Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Mocito Rojo may go in Clark
Mocito Rojo made a successful ship from his Delta Downs base in Vinton, La., to Churchill once this fall, winning the Grade 3 Lukas Classic in September. He could make the same journey again next week.
Trainer Shane Wilson said Mocito Rojo is being considered for a start in the Grade 1, $600,000 Clark on Nov. 29. The race will be run over the same 1 1/8-mile distance as the Lukas Classic.
Wilson on Monday was doing some homework on the prospective field for the race and making plans for a key work for Mocito Rojo on Friday at Delta. Mocito Rojo has made one start since the Lukas Classic, running seventh in the Grade 2 Fayette on Oct. 26 at Keeneland.
“He had his first work back last Friday,” Wilson said. “It was his normal easy half-mile in 51. He came off the track with his tail in the air. He’ll have a harder work on Friday. If he comes back good out of that work, we’ll make a plan from there.”
Wilson said the other options for Mocito Rojo are the $100,000 Jeffery A. Hawk Memorial on Dec. 15 at Remington Park and the $75,000 Tenacious on Dec. 21 at Fair Grounds.
Mocito Rojo had won five straight races, all stakes, up to the Fayette. The race was run on a sloppy track. Mocito Rojo had built his win streak on fast tracks.
“He didn’t handle that track at all,” Wilson said. “He had run on a wet track before, but nothing like that. There was water sitting on the track. When he passed the half-mile pole, he had his ears pinned, acted like he wasn’t liking it at all. After the race, he was really tired. You could tell the track took a lot out of him. He’s never come back that tired from a race before.
“We’re going to avoid the off tracks with him from now on unless it’s like a wet-fast track or a firm track. We’re not going to run on it when there’s water standing on it like it was that day. It was just a really wet, sticky track.”
Mocito Rojo is a 5-yearold horse whose win streak started at Delta last March in the Owner’s Appreciation Cup and continued with wins in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park, the Evangeline Downs Mile, the Governor’s Cup at Remington Park, and the Lukas Classic. He races for Wayne T. Davis.
Welder pops career Beyer
Trainer Theresa Luneack said before last Friday night’s Silver Goblin Stakes at Remington Park that she felt Welder, the reigning Oklahoma-bred of the Year, was “really hitting his prime.” Truer words were never spoken. Welder went out and won by 11 lengths and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 101.
The Silver Goblin was the horse’s 20th win in his home state of Oklahoma, and his 14th career stakes victory. The 6-year-old dueled through an opening half-mile in 44.60 seconds, then coasted home, covering 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:16.03.
“He just makes it look so easy,” said Luneack.
“He was very, very happy after the race.”
Luneack trains Welder for Ra-Max Farms. She said they would like to run the horse back one more time this meet at Remington, which closes Dec. 15. He will get a break after the season, she said, and could then make a few starts during the meet at Oaklawn.
Welder is approaching $1 million in earnings, with $970,988. He is based at a farm near Tulsa, Okla.
Lebron J to debut
Lebron J made headlines in the spring of 2018, when the Medaglia d’Oro colt brought $1.2 million at auction. He’s scheduled to make his long-awaited debut Wednesday night at an unexpected venue – Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
Lebron J’s journey entering Wednesday’s maiden special weight over six furlongs includes works in Southern California, Kentucky and, of late, Remington. The horse, who is 3, has drawn into a competitive race, with the chief threats the more experienced runners Jerry’s Got Aces and Bodefecta. Trainer Steve Asmussen has given the mount to Ramon Vazquez.
Owner Phoenix Thoroughbred III purchased Lebron J out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic auction of 2-year-olds in training in Timonium, Md. He topped that sale on a ticket signed by Dennis O’Neill – bloodstock agent and brother of trainer Doug O’Neill – and was subsequently named for basketball great LeBron James.
Lebron J last summer was working at Santa Anita for trainer Doug O’Neill. The horse made his way to the Midwest this year, and after working some at Keeneland and Churchill, lands in Wednesday night’s race for 3-year-olds and up.
Lebron J is out of the Tapit mare Tapicat, a Grade 3 winner who earned $272,668. The colt is one of several runners for Phoenix that Asmussen has had this meet at Remington, chief among them Lady Apple, winner of the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks.