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%