Kentucky Oaks prep series continues with the $500,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 22 and the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) March 29.

McPeek also won the 2024 Fantasy with eventual Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.

Quietside, who was exiting a runner-up finish in the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs, finished three lengths ahead of Legal Empress. Gowell’s Delight and Adeera completed the order of finish. Her Laugh was scratched.

Quietside moved with Take Charge Milady on the second turn, but the 1-2 favorite couldn’t match strides in the stretch. The winning time over a fast track was 1:46.81.

Take Charge Milady, who was making her stakes debut, won for the second time in four lifetime starts, increasing her earnings to $259,594. She was exiting a maiden special weight victory at 1 mile Jan. 5 at Oaklawn. McPeek’s wife, Sherri, co-owns the Martha Washington winner.

SOUTHWEST QUOTES

Winning jockey Rafael Bejarano (Speed King): “No, it wasn’t my plan (to go to the lead). I thought the No. 1 (Gaming) and No. 7 (Patch Adams), they’re supposed to be on the lead. But my horse, he broke so good, so nice on the lead, I left him alone. I took the lead and tried to get him relaxed. When I took a hold and got him relaxed, he responded to me. The horse, I think he can go a mile and a quarter. He’s improving every time he runs. I think this is a nice horse.”

Winning trainer Ron Moquett (Speed King): “One thing for sure: To win this kind of race, you’ve got to have a lot of good stuff happen. And today, you’ve got to give credit to some stuff that happened to the horses behind us. (Trainer) Mr. (Bob) Baffert doesn’t send an empty wagon over here and I think you saw by the stretch run, just how good Mr. Casse’s horse (Sandman for trainer Mark Casse) was. So, there were some nice horses here and we were able to get them today and I’m sure we’ll line back up and try again.”

Winning owner Ted Bowman (Speed King): “Very excited, obviously. Home track, know everybody at the track, been here for 19 years. The first big race (I’ve won). Just an amazing day. I’m just happy, so happy.”

Second-place jockey Cristian Torres (Sandman): “We lost the race at the start. I let him settle the first part of the race. He’s a nice horse and responded really well when I asked him at the three-eighths (pole) and he finished up. But definitely the start cost us. He just stumbled out of there. He was standing perfect. It happens a lot in horse racing, but I’m happy the way he finished up. With all the training he missed (winter weather), he ran a big, big race. I’ve very happy and we’ll get them next time.”

Eighth-place jockey Juan Hernandez (Gaming): “My horse, he broke so slow and he doesn’t like to be inside. He was kind of jumping around. He hated it today. It wasn’t him at all. He never was in the race. I tried to put him in the race – nothing. I gave him a break to see if he would kick in a little bit at the end, but nothing, either. He was just galloping all the race. I missed the break, but that’s only excuse I have today.”

MARTHA WASHINGTON QUOTES

Winning jockey Julien Leparoux (Take Charge Milady): “She’s a nice filly. She’s learning. Still needs to learn a little bit more, but she did very nicely today. Sat off the pace, took the dirt nice. When I asked her to get into position on the backside, we ended up making a big move, a big, long move. So, that was pretty impressive for her, also. But she’s a nice filly. She’s improving every race and, hopefully, she keeps improving.”

Second-place trainer John Ortiz (Quietside): “I think she had a little trouble at the start, being in the 1 hole. Going into that (first) turn, she didn’t grab ahold of it and got shuffled back. A couple of times, she looked like she had a little trouble with traffic. When it was time to move, we were too out of it.”