Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Southwest picks up run for Derby stall
HOT SPRINGS — Eight colts and one gelding are entered for Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby-qualifying races.
The Grade III 11/16-mile Southwest Stakes for 3-yearold horses will offer a total of 17 points toward a stall in the 20-horse Derby starting gate, with 10, 4, 2 and 1 points going to first through fourth, respectively.
The $750,000 Southwest Stakes, the final of three Grade III races on Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s 10-race card today, has a post time scheduled for 4:43 p.m.
Brad Cox-trained Answer In will start from the ninth stall as the 3-1 morning line favorite. In his last start, he finished second by a head to Southwest entrant Shoplifted as the 3-5 favorite in the Springboard Mile at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Dec. 15.
“He’s not a big, strong, strapping horse, but I think he’s very, very honest,” Cox said. “I thought he got a lot out of his first two-turn race at Remington. I’m hoping he moves forward.”
Steve Asmussen-trained Gold Street, a son of Street Boss and maternal grandson of Yes It’s True, earned 10 Derby qualifying points with his win in Oaklawn’s 1-mile Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 24. A win today would make Gold Street the second horse to win the Smarty Jones and the Southwest, following Far Right in 2015.
Jeremiah Englehart trains Villainous, by Wicked Strong, as part of his first string of horses at Oaklawn. Villainous broke his maiden on Oaklawn’s opening day with a 11/4-length win in a field 1of 10 over a muddy track at 1 /16 miles.
“This is a pretty tall task for him, but it’s that time of year, and I just feel like he’s a horse that’s going to improve in his next few starts,” Englehart said. “Hopefully, he can make this next jump forward, which is still a pretty big jump.”
Englehart trained Three Technique to a second-place finish in the Smarty Jones but decided to save his next start for the Grade II $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 14. He said advice from Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas helped him decide to skip the Southwest. Lukas has trained four Derby winners and a total of 14 Triple Crown race winners.
“I’ve been asking Coach Lukas questions all along about it,” Englehart said. “He’s been very helpful, and he recommended the Rebel to the Arkansas Derby. For me, when he talks, I’m listening.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher has shipped Chase Tracker, by Verrazano, from New York for the Southwest. Chase Tracker has not won since his first start. In his two since, he finished third in Aqueduct’s Grade III 1-mile Nashua Stakes and third again in the Grade II 11/16-mile Remsen Stakes, also at Aqueduct, on Nov. 3 and Dec. 7, respectively.
“He was good enough to break his maiden first time out, ran a respectable race in the Nashua and a good solid third in the Remsen,” Pletcher said. “He has been training steadily. We didn’t really have a firm plan in mind but thought he worked very well here this past weekend, so we decided the timing for the Southwest was good.
“He’s got good tactical speed. I think he’s the type of horse that can put himself in a prominent position when needed. He’s made a nice transition from two to three. He’s filled out. He’s starting to physically mature.”
Asmussen trained four Smarty Jones entrants, three of whom are entered in the Southwest, led by Gold Street. Asmussen-trained Shoplifted finished third in the Smarty Jones and won the Springboard Mile for 10 Derby qualifying points. Prospector, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs for 10 Derby points, was trained by Asmussen to a fourth-place finish in the Smarty Jones.
“It’s obviously going to be a very deep and talented group of horses,” Cox said. “[Answer In is] going to need to move forward, and he has since his last race.”