Two local winners top Rainbow field

Two February maiden winners at Oaklawn Park figure to rule the toteboard in today’s

$100,000 Rainbow, the first of two weekend stakes for Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds.

Five O One, a debut winner Feb. 3 for Hot Springs owner Staton Flurry, is the

8-5 program favorite and J.E.’s Handmedown the 9-5 second choice among seven state-bred males going six furlongs. All have started at Oaklawn with Checkmate Charlie also winning. Jack Be Quick gained his maiden victory last fall at Delta Downs in Louisiana, where the Forefathers colt made his seasonal debut before racing at Oaklawn March 10.

Five O One, sired by the Bill Mott-trained Breeders’ Cup Classic and Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer, made a punctual debut Feb. 3 by a half-length as a 2-1 favorite in a $72,000 race for state-bred maidens. The chestnut gelding worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds March 18 and drew post three for the Rainbow, Ricardo Santana keeping the mount. Brad Cox trains Five O One, purchased for $72,000 in April 2016 at an Ocala, Fla., sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age.

Cox won the 2015 Rainbow with Weast Hill, whose half-brother All to Stormy makes his third career start in the Rainbow. All to Stormy is a dark bay or brown son of Storm and a Half produced by the Elusive Quality mare Copperelle and, like Weast Hill (by Rockport Harbor), bred by Starsky Weast of Star City. Tim Martin trains All to Stormy, and Katie Clawson rides from post six.

J.E.’s Handmedown, also by Storm and a Half, thumped $25,000 state-bred maiden claimers by 11 lengths on the Presidents Day card Feb. 20 after missing by a half-length in his Jan. 27 debut. Mario Rodriguez rides from post five for owner-trainer-breeder David Whited.

Bill Martin, brother of All to Stormy’s trainer, sends out two-race maiden Quietly Cuba, which he races in partnership with Donaldson breeders John and Libbie Thiel.

Checkmate Charlie won his Jan. 16 debut by 3 3/4 lengths in front-running style for trainer Ingrid Mason.

Completing the field is Bay’s Commander, who showed speed early in his last two starts for local owners Greg and Jeff Sheets and trainer Robert Cline. Respective jockeys are Walter De La Cruz (Quietly Cuba), J.A. Guerrero (Jack Be Quick), Terry Thompson (Bay’s Commander) and Julio Felix (Checkmate Charlie).

Arkansas-bred 3-year-old fillies take the spotlight Saturday in the $100,000 Rainbow Miss, also at six furlongs, although the race lost its probable favorite when Dutch Parrot won an $87,980 distance race for state-bred fillies and mares Thursday.

Dutch Parrot, owned and bred by John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, is a two-time meet winner for trainer Bill Van Meter, paying $3.80 as an odds-on favorite Thursday after a fast-rated mile and sixteenth in 1:45.83. Third was two-time Downthedustyroad Breeders’ winner Easter Indy, who defeated Dutch Parrot by a diminishing neck Feb. 5 in a $75,000 state-bred allowance.