Santana opens Saratoga in style

Ricardo Santana Jr., Oaklawn Park’s leading rider the last six years, recorded a riding double at Saratoga on Friday, opening day at the historic upstate New York track.

It marked the third consecutive opening-weekend multi-win day at Saratoga for Santana, whose major client is Hall of Famer and nine-time Oaklawn training champion Steve Asmussen.

Santana rode three winners on the third day of racing in 2016 — Comandante ($28.60) for trainer David Cannizzo, Gap Year ($42.80) for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Derby Champagne ($60) for trainer Rusty Arnold. He rode two winners on opening day last year — Southampton Way ($20.80) for trainer Horatio DePaz and Buffalo Miss ($12.20) for trainer John Terranova.

His victories on Friday were aboard Bad Student

($13.80) in the first race for Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn’s second-leading trainer this year, and Lyrical Lady

($15.80) in the fifth race for Asmussen, Oaklawn’s leading trainer the last three years.

Santana’s third winner of the meeting came in Saturday’s sixth race aboard heavily favored Nitrous ($3.70),

a 2-year-old Tapit colt Asmussen trains for Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Ron and Joan Winchell) and Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke).

Nitrous is out of Speedinthruthecity, who won the $100,000 Carousel Stakes for older female sprinters at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting for Asmussen and the Winchells.

The Winchells also bred Nitrous, who won by 3 ¼ front-running lengths in 1:03.70 for 5 ½ furlongs over a fast track. Nitrous was coming off a second-place finish in his June 14 career debut at Churchill Downs.

Santana ($8,016,878) surpassed

$8 million in purse earnings this year during the first week of the Saratoga meeting, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Santana is riding regularly at Saratoga for the third consecutive year. He has 32 career victories at Saratoga — all since 2015 — including 13 last year.

Asmussen-trained Chanteline, winner of the $125,000 Spring Fever Stakes for older female sprinters March 3 at Oaklawn, finished second in the $200,000 Caress Stakes Monday at Saratoga.

Oaklawn allowance winner Finley’sluckycharm is the 8-5 program favorite for the Grade 2

$200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap for female sprinters today. Also entered in the 6- furlong Honorable Miss is Oaklawn-raced Vertical Oak. Probable post time for the Honorable Miss, the ninth race, is 4:40 p.m.

Water Moccasin’s victory in Sunday’s eighth race at Prairie Meadows represented the 700th in the career of trainer Ron Moquett, of Hot Springs, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

Moquett, 46, was Oaklawn’s third-leading trainer this year with

28 victories and has 226 overall in Hot Springs since his first in 1999.

Water Moccasin, a 3-year-old Uncle Mo gelding, broke his maiden in his third lifetime start for Moquett and owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway. Alex Lieblong is chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission.

Heavily favored under David Cabrera — Oaklawn’s second- leading rider the year — Water Moccasin ($2.10) won by eighth lengths. The gelding was the last of three winners at three different venues Sunday for Moquett, who had earlier struck in Saratoga’s fourth race with The Red Dude ($15.20) and in Ellis Park’s sixth race with Eisenstaedt

($14.20).

According to Equibase, Moquett started his first horse in

1997 and won his first race in 1998. Overall, Moquett has amassed 700 victories from 5,881 starters, with stable earnings of $22,708,010.

Moquett’s 500th career victory came on Feb. 6, 2015, at Oaklawn with Heykittykittykitty. He set single-season Oaklawn bests in 2018 for victories with 28), stakes victories with five and purse earnings with $1,729,774.

Hoppertunity, winner of the Grade 2 $600,000 Rebel Stakes for

3-year-olds in 2014 at Oaklawn, is the 6-5 program favorite for the Grade 3 $100,000 Cougar II Handicap today at Del Mar. Probable post time for the 1 1/2-mile Cougar II, which goes as race 7, is 7 p.m.

Hronis Racing LLC’s Accelerate, runner-up in the Grade 2

$750,000 Oaklawn Handicap for older horses April 14 at Oaklawn, recorded a 5-furlong bullet workout (:59.60) Sunday at Del Mar for trainer John Sadler. Accelerate was scratched from Saturday’s Grade

2 $200,000 San Diego Handicap, a major local prep for the Grade 1 $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 18.

Accelerate is pointing for the Pacific Classic. Hronis and Sadler won the San Diego with Catalina Cruiser.

Oaklawn- raced Plentiful finished second in the $27,500 Manitoba Mile Stakes Saturday at Assiniboia Downs. Plentiful was seeking his third consecutive stakes victory at the Canadian track.

Favored Decorated Soldier

($5.80), winner of the $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes for 3-yearolds in 2016 at Oaklawn, captured an allowance/optional claimer Saturday at Woodbine for Norman McKnight, seventh is Oaklawn’s trainer standings this year.

Decorated Soldier, who was racing for a $60,000 claiming tag Saturday, was a March 8 winner at Oaklawn when under the care of Asmussen. McKnight claimed Decorated Soldier for $20,000 out of a fourth-place finish April 13 at Oaklawn.