Long shot rallies big in Stakes
HOT SPRINGS — Mr. Big News lived up to his name.
Off at 46-1, Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Big News followed far behind a rapid pace over a sloppy track to outrun 12 other entrants and win the $200,000 11/8mile Oaklawn Stakes for 3-year-old horses in 1:49.89 before zero fans at Oaklawn on Saturday.
Mr. Big News paid $95.60, $24.80 and 10.80.
Ridden by Gabriel Saez and trained by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Big News, by Giant’s Causeway, had finished fifth of 11 in one of two divisions of the Grade II 1 1/16-mile Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Feb. 15 in his last start.
Calhoun said a careful examination of Mr. Big News’ past performances gave him confidence.
“He performed like we thought he would,” Calhoun said. “I know he was a big long shot, but we had quite a bit of confidence in him over the last couple of months.”
Martin Garcia rode Eclipse Thoroughbred Partner’s Farmington Road to second, two lengths behind Mr. Big News and 31/4 lengths in front of thirdplace Taishan. Basin finished fourth, 51/4 lengths behind the winner.
As one of Oaklawn’s measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic, the track has excluded fans from attendance since March 13. Only people essential to racing, medical care and security, and media personnel are currently allowed on the racetrack’s grounds.
Mike McCarty’s Gold Street, under Tyler Baze, broke fourth from the gate but led the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.07. Mr. Big News was in 11th, 141/2 lengths back.
“He didn’t break as sharp as I wanted, so I just let him be, let him into his own rhythm,” Saez said. “When he hit the backstretch, he started moving, and I said, ‘OK, buddy. Go on with it.’ ’’
Thousand Words, the 5-2 favorite ridden by Joe Talamo from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, stumbled at the start and was eight lengths back through the first quarter. He would never contend and finished 11th, 293/4 lengths back.
Gold Street’s lead was 11/2 lengths through a half-mile run in 45.47. Mr. Big News was 10th, nine lengths off the lead. Farmington Road was last, 111/2 lengths behind. Basin was fourth and Taishan fifth
Gold Street and Basin are trained by Steve Asmussen, a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Gold Street had won wire-to-wire in Oaklawn’s opening-day $150,000 1-mile Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 24. He raced with a similar style in the Oaklawn Stakes to lead by half a length through three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.67, but he gave way to Taishan, under Joel Rosario, before the home stretch and would finish eighth.
Taishan led as he turned for home, but Mr. Big News and Farmington Road, who started at 6-1, began to unwind.
Mr. Big News took the lead with an eighth of a mile left, and Farmington Road took over second at the 1/16th pole.
“When we got to the top of the stretch, I swung him out into the clear, and he found a different gear,” Saez said. “He got the job done.”
“I found a way to go and followed the winner around, and he just took off,” Garcia said. “It looks like my horse is going to be a good horse.”
Todd Pletcher, another Hall of Fame member, trains Farmington Road.
Calhoun said he understood why gamblers did not share his confidence in the winner.
“You had to really dig down and watch the replays hard to be able to see and know what we thought we knew going into this race,” Calhoun said. “I can definitely see why he was that price, and it didn’t bother me at all. There were a lot of other options in there with the big field of talented horses.”
Each of the top three finishers are assured a spot in Oaklawn’s 14-stall starting gate for the Grade I 11/8-mile Arkansas Derby scheduled for May 2.
Whereas the Oaklawn Stakes did not offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points, the Arkansas Derby will distribute a total of 170, with 100, 40, 20, and 10 to first through fourth, respectively. The winning and second-place points alone would have qualified a horse for a spot in any of the Kentucky Derby’s 20-stall gates since the points system was established for the 2013 season and beyond.
In response to Churchill Downs’ decision to move this season’s Grade I 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby from May 2 to Sept. 5, Oaklawn rescheduled the Arkansas Derby from April 11 to May 2, and the Oaklawn Stakes was moved from May 2.
Calhoun said he would
wait to decide when Mr. Big News races next.
“They’ve moved the [Kentucky] Derby so late, we have to look around and figure out the lay of the land, figure out where some the points races are,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, with the Derby so far way now, we can space his races a little bit better, but if we can’t find some better options, we sure may come back [for the Arkansas Derby].”