Longshot Last Samuari takes victory in Oaklawn Handicap

HOT SPRINGS — Everyone celebrated the winner. Even the losers.

Veteran jockey Jon Court, 61, rode 4-year-old longshot colt Last Samurai for 82-yearold owner Willis Horton to a win over a star- studded field in the Grade II $1 million Oaklawn Handicap for horses 4 years old and up in 1:49.32 over 1 1/8 miles before an estimated crowd of 35,000 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort on Saturday.

Last Samurai’s trainer Dallas Stewart said he was once a jock’s room valet for Court.

“We’re close, you know?” Stewart said. “He’s had a great career, and this is a big move for him. I’m happy for him to do it there at Oaklawn. He did a great job, and we’re very proud of him.”

Last Samurai, at 12-1, won by four lengths over second-place Fearless, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Jose Ortiz from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in the field of seven. Plainsman, the 2-1 second choice ridden by Joel Rosario for owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs and trainer Brad Cox, finished third, 4 1/4 lengths behind the winner and two lengths in front on fourth- place Super Stock, winner of the 2021 Arkansas Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“This was very meaningful because I’ve worked with this particular horse and with Dallas,” Court said. “There’s pressure to produce riding for the Hortons because they’ve been so good for the industry. It’s just ingrained in me to get the results we need for the Hortons.”

Horton was perhaps most pleased.

“He ran a terrific race, and he wasn’t running against bad horses,” he said. “I have some awful good wins, but this is one of my favorites.”

Thomas Shelby, a front- running purist, was scratched.

M and MR acing’ s Thomas Shelby, ridden throughout the season by David Cohen for trainer Robertino Diodoro, had run on or near the lead through Oaklawn’s first four two-turn stakes for older horses this season. He finished second, third, second, and fourth in the Tinsel Stakes, Fifth Season Stakes, Razorback Handicap and Essex Handicap, respectively.

“No issue,” Diodoro said in the Oaklawn paddock. “The owner just decided to wait for a different spot. [Thomas Shelby’s] a hundred percent.”

Mike Sisk owns M and M Racing.

Court said Thomas Shelby’s absence changed his strategic thoughts.

“I knew my strategy was no longer to sit behind Tom Shelby,” Court said. “There were a couple of other horses with tactical speed who could and should and would eventually go into the lead, but I sure wasn’t going to give up any position.”

Last Samurai was second out of the gate but first through the opening quarter-mile in 23.94. Plainsman was 11/ lengths back in second, 2 half a length in front of third-place Fearless.

Plainsman led through the half in 48.34. Fearless was second and Last Samurai third, the latter a half-length back.

The positions remained the same through three-quarters in 1:12.29, but Last Samurai was clearly fit and full of run, a circumstance Court credited to his second-place finish in his last start, Oaklawn’s 1 1/2- mile Temperence Hill Stakes on April 3.

“That was an ace up my sleeve,” Court said. “His coming off that mile and a half, you could tell it in the way he started training. The pleasure of having to work with him in the morning was that I thought we are going to be double tough in this race.”

Last Samurai had a head in front as he turned for the wire. He led Plainsman by half a length with an eighth of a mile left but opened another 3 1/2 lengths through the finish.

“I couldn’t be more happy for somebody like Jon,” said Rosario, the 2021 Eclipse Award jockey of the year. “He’s such a nice guy in the room. A guy like Jon, you know, he’s been around forever, so it’s nice to see him win a big race.”

Court said he is honored by comments like Rosario’s.

“That’s huge,” Court said. “The majority of the riders here really treat me well and with respect. They know how hard it is to be in this game, much less to be in it at this level, and winning at this stage, this late stage, is something I don’t take for granted. I’m really enjoying my golden years.”

HOME BREW RALLIES FOR VICTORY

HOT SPRINGS — A long break did the winner well.

Home Brew, in his first start since Jan. 1, won the $150,000 Oaklawn Stakes for 3- year- old horses in 1:50.63 over 1 1/8 miles before an estimated crowd of 35,000 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort on Saturday.

As the winning Oaklawn Stakes entrant, Home Brew’s result assures him a stall in the gate for the Grade I Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on May 21.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Brad Cox, the 2020 and 2021 Eclipse Award trainer of the year, Home Brew won by 1 3/4 lengths over second-place Kuchar, ridden by Florent Geroux for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Happy Boy Rocket, owned by Frank Fletcher of Little Rock, finished third under the ride of Martin Garcia, three lengths behind the winner and 2 1/4 lengths in front of fourth-place Clancy’s Pistol in the field of seven.

Cox was with the three Kentucky Derby entrants he trains and other horses in Kentucky as the Oaklawn Stakes was raced.

Ortiz laughed as he said Cox offered him little advice.

“He didn’t tell me anything to do today,” Ortiz said. “All he said was no horse has won today from the lead other than Letruska [ in the Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap], and she’s a super mare, so just don’t send [him] to the lead right away.”

Kuchar led through the first three-quarters of a mile in fractional times of 23.47, 48.10, and 1:12.04. Home Brew ran fourth, two lengths off the lead through the opening quarter and half-mile. He was third through six furlongs, but Kuchar’s lead was no more than a head over Happy Boy Rocket and the winner.

“I don’t know if the winner was hanging or was coming back,” Brisset said. “Maybe the winner was hanging a little bit, but [Kuchar’s] improving. Let’s see how his [speed rating] looks and go from there, and we’ll make a plan.”

Pimlico has offered a start in the Preakness to the Oaklawn Stakes winner since 2019. Only the first winner, Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Laughing Fox, ran in the race, the second in the Triple Crown series. Laughing Fox finished fifth in a field of 14.