Oaklawn Report #6

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Tapiture (KY) – The first major step towards Kentucky was taken Monday as Tapiture looked like the real deal winning the Southwest by four and a half lengths over Strong Mandate.  Jockey Ricardo Santana was able to give him a dream trip as he broke well and saved all the ground racing along the rail the entire race.  The win makes him a two-time Graded Stakes winner, and should set him up for the Rebel and Arkansas Derby as we go down the Triple Crown Trail at Oaklawn.

– 2nd Star: Don’t Tell Sophia (KY) – As expected Don’t Tell Sophia was dominant once again this Saturday.  She’s winning races like a freak right now, but can she keep doing it when the competition gets a little steeper?  She’s simply in a class by herself when it comes to the older fillies and mares on the Oaklawn grounds right now.  However, On Fire Baby is getting closer to race which could make the Azeri Stakes very interesting in March.

– 3rd Star: Apprehender (KY) – On any other week this would have been the performance of the week!  Coming off a ten month layoff Apprehender was able to put away a stellar field and win the King Cotton Stakes in an eye-popping time of 1:10 flat.  Apprehender has always shown a lot of class, but showed a bit of maturity for the first time Saturday as we was able to sit behind horses and save his energy for the stretch run.  The win makes it two King Cotton’s in a row for the horse, and puts him on path for the Grade 3 Count Fleet Handicap at the end of the meet.

Flop of the Week

– Win Willy (KY) – Very sad that this horse ends up here.  The Oaklawn legend was dead last in the Essex Stakes Saturday, and never showed any interest the entire race.  Obviously should have been retired after last year, but Win Willy has been thrown into the fire once again only this time it looks like he’s given up.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Chris   Richard	37	15	2	1	$369,381		41%	18	49%
2	Cody   Autrey	46	12	8	4	$331,030		26%	24	52%
2	Federico   Villafranco	39	12	5	7	$215,351		31%	24	62%
4	Chris A. Hartman	36	9	7	4	$265,289		25%	20	56%
5	Steven M. Asmussen	48	8	10	5	$537,172		17%	23	48%
6	Brad H. Cox	31	7	5	5	$240,539		23%	17	55%
7	Ron   Moquett	46	6	8	4	$270,590		13%	18	39%
8	Randy L. Morse	33	5	6	3	$200,714		15%	14	42%
8	Roger A. Brueggemann	26	5	3	3	$122,220		19%	11	42%
8	David R. Vance	17	5	2	1	$115,775		29%	8	47%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Ricardo   Santana, Jr.	104	17	18	10	$885,152		16%	45	43%
1	Norberto   Arroyo, Jr.	94	17	14	9	$549,543		18%	40	43%
3	David   Mello	73	16	9	7	$364,809		22%	32	44%
4	Terry J. Thompson	82	11	8	9	$370,080		13%	28	34%
4	Ramon A. Vazquez	69	11	8	11	$293,421		16%	30	43%
6	Channing   Hill	62	10	7	7	$477,073		16%	24	39%
7	Alex   Birzer	93	9	9	10	$303,044		10%	28	30%
8	Ken S. Tohill	54	8	10	7	$281,526		15%	25	46%
9	Israel   Ocampo	61	7	8	8	$259,920		11%	23	38%
9	Jareth   Loveberry	48	7	4	9	$137,625		15%	20	42%

Owner Standings

Rank	Owner Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Danny R. Caldwell	37	11	5	7	$204,491		30%	23	62%
2	Maggi   Moss	19	8	2	1	$152,147		42%	11	58%
3	Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc.	30	7	3	3	$148,053		23%	13	43%
3	Steve   Landers	27	7	4	3	$107,843		26%	14	52%
5	Driver, James L. and Ywachetta H.	12	4	4	1	$186,537		33%	9	75%
5	Dream Walkin Farms, Inc.	16	4	1	0	$76,816		25%	5	31%
7	John C. Oxley	20	3	2	3	$169,759		15%	8	40%
7	William   Stiritz	22	3	2	0	$129,381		14%	5	23%
7	Ulwelling, Al and Bill	15	3	2	1	$91,818		20%	6	40%
7	Craig   Drago	8	3	0	2	$90,775		38%	5	63%
7	N P H Stable	7	3	1	0	$37,907		43%	4	57%

Preview to Next Week

– Saturday: The Spring Fever Stakes – Fillies and Mares four-year olds and upward – Five and One-half furlongs – Purse: $100,000