Eyeing Southwest

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas finalized plans Wednesday for two of his top 3-year-old prospects, including Kentucky Club, who is now scheduled to race in the $500,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes on Monday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

DAY 18 of 57

TODAY’S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Gulfstream Park, 11:35 a.m.; Tampa Bay, 11:35 a.m.; Aqueduct, 11:50 a.m.; Fair Grounds, 1 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.; Santa Anita, 3 p.m.; Penn National, 5 p.m.; Turfway Park, 5:15 p.m.; Delta Downs, 5:40 p.m.; Charles Town, 6 p.m.; Gulf (greyhounds), 6 p.m.

LUKAS FINALIZES PLANS

D. Wayne Lukas has finalized plans for two of his top 3-year-old prospects, the Hall of Fame trainer said Wednesday.

Lukas said Bravazo, a Jan. 13 entry-level allowance/optional claiming winner at Oaklawn, will run in the $400,000 Grade II Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, with Kentucky Club headed for the $500,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes on Monday at Oaklawn.

Bravazo and Kentucky Club, a Jan. 27 maiden winner at Oaklawn, were entered in the Risen Star, but Lukas left the door open for Bravazo to remain in Arkansas because of the possibility the Southwest would split.

Lukas said he was informed Tuesday by Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope that a split wouldn’t happen, allowing the trainer to finalize his shipping plans.

Lukas already had Sporting Chance ticketed for the Southwest and said he wouldn’t run Bravazo against the Grade I winner. Bravazo and Kentucky Club also have common ownership

(Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm). Sporting Chance completed major preparations for the Southwest with a 5-furlong work over a muddy surface Monday morning. The son of 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow covered the distance in 1:00.40 — the second fastest of 15 times recorded at 5 furlongs.

Sporting Chance breezed by himself, although he was joined by another horse near the half-mile pole.

“I wanted to work alone, but it worked out all right,” Lukas said. “It was not by design, but it worked out all right.”

TRIPLE THREAT

Arkansas Racing Commission Chairman and thoroughbred owner Alex Lieblong was discussing some of his horses recently when he briefly touched on newcomer David Cabrera, Oaklawn’s leading rider this year. “Horses run for him,” Lieblong said. That was evident again Saturday when Cabrera recorded his first triple in Hot Springs to regain the top spot in the standings.

Cabrera won the first race aboard Dynabeaver ($14.80) for trainer Tim Martin; the fourth race aboard La Key ($18.40) for trainer Shea Stuart; and the sixth race aboard favored Abbaa ($6.80) for trainer Johnny Ortiz.

Cabrera’s victory on La Key was noteworthy because the jockey dropped his whip in the upper stretch and used his goggles to urge the filly right-handed while approaching the wire in a front-running three-quarter length victory.

“It just slipped out of my hand, I think, because of the rain,” Cabrera said. “I thought I would just hand ride her, but I threw a couple of crosses and I thought, ‘Man, I can feel I have horse, but she was not going to give it all to me.’ So, I went to the goggles.”

Cabrera said he’s dropped his whip several times since beginning his professional career in the United States in 2013, but added Saturday was the first time he’s used goggles to coax a horse to the finish line.

“I don’t know why this day it came straight into my mind,” Cabrera said.

BIGGER PURSES

Effective Saturday, Oaklawn is increasing all allowance and maiden special weight races by $3,000. Allowance races will range from $79,000 to as high as $83,000. Maiden special weight races will increase to $78,000 from $75,000.

In addition, all claiming races and maiden claiming races with a claiming price of at least $30,000 will receive a $2,000 per race boost. These increases mark the 18th consecutive year that Oaklawn has increased purses.

FINISH LINES

The track was rated sloppy for workouts Wednesday morning. … She

Beast, in what could be her final work before her career debut, breezed a half-mile in :52 moments after the track opened Wednesday morning for trainer Ron Moquett. She Beast is a 3-year-old half-sister to The Big

Beast, a Grade I-winning sprinter and Oaklawn allowance winner.

Information for this report was contributed by the Oaklawn media department.

Sentinel-Record file photo Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has finalized plans for two of his top 3-year-olds, sending Bravazo to run in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds. Kentucky Club will run in Monday’s Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.