Oaklawn Report #11

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Laurie’s Rocket (KY) – You would be hard pressed to find a horse that has had a better meet than Laurie’s Rocket.  After already winning two of three races this year, he scored his biggest win yet when winning the Hot Springs Stakes by over a length over a sloppy track.  The win also gave him a win over Apprehender, who was thought to be the best sprinter on the grounds coming into the race.  Laurie’s Rocket also owns a victory over Alsvid, who is another highly though of sprinter.  With the victory he’ll now be pointed towards the Grade 3 Count Fleet Stakes, which will be ran on closing day as part of the Racing Festival of the South.

– 2nd Star: Jan’s Perfect Star (AR) – The flashy Arkansas Bred filly made it a perfect two for two on her young career Saturday, as she won the Arkansas Breeders Stakes with ease.  She took right to the lead early on, and never looked back as she was up by almost fifteen lengths at one point down the back stretch.  The final winning margin was about four lengths, and one has to wonder what the next step will be.  Will she go back to sprinting?  Will she face open company?  It will be exciting to follow her career from here on out, as her breeding and Arkansas connections make her intriguing.

– 3rd Star: Justin Phillip (KY) – He was sent to Oaklawn with the Count Fleet Stakes in mind, and on Thursday he took the first step towards winning that race by winning an Allowance race as a prep.  Justin Phillip had been banging heads with some of the best in the division on both coasts, and it looked like the class relief was something he really appreciated.  The waters will get a little deeper in the Count Fleet, but you’d have to think he’ll be one of the favorites heading into that race.  No matter what the future holds, it was just nice to see Justin Phillip back in the winners circle.

Flop of the Week

– Apprehender (KY) – After running his best race yet last time out, Apprehender regressed big time in the Hot Springs Stakes, finishing dead last.  Perhaps the sloppy track was not to his liking, or maybe he just bounced off that big performance last time out.  The word is he is still being pointed to the Count Fleet Stakes which is a good sign that he is physically ok.  I expect much better from him next time out.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Steven M. Asmussen	103	21	20	14	$779,352		20%	55	53%
1	McLean Robertson	86	21	9	21	$576,094		24%	51	59%
1	Chris Richard	67	21	12	6	$430,503		31%	39	58%
4	Kenny P. Smith	82	14	11	10	$362,731		17%	35	43%
4	Cody Autrey	70	14	8	10	$290,463		20%	32	46%
6	Donnie K. Von Hemel	83	13	12	12	$564,466		16%	37	45%
6	Steve Hobby	59	13	8	9	$438,120		22%	30	51%
6	Ron Moquett	105	13	8	15	$316,332		12%	36	34%
6	Jamie Ness	36	13	7	2	$203,086		36%	22	61%
10	Chris A. Hartman	58	12	14	7	$348,522		21%	33	57%
11	Allen Milligan	157	11	11	13	$250,856		7%	35	22%
12	Randy L. Morse	74	10	9	14	$282,724		14%	33	45%
12	Joseph R. Martin	91	10	13	6	$267,401		11%	29	32%
12	Brad H. Cox	32	10	2	8	$149,100		31%	20	63%
15	D. Wayne Lukas	64	9	9	9	$956,079		14%	27	42%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	201	47	25	35	$1,126,409		23%	107	53%
2	Robby Albarado	210	39	26	27	$1,238,851		19%	92	44%
3	Alex Birzer	206	29	23	24	$864,890		14%	76	37%
4	Luis S. Quinonez	172	27	22	18	$879,118		16%	67	39%
4	Terry J. Thompson	188	27	23	22	$745,764		14%	72	38%
6	M. Clifton Berry	175	25	32	21	$839,298		14%	78	45%
7	Victor Lebron	124	18	16	18	$644,915		15%	52	42%
8	Jon Kenton Court	137	16	14	22	$989,414		12%	52	38%
9	Eddie Martin, Jr.	132	13	20	25	$422,886		10%	58	44%
9	David Mello	139	13	27	8	$339,184		9%	48	35%
9	Israel Ocampo	122	13	8	17	$313,696		11%	38	31%
12	Rosemary B. Homeister, Jr.	94	10	11	8	$295,529		11%	29	31%
13	Ramon A. Vazquez	120	9	13	11	$359,306		8%	33	28%
13	Alex Canchari	142	9	17	15	$248,659		6%	41	29%
13	Malcolm Franklin	115	9	11	7	$233,201		8%	27	23%

Preview to Next Week

– Friday: The Rainbow Miss Stakes – 3-year old Fillies (Ark. Breds), 6 Furlongs, Purse: $50,000

– Saturday: The Rainbow Stakes – 3-year old males (Ark. Breds), 6 Furlongs, Purse: $50,000