Three Stars of the Week
– 1st Star: King Henny (KY) – Saturday confirmed what many of us had assumed about King Henny…he is purely a sprinter, and a good one at that. He was up against the much hyped Titletown Five and Get Happy Mister, but put them both away with ease as he won by over a length on the wire. King Henny was able to stalk a moderate pace, and definitely did his best running down the lane. The win could spring-board King Henny to the Instant Racing Stakes, which will be ran during the Racing Festival of the South on Friday April 12th.
– 2nd Star: Hung the Moon (KY) – This very classy three-year old filly made it two in a row on Friday, as she overcame a bit of a track bias as well as slow fractions to close for last to first to win an entry-level allowance by just over a length. As the distances get longer, Hung the Moon seems to be getting stronger, which is obviously a good sign of things to come. The Fantasy Stakes could now be the goal for this improving filly, with a shot at the Kentucky Oaks on the line. That kind of race will certainly be a jump in class, but Hung the Moon could very well be the best three-year old filly on the grounds.
– 3rd Star: Master Rick (FL) – Master Rick had run two very strong races in Stakes to start the meet at Oaklawn, and on Thursday he got a bit of class relief when he dropped to an allowance and dominated the field winning by multiple lengths. The win confirmed the strength of the older males at Oaklawn this year, and also confirmed that Master Rick is a pretty good horse in his own right. It might be a little tricky to know where to point this guy towards considering he’s been beaten by the top males on the grounds, but you’d have to think he’s good enough to win an ungraded Stakes at several other tracks around the country.
Flop of the Week
– Titletown Five (KY) – The Gazebo was the most anticipated race of the meet so far for me, but it left me disappointed and confused. I was very high on Titletown Five and Get Happy Mister, yet both failed to show they’re true talents. I made Titletown Five the “flop” because he was the much hyped horse nationally coming into the race. At the top of the stretch he looked like an easy winner, but tired badly down the stretch finishing a fading second. Those of us who are backing him just hope that he needed a race and will improve, but the optimism has to be put on hold as of now.
Trainer Standings
Rank |
Trainer Name |
Sts |
1st | 2nd |
3rd |
Total $ |
|
Win% |
Top3 |
Top3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean Robertson | 62 | 17 | 6 | 13 | $446,497 | 27% | 36 | 58% | |
| 2 | Chris Richard | 47 | 16 | 8 | 6 | $328,931 | 34% | 30 | 64% | |
| 3 | Steven M. Asmussen | 68 | 14 | 13 | 11 | $548,243 | 21% | 38 | 56% | |
| 4 | Donnie K. Von Hemel | 59 | 12 | 11 | 9 | $488,868 | 20% | 32 | 54% | |
| 5 | Cody Autrey | 52 | 10 | 4 | 8 | $216,271 | 19% | 22 | 42% | |
| 6 | Kenny P. Smith | 63 | 9 | 9 | 7 | $246,095 | 14% | 25 | 40% | |
| 6 | Joseph R. Martin | 63 | 9 | 8 | 5 | $233,074 | 14% | 22 | 35% | |
| 6 | Allen Milligan | 115 | 9 | 9 | 11 | $199,118 | 8% | 29 | 25% | |
| 6 | Jamie Ness | 28 | 9 | 6 | 1 | $130,040 | 32% | 16 | 57% | |
| 10 | Steve Hobby | 38 | 8 | 4 | 7 | $261,724 | 21% | 19 | 50% | |
| 10 | Ron Moquett | 80 | 8 | 6 | 13 | $220,904 | 10% | 27 | 34% | |
| 12 | D. Wayne Lukas | 52 | 7 | 6 | 9 | $420,545 | 13% | 22 | 42% | |
| 12 | Philip A. Sims | 26 | 7 | 3 | 5 | $295,214 | 27% | 15 | 58% | |
| 12 | Chris A. Hartman | 42 | 7 | 10 | 6 | $245,549 | 17% | 23 | 55% | |
| 12 | Randy L. Morse | 54 | 7 | 8 | 10 | $204,079 | 13% | 25 | 46% | |
| 12 | Brad H. Cox | 20 | 7 | 1 | 4 | $105,642 | 35% | 12 | 60% |
Jockey Standings
| Rank |
Jockey Name |
Sts |
1st | 2nd |
3rd |
Total $ |
|
Win% |
Top3 |
Top3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | 130 | 30 | 13 | 23 | $768,655 | 23% | 66 | 51% | |
| 2 | Robby Albarado | 157 | 26 | 20 | 17 | $803,510 | 17% | 63 | 40% | |
| 3 | Luis S. Quinonez | 120 | 23 | 19 | 14 | $752,929 | 19% | 56 | 47% | |
| 4 | Alex Birzer | 146 | 20 | 19 | 14 | $569,533 | 14% | 53 | 36% | |
| 5 | Terry J. Thompson | 138 | 19 | 16 | 19 | $524,725 | 14% | 54 | 39% | |
| 6 | M. Clifton Berry | 121 | 17 | 22 | 14 | $575,144 | 14% | 53 | 44% | |
| 7 | Jon Kenton Court | 104 | 12 | 10 | 16 | $524,181 | 12% | 38 | 37% | |
| 8 | Victor Lebron | 87 | 11 | 13 | 10 | $401,725 | 13% | 34 | 39% | |
| 8 | Israel Ocampo | 93 | 11 | 4 | 13 | $260,061 | 12% | 28 | 30% | |
| 10 | Eddie Martin, Jr. | 96 | 10 | 13 | 20 | $317,812 | 10% | 43 | 45% | |
| 11 | Ramon A. Vazquez | 86 | 9 | 8 | 10 | $293,825 | 10% | 27 | 31% | |
| 12 | Alex Cintron | 52 | 8 | 9 | 5 | $263,156 | 15% | 22 | 42% | |
| 12 | David Mello | 86 | 8 | 14 | 7 | $212,557 | 9% | 29 | 34% |
Preview to Next Week
Saturday: The Razorback Handicap (Grade 3) – 4 Year olds and upward – 1 1/16th miles – Purse: $150,000
Saturday: The Honeybee Stakes (Grade 3) – 3 Year old fillies – 1 1/16th miles – Purse: $150,000
