HOT SPRINGS, AR – With several major circuits’ schedules on hold due to COVID-19, the Kentucky Derby (G1) Trail action unofficially continues this Saturday in a 13-strong stacked edition of the $200,000 Oaklawn Stakes. Jackpot Farm’s Grade 1 winner Basin headlines the field of sophomores that features 11 colts and 2 geldings going 1 1/8 miles over the Oaklawn Park dirt.
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After winning a pair of races at Saratoga last summer, including the Hopeful Stakes (G1), Basin took the rest of 2019 off to grow and continue developing. The Steve Asmussen trainee made his 2020 debut in the Rebel Stakes (G2) here on March 14, finishing third while traversing two turns for the first time. Basin drew the rail and will have Florent Geroux in the saddle.
Joining Basin from the Asmussen barn are the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes winner Shoplifted (who was also second in the Hopeful) and the local Smarty Jones Stakes winner Gold Street. Shoplifted drew post 6 and will have Ricardo Santana, Jr., aboard, while Gold Street will exit the far outside gate under Tyler Baze.
Jockey Martin Garcia, who rode Gold Street to his 10/1 upset in the Smarty Jones, opted to ride the Todd Pletcher trainee Farmington Road. After breaking his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in his seasonal unveiling, Farmington Road ran fourth in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds. The son of Quality Road drew post 12.
Leading rider Joe Talamo will board the multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words, invading from Southern California for trainer Bob Baffert. Talamo and Baffert spent several years successfully working together before Talamo moved his tack late last year. He and Thousand Words will break from post 4.
Here is the full field for Saturday’s Oaklawn Stakes:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basin | Florent Geroux | Steve Asmussen | Jackpot Farm |
| 2 | Coach Bahe | Santo Sanjur | Philip Bauer | Rigney Racing |
| 3 | Mr. Big News | Gabriel Saez | Bret Calhoun | Allied Racing Stable |
| 4 | Thousand Words | Joe Talamo | Bob Baffert | Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm |
| 5 | Sir Rick | David Cohen | Robertino Diodoro | Richard Davis |
| 6 | Shoplifted | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | Steve Asmussen | Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, and LNJ Foxwoods |
| 7 | Flap Jack | Adam Beschizza | Jack Sisterson | Calumet Farm |
| 8 | Taishan | Joel Rosario | Richard Baltas | Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran |
| 9 | Digital | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | Bret Calhoun | Tom Durant |
| 10 | Something Natural | Fernando de la Cruz | Brad Cox | Madaket Stables, Kent Spellman, and Ten Strike Racing |
| 11 | Background | Joe Rocco, Jr. | Michael Puhich | Giddyup Stables |
| 12 | Farmington Road | Martin Garcia | Todd Pletcher | Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Chrysalis Stables, and Robert LaPenta |
| 13 | Gold Street | Tyler Baze | Steve Asmussen | Mike McCarty |
