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Oaklawn Report #5

Oaklawn Report #5

Sister Ginger Wins the Martha Washington
Sister Ginger Wins the Martha Washington

3 Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Sister Ginger (KY) – After a dismal last place effort on open day, Sister Ginger came back running on Saturday as she easily took the Martha Washington by almost three lengths.  She was able to set reasonable fractions on the lead, and when challenged by Rose to Gold she had plenty left in the tank to put her away.  The win gives Sister Ginger ten points towards making the starting gate in the Kentucky Oaks, while also putting the three-year old filly division in a state of flux.  We have seen up and down performances from almost everyone in this group, and they certainly have done nothing to scare off out-of-town competition in the next two legs of the series.  You would think the Honeybee will be the next step for Sister Ginger.  We’ll see if she can put together back to back solid races.

– 2nd Star: Jan’s Perfect Star (AR) – She’s an Arkansas bred filly who had very average works leading up to her debut, but Jan’s Perfect Star was not a secret to anyone!  She was bet down to favoritism, and ran like a pro winning by twelve lengths and earning a high Beyer speed figure of 90.  She even caught the attention of the HRTV talking heads, as they sang her praises for several minutes after the race.  Where trainer Al Cates spots this one next will be fascinating.  She clearly is a standout among Arkansas Bred horses, but will they try open company next time out?  She’ll be a big story considering her local connections, and certainly has enough talent to make things exciting.

– 3rd Star: Unstoppable U (KY) – In a Saturday allowance race that was filled with talented horses Unstoppable U got the jump on them all, and was able to hold off Najjaar at the end to win for the first time since last April.  Unstoppable U has faced tough company in running in both the Belmont and Dwyer Stakes last summer, and this win could propel him to races like the Razorback or Oaklawn Handicap down the road at Oaklawn.  Saturday’s race was his second start over the Hot Springs track, and both races have been solid for him.

Flop of the Week

Liberty Girl (KY) – There were several disappointments in the Martha Washington, but for me Liberty Girl was the biggest of the flops.  After winning a nice allowance race on opening day, Liberty Girl couldn’t reproduce that effort finishing a flat fifth while being beaten nearly seven lengths.  She got off to a horrible start out of the gate, and also ran into some traffic trouble on the turn.  Still, the race lacked the kind of burst that I was expecting to see from her.  Time to regroup!

Trainer Standings

Rank Trainer Name Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Total $ Win% Top3 Top3%
1 Chris Richard 25 11 3 2 $215,590 44% 16 64%
2 Cody Autrey 35 9 3 3 $172,334 26% 15 43%
3 McLean Robertson 28 8 3 7 $222,602 29% 18 64%
4 Donnie K. Von Hemel 35 6 6 6 $247,851 17% 18 51%
4 Philip A. Sims 17 6 3 1 $213,305 35% 10 59%
4 Steve Hobby 22 6 2 2 $176,313 27% 10 45%
4 Randy L. Morse 31 6 5 4 $162,198 19% 15 48%
4 Ron Moquett 52 6 5 6 $157,962 12% 17 33%
9 D. Wayne Lukas 36 5 3 5 $298,116 14% 13 36%
9 Allen Milligan 64 5 7 8 $125,826 8% 20 31%
9 Jamie Ness 18 5 4 1 $81,595 28% 10 56%
12 Chris A. Hartman 24 4 6 3 $123,679 17% 13 54%
13 Steven M. Asmussen 38 3 11 9 $202,718 8% 23 61%
13 Kenny P. Smith 32 3 6 5 $108,136 9% 14 44%
13 Joseph R. Martin 33 3 4 3 $89,249 9% 10 30%
13 Albert M. Stall, Jr. 10 3 0 0 $71,795 30% 3 30%
13 Kelly R. Von Hemel 12 3 0 1 $66,139 25% 4 33%
13 Richard D. Jackson 13 3 0 1 $36,371 23% 4 31%

Jockey Standings

Rank Jockey Name Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Total $ Win% Top3 Top3%
1 Robby Albarado 87 17 13 7 $496,026 20% 37 43%
2 Alex Birzer 89 10 15 6 $332,001 11% 31 35%
2 Terry J. Thompson 90 10 11 9 $324,429 11% 30 33%
2 Eddie Martin, Jr. 56 10 7 9 $248,333 18% 26 46%
2 Ricardo Santana, Jr. 63 10 6 13 $236,493 16% 29 46%
6 Luis S. Quinonez 63 9 10 8 $335,976 14% 27 43%
7 M. Clifton Berry 61 8 10 7 $328,946 13% 25 41%
8 Jon Kenton Court 58 7 5 9 $317,736 12% 21 36%
9 Victor Lebron 54 6 10 6 $277,661 11% 22 41%
9 Seth B. Martinez 21 6 2 5 $180,140 29% 13 62%
9 David Mello 48 6 7 5 $153,751 13% 18 38%
9 Alex Canchari 57 6 8 5 $135,160 11% 19 33%
9 John McKee 36 6 2 8 $102,000 17% 16 44%
14 Alex Cintron 41 5 8 4 $172,927 12% 17 41%
14 Israel Ocampo 50 5 1 9 $132,308 10% 15 30%
14 Glenn W. Corbett 32 5 3 4 $125,134 16% 12 38%

Preview to Next Week

Saturday: The Bayakoa Stakes – 4 year olds & Up, Fillies & Mares – 1 1/16-Miles – Purse: $100,000

Sunday: The Spring Fever Stakes – 4 year olds & Up, Fillies & Mares – 5 1/2 Furlongs – Purse: $60,000

Monday: The Southwest Stakes (Grade 3) – 3-year-old Colts – 1 1/6-Miles – Purse: $300,000

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