Morning-line favorite made case for shipping

HOT SPRINGS — Grade I winner Accelerate is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade II $750,000 11/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap for horses 4 years old and up, one of three graded stakes at Oaklawn Park today.

The last race for Accelerate, a 5-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky, was a 5½-length victory in the Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park in Southern California on March 10. The result persuaded trainer John Sadler to ship Accelerate to Oaklawn.

“He kind of showed me that he wanted to come here,” Sadler said. “I know this is a good surface. I know he’ll like it here. The question was, would he ship good.

“He’s been such a healthy horse. He’s never had a fever in five years. We did a few things different, just to prepare him for the shipping, and he shipped great.”

The expected 11-horse field from the rail out is 20-1 Malibu Max, with jockey Marcelino Pedroza and trained by Mac Robertson; 20-1 Lookin At Lee, with Luis Saez and trained by Steve Asmussen; 20-1 Sonneteer, with Richard Eramia and trained by Keith Desormeaux; 10-1 Untrapped, with Ricardo Santana Jr. and trained by Asmussen; 10-1 Hawaakom,

with Corey Lanerie and trained by Wesley Hawley; 20-1 Colonelsdarktemper, with Jon Court and trained by Jinks Fires; 4-1 Hedge Fund, with Florent Geroux and trained by Todd Pletcher; 15-1 Inside Straight, with David Cohen and trained by Robertino Diodoro; 15-1 Blueridge Traveler, with Channing Hill and trained by Ken McPeek; 9-5 Accelerate, with Victor Espinoza and trained by Sadler; and 3-1 City of Light, with Drayden Van Dyke and trained by Michael McCarthy.

Lookin At Lee, who shone last season in Oaklawn’s route stakes for 3-year-olds, has finished fourth and fifth in two optional-claiming races at Oaklawn this season.

The latter was a fourthplace finish in a field of seven March 8.

Lookin At Lee finished third last season in Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes and Arkansas Derby, and second in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. “We couldn’t be more happy with him,” said Michael Levinson, racing manager for owner L & N Stables.

“We wish we could have a win last year with him, obviously, but he was competitive in most of the races he ran. I just think he’s one of those horses that a lot of things have to go right for him in order to win a race.”