Oaklawn Report #10

3 Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Will Take Charge (KY) – All I can say is wow!  Although I definitely thought Will Take Charge would run much better in the Rebel, I really didn’t think he’d win the race.  A third place finish would have been a great effort, but he did so much more.  Toughness and heart are two qualities this horse has shown twice now, as he was able to dig down deep and find the wire at the right time in both the Smarty Jones and Rebel Stakes.  During the final 100 yards of the Rebel is when it looked like he was hitting his best strides, which is a great sign of things to come.  Now the question is will he stay home and run in the Arkansas Derby, or will the Bluegrass Stakes be his final Kentucky Derby prep?

– 2nd Star: Tiz Miz Sue (KY) – There is no other horse in the country that deserved to win the Azeri Stakes more than Tiz Miz Sue.  For over a year now she’s been knocking heads against the best in her division, and Saturday it was her turn to find the winners circle.  The win gave Tiz Miz Sue back to back Azeri victories, and also gives her all the momentum heading into the Apple Blossom.  Her victory also confirmed an angle that many handicappers believe in…Steve Hobby trained horses running their second race off a layoff are pretty tough to beat!

– 3rd Star: Oxbow (KY) – He may have lost the battle on Saturday, but I have a feeling Oxbow is slowly winning the war.  Just think of the education he’s gotten out of his last two races, and also don’t forget how tough he’s ran considering poor post positions and wide trips.  The move he made at the top of the stretch was incredible, and he looked like the winner every step of the way until the last few feet.  At this point the only question mark could be the mile and one-quarter distance, although his breeding says he should be able to handle it.  Either way, this is one talented and tough race horse.

Flop of the Week

– My Miss Aurelia (KY) – It wasn’t shocking to see her lose, but the way she lost was stunning.  The incredibly classy and talented My Miss Aurelia just doesn’t look like the same horse after her impressive Breeders Cup Ladies Classic effort, and after her distance 3rd place effort in the Azeri her racing future is up in the air.  Will they choose to move forward with her, or has this filly seen her last days at the race track?  The Apple Blossom was said to be the goal before last Saturday’s race, so it will be interesting to see if that remains the case.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	McLean Robertson	78	21	8	17	$544,594		27%	46	59%
2	Chris Richard	61	20	10	6	$405,678		33%	36	59%
3	Steven M. Asmussen	92	19	17	13	$681,307		21%	49	53%
4	Donnie K. Von Hemel	76	13	11	11	$554,034		17%	35	46%
4	Cody Autrey	65	13	8	9	$275,491		20%	30	46%
6	Steve Hobby	54	12	7	8	$408,268		22%	27	50%
6	Kenny P. Smith	73	12	10	10	$309,662		16%	32	44%
8	Chris A. Hartman	54	11	13	7	$335,442		20%	31	57%
8	Ron Moquett	98	11	7	15	$291,095		11%	33	34%
10	Joseph R. Martin	83	10	12	5	$260,013		12%	27	33%
10	Allen Milligan	142	10	11	13	$232,105		7%	34	24%
10	Jamie Ness	33	10	7	2	$161,386		30%	19	58%
13	Randy L. Morse	68	9	9	12	$241,150		13%	30	44%
14	D. Wayne Lukas	62	8	9	9	$910,304		13%	26	42%
14	Philip A. Sims	34	8	8	5	$387,044		24%	21	62%
14	Brad H. Cox	27	8	2	6	$123,745		30%	16	59%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	175	40	21	31	$970,592		23%	92	53%
2	Robby Albarado	193	36	26	25	$1,154,486		19%	87	45%
3	Luis S. Quinonez	158	26	20	16	$841,719		16%	62	39%
4	Alex Birzer	182	25	21	19	$748,425		14%	65	36%
4	Terry J. Thompson	173	25	21	22	$686,376		14%	68	39%
6	M. Clifton Berry	160	22	28	20	$764,968		14%	70	44%
7	Jon Kenton Court	129	15	13	20	$966,571		12%	48	37%
7	Victor Lebron	109	15	13	16	$537,564		14%	44	40%
9	Eddie Martin, Jr.	122	12	19	22	$397,615		10%	53	43%
9	David Mello	121	12	20	8	$291,142		10%	40	33%
9	Israel Ocampo	112	12	6	14	$287,739		11%	32	29%
12	Ramon A. Vazquez	112	9	12	10	$352,386		8%	31	28%
12	Alex Canchari	121	9	15	13	$227,132		7%	37	31%
14	Alex Cintron	52	8	9	5	$263,156		15%	22	42%
14	Rosemary B. Homeister, Jr.	86	8	10	8	$257,598		9%	26	30%
14	Joe M. Johnson	51	8	7	6	$172,764		16%	21	41%

Preview to Next Week

– Saturday: The Hot Spring Stakes – 4 Year Olds and Up – 6 Furlongs – Purse: $75,000

– Sunday: The Arkansas Breeders – Female Division – 3 Year Old Fillies and Mares (Ark. Bred) – 1 1/16th miles – Purse: $50,000