Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Classics Cup features upset
Owner Danny Caldwell was looking for an Oklahoma-bred closer when he claimed Dont Tell Noobody at Lone Star Park for $15,000 in late July. He ended up with so much more.
Dont Tell Noobody upset the richest race on offer for Oklahoma-breds last Friday night at Remington Park, the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup. He paid $81.40.
“I knew several horses who were going to be in the race and felt we could get a real hot and heavy pace,” Caldwell said. “One of the reasons I claimed him is because he’s a horse that likes to lay back.
“In Oklahoma, a horse who will lay back, a statebred, you’ve got a chance to win some races. We breed a lot for speed here.”
Dont Tell Noobody, a 3-yearold by Cyber Secret, won his maiden for a $7,500 claiming price in March at Will Rogers Downs. He closed from 29 lengths back to win the onemile race.
Dont Tell Noobody sat closer in the Classics Cup, racing about six lengths off the pace. He went on to a one-length win, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 90 that he earned is a careerhigh number for the horse. Sophie Doyle was aboard for trainer Federico Villafranco.
“We were very fortunate,” Caldwell said of getting the win Friday. “Freddy did a great job getting him prepared for the race, and Sophie did a great job laying back and knowing when to push the button.”
Caldwell has brought Doyle in to ride first call for him this meet at Remington Park. Caldwell is a perennial leading owner at the track and is currently tied atop the standings with Steve Asmussen.
Caldwell and Doyle – who had a double at the track Saturday – became acquainted during the Prairie Meadows meet in Iowa.
Doyle guided D’Rapper to a win in the Iowa Sprint for Caldwell in July.
“We beat Welder up there – that was a big win,” Caldwell said. “Welder is an awesome horse – one of the best-ever Oklahoma-breds. I liked the way she rode D’Rapper and asked her if she wanted to come ride at Remington.”
Villafranco is Caldwell’s primary trainer, but due to the pandemic the owner has had to spread out his stable to more tracks this year and has won races with six different trainers. A new face for Caldwell at Remington is Oscar Flores, who came on board when the barn had to split up over the summer, with Flores heading to Canterbury and Villafranco operating out of Lone Star.
Southern Phantom retired
Southern Phantom, the uniquely marked son of Bodemeister who commanded the attention of cameras from New York to Arkansas to Texas to Oklahoma, has been retired from racing, owner Danny Caldwell said.
Caldwell purchased Southern Phantom at auction as a racing prospect. The horse made three starts for the barn, with his best effort a fifthplace finish in a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park. Southern Phantom finished seventh at the same level in his last start, which came Sept. 16 at Remington. Overall, he ran 10 times, starting his career in New York.
“He was too spoiled to be a racehorse,” Caldwell said. “The last race, we couldn’t get him pulled up. He was going back to the barn – going to get treats. He’s pretty smart. I decided there’s no sense keeping him on the track – even though he loved it. He loved to train. He just has a mind of his own.”
Southern Phantom, a bay with an almost entirely white head, large splashes of white on his legs, and one blue eye, is currently being let down at WestWin Farms in Purcell, Okla. Although he retires a maiden, Caldwell is currently debating the best locale to stand the horse at stud – for a career that would reach beyond racing and into the show horse community.
“A lot of venues are interested because of his color and conformation,” Caldwell said. “Where the most interest is generated, we’ll see where that’s at. It could be Oklahoma.”
Caldwell said plans are to register Southern Phantom as a Paint, a process that he had started before the pandemic hit. He also has had blood tests taken on the horse through the University of California, Davis. They show Southern Phantom likely will pass along his coloring to his offspring and “quite often,” Caldwell said.
“As of now, we plan on keeping him and just figuring out where he would work best, what would be best for him,” Caldwell said. “I can’t wait to see his babies.”
New Mexico Cup preps
Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., has a handful of allowance races for Thoroughbreds on its Wednesday card that should produce starters for next month’s New Mexico Cup.
The New Mexico Cup series of stakes for horses bred in the state is being run over two cards this meet rather than the traditional single program in October. The races for Quarter Horses are on Nov. 9, and the offerings for Thoroughbreds on Nov. 11
◗ Undercover Lover, Gold Speed Go, and Please the Court appear to be the leading contenders in a first-level allowance sprint that highlights the Wednesday night card at Remington.