Locals take Arkansas Derby
Asmussen-trained Super Stock stuns Baffert’s favorite.
HOT SPRINGS — The locals overcame Bob Baffert and his heavily favored horse on Saturday.
Super Stock, from the Oaklawn barn of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, won the Grade I, $1 million Arkansas Derby for 3-year-old horses in 1:50.92 before an estimated crowd of 17,000 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
Caddo River, from the Oaklawn barn of trainer Brad Cox, finished second, 21/2 lengths behind the winner and a head in front of thirdplace Concert Tour, the 1-5 favorite trained by Baffert.
Get Her Number finished fourth in the field of six, 3 lengths behind the winner.
“[Asmussen and Cox] are top horsemen,” Baffert said. “They’ve been doing it a long time, and they get results. That’s what it’s all about.
“When they send their horses out there, those are the guys you have to beat. They had their horses ready, and we got beat. Today we were just third best.”
Super Stock, a son of Dialed In ridden by six-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., started at 12-1 but was never more than 2 lengths off the lead of
Caddo River, ridden by Florent Geroux.
Caddo River led through an opening-quarter mile in 22.62, the half in 46.51 and three-quarters in 1:11.25.
“[Tactically it set up] perfectly,” Asmussen said. “Wanted to use his [No. 1] post position. I thought he used his post position into the first turn extremely well. Plenty of solid fractions, carried him nicely.
“He got up behind them a little quicker than he thought he would, obviously, in the stretch. My confidence level was he was going to run really good. I’ve been in races like that, that you have no control over how good or bad somebody else runs, but I felt like that he was going to represent extremely well.”
Concert Tour, ridden by Joel Rosario, was second through 6 furlongs but took the lead at the head of the stretch.
Super Stock was 2 lengths back in third but had momentum on his side. He sprinted past and clear of Concert 1 Tour just inside the /8th pole and pulled away. A tiring Concert Tour was passed by Caddo River near the wire.
“I thought we gave him the best opportunity to win,” Cox said of Caddo River. “It’s kind of tough. Beat the four horses we thought we had to beat. Obviously, a very good horse won the race.
“I’m very proud of our horse’s effort. I thought we got a good trip. He was passed and battled back to be second. Overall, I thought it was a very good effort.”
Baffert sounded surprised about Concert Tour’s finish.
“He was there, and he just got tired there at the end,” Baffert said. “He’s a young horse. It was a good race, but I was just disappointed. I really thought we had a good chance to win it.”
Rosario said he liked his position as Concert Tour turned for home.
“Everything was going the right way,” he said. “I was happy where I was, following the horse on the lead. I got to him. He kept going, but [Super Stock] came strong on the outside. He tried hard. He was moving good, doing everything right. That horse that won came running today.”
Before Saturday’s result, Baffert had trained three official winners of the Arkansas Derby, but a total of four horses from his barn had finished first — including two last season when circumstances were different at Oaklawn.
The coronavirus pandemic led racing officials at Churchill Downs to reschedule the Kentucky Derby from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in September, thus opening the final day of Oaklawn’s season to the Arkansas Derby. The decision also was made to run two divisions.
The 2-5 favorite Charlatan, trained by Baffert, won the first division by 6 lengths in a field of nine over second-place Basin, from Asmussen’s barn.
Two races later, Baffert-trained Nadal — the 4-5 favorite also in a field of nine — won by 3 lengths over second-place King Guillermo.
Later in the month, Charlatan was disqualified when lab results concluded he tested positive for lidocaine after his Arkansas Derby win. Lidocaine is a common substance used for pain relief in mammals, including horses and humans. Basin was declared the winner.
Nadal and Charlatan were injured in the summer and did not run in the 2020 Kentucky Derby, but Baffert trained the winner through a different route. Authentic’s 11 /4-length Kentucky Derby win was Baffert’s record-tying sixth as a trainer.
Saturday’s two-turn stakes race for horses 4 years old and up was the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile, which was won at the wire by By My Standards in 1:37.82 at 2-1.
Rushie, the 9-5 favorite, finished second, a nose behind the winner and 21/2 lengths in front of third-place Wells Bayou. Gun It finished fourth, 3 lengths behind the winner.
After a half, led by Pioneer Spirit in 47.82, By My Standards, a son of Goldencents ridden by Gabriel Saez and trained by Bret Calhoun, was in a pack of three, 1 length behind the lead pack, which still included Rushie and Blackberry Wine.
Pioneer Spirit, who led through three-quarters in 1:12.68, and Blackberry Wine would fade to finish sixth and fifth, respectively.
By the head of the stretch, Rushie had the lead, but By My Standards’ winning drive had begun.
“[By My Standards] was really ready,” Calhoun said. “He really was well-prepared, but I most was concerned about the short-stretch mile, honestly.”