Oaklawn Park Barn Notes: Nickname Among Eight Entered for Martha Washington

The Martha Washington
Grade 1 winner Nickname is among eight horses entered in the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Oaklawn. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the filly will be making her first start since finishing fourth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Oct. 31 at Keeneland. She scheduled to break from the rail Saturday under Corey Nakatani and carry equal top weight of 122 pounds.

Completing the field for the Martha Washington from the rail out: My Master Plan, Jareth Loveberry to ride, 122 pounds; Ready to Confess, Luis Quinonez, 119; Durango, Alex Canchari, 115; Dorodansa, Chris Landeros, 115; Marquee Miss, Channing Hill, 122; Lovable Lyss, Alex Cintron, 115; and Red Fern Doll, Ramon Vazquez, 115.

My Master Plan is unbeaten in four career starts, including the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park in her last start. My Master Plan and Ready to Confess are trained by Donnie K. Von Hemel, who won the 2006 Martha Washington with Brownie Points for owner/breeder Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stable.

Ready to Confess (another Pin Oak homebred) has won her last two starts, including an entry-level allowance/optional claimer Jan. 15 at Oaklawn – the same day Abercrombie turned 90.

Marquee Miss exits a front-running 2 ½-length victory over Durango in the $100,000 Dixie Belle Stakes Jan. 15 at Oaklawn. Ingrid Mason, the trainer of Marquee Miss, ran second to champion Take Charge Brandi in last year’s Martha Washington with Sarah Sis.

Probable post time for the Martha Washington, the eighth of nine races, is 4:38 p.m. (Central). The one-mile race is the first major local two-turn prep for the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 9.

Richards Leaning Towards Southwest with American Dubai
Following a mile work in 1:44.60 over a fast track Wednesday morning at Oaklawn, trainer Rodney Richards said American Dubai will “more than likely” make his stakes debut in the $500,000 Southwest Feb. 15, a 1 1/16-mile race that is the second major local prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 16.

In his 3-year-old debut, American Dubai crossed the wire second in a Jan. 21 entry-level allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn under Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel. He led throughout the 1 1/16-mile race before being collared late on the outside by Southwest-bound Cutacorner. Beaten a half-length, American Dubai was disqualified and placed third for ducking in approaching the wire and bothering original third-place finisher Torrontes.

Richards said he believed American Dubai ducked in after being struck in the right eye with a dirt clod.

“I think the fractions were a little fast, and the track was a little heavy,” Richards said. “We knew our horse was in shape, but it was our first time going two turns. It just caught up to us.”

American Dubai, a Nov. 13 debut winner at Churchill Downs, worked a dazzling 5 furlongs in :59 Jan. 12 at Oaklawn. He had been under consideration for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 18 at Oaklawn before Richards opted for the allowance spot three days later.

Richards was represented in the Smarty Jones by Churchill Downs maiden winner Black Ops, who came out of his 10^th-place finish with an abscess in a front foot and is in a holding pattern at the moment, according to his trainer. The trainer said he still expects the gelding to run again at the Oaklawn meeting.

Bayakoa Bound
Streamline is pointing for the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares Feb. 14 at Oaklawn, trainer Brian Williamson said Thursday morning. In her stakes debut, she won the $100,000 Pippin Jan. 17 at Oaklawn to run her career record to 6-0-2 in nine races.

“She is pretty useful,” Williamson said. “She’s won on all three surfaces – synthetic, turf and dirt.”

Streamline entered the Pippin off a 15 ¾-length victory in her dirt debut Dec. 8 at Hawthorne.

The Pippin was special, Williamson said, because his mother-in-law, Nancy Vanier, bred and co-owns the 4-year-old Illinois-bred daughter of Straight Line. Williamson trained Straight Line and Streamline’s dam, Love Handles, for Vanier.

“We feel blessed to have her,” Williamson said of Streamline, who worked 5 furlongs in 1:02.20 Tuesday.

Hebbronville Update
Trainer Lynn Whiting said Hebbronville still had a “mild case” of hives Thursday morning, an allergic skin disorder that caused the multiple stakes winner to be scratched from the $100,000 King Cotton Stakes for older sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn.

Whiting said Hebbronville had a “full-blown” case Saturday morning, with welts “all over” the 4-year-old colt’s body.

“Every day’s an adventure,” Whiting said. “We keep changing things and get the same result. We’ve changed all his bedding. We’ve changed his feed program. We’re not totally out of the woods.”

Whiting said Hebbronville’s condition Thursday morning may be “residual” and “something that still hasn’t cleared his system.”

Hebbronville was scheduled to make his 2016 debut in the King Cotton. He won the $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park and $100,000 Perryville Stakes at Keeneland last year.

Hebbronville also ran third in the $100,000 Gazebo Stakes and $100,000 Bachelor Stakes last year at Oaklawn.

Finish Lines
Multiple stakes winner Smack Smack and Sister Smack, his unstarted 3-year-old half-sister, are scheduled to run Thursday at Oaklawn for trainer Don Von Hemel of Hot Springs and owner Toby Keith. … Set the Trappe, sixth as a maiden in the $350,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds last September at Saratoga, worked 3 furlongs in :38 Thursday morning at Oaklawn for trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs. Hobby said Set the Trappe could make his 3-year-old debut in March. … Grade 1 winner Noble Bird, whose major spring objective is the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 16, worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.40 Wednesday morning at Oaklawn for trainer Mark Casse. … Cosmic Evolution, who broke her maiden in the $100,000 Debutante Stakes last summer at Churchill Downs, is scheduled to make her 3-year-old debut in an entry-level allowance sprint Saturday at Oaklawn. Trainer Lon Wiggins said he hopes to stretch out Cosmic Evolution following Saturday’s race, possibly in the $150,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles March 15 at Oaklawn. … Through 11 days of racing at Oaklawn, 102 claims have totaled $1,488,250.