AT THE POST

DAY 18 of 57

SATURDAY’S ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 12,500

SATURDAY’S ON-TRACK HANDLE $788,363 SATURDAY’S OFF-TRACK HANDLE $3,626,469 SATURDAY’S TOTAL HANDLE $4,414,832

TODAY’S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Gulfstream Park, 11 a.m.; Aqueduct, 11:20 a.m.; Tampa Bay, 11:20 a.m.; Laurel Park, 11:30 a.m.; Fair Grounds, 12:30 p.m.; Santa Anita, 2:30 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.

SATURDAY’S STARS

Ricardo Santana won three races to improve his season total to 24 victories in 103 starts. He leads David Cohen by four victories. Santana won the second race with Seeds of Time ($7.80, $4.00 and $3.20), who covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.32; the sixth race with Get the

Goodies ($6.80, $4.00 and $2.80), who covered 6 furlongs in 1:11.91; and the seventh race with Chris and Dave

($6.60, $3.20 and $2.40), who covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.13. Steve Asmussen increased his season-leading total in the trainer standings to 17 victories in 77 starts by winning the sixth race.

WELDER TO PREPARE FOR HOT SPRINGS

Welder, who has been nearly unbeatable in Oklahoma, will begin to build his resume in Arkansas with a workout today at Oaklawn. If all goes well, trainer Theresa Sue Luneack said Welder will return to Oaklawn for the $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters March 9, which would mark just the fifth start outside Oklahoma for the 6-year-old gelding.

“I’m very honored to be able to have a horse that’s good enough to even run there,” said Luneack, who has never had a starter in Hot Springs. “Super, super deep waters there. It’s just a big step for us to be able to actually run a horse there.”

The Oklahoma-bred Welder has compiled a 15-4-2 record from 23 lifetime starts and earned $635,151. The gelding was named 2018 Remington Park Horse of the Meet after going 4 for 4 (all stakes), including the $165,000 David M. Vance Sprint on Sept. 30 when he covered 6 furlongs over a fast track in 1:08.67.

“I’ve had Welder since he was a yearling,” Luneack said. “I’ve known him for his whole life, pretty much, and honestly I’ve never seen him better than he is right now. He’s just really matured and really just at the top of his game.”

David Cabrera, who rode Welder in all four starts last year at Remington Park, is scheduled to breeze the gelding. Welder will be vanned home after the work, Luneack said.

“He’s never worked there, so I thought it might be good for him to get a feel for that track a little bit,” Luneack said. Also pointing for the Hot Springs is

Whitmore, who won the race in 2017 and 2018 and hasn’t started since finishing second in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

MAGIC 300

Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel notched his 300th career Oaklawn victory when favored All Around ($4.80) captured Friday’s second race under Richard Eramia.

According to Equibase, racing’s official data-gathering organization, Von Hemel has won 300 of 2,221 starts at Oaklawn, highlighted by 25 stakes victories.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen won his 600th career Oaklawn victory Saturday. He has won nine local training titles since 2007 and tops the standings this year. Information for this report was contributed by the Oaklawn media department.