Three Stars of the Week
– 1st Star: Valid Commander (AR) – The Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes was the only stakes race carded this weekend at Oaklawn, and it was Valid Commander who made the most of his opportunity to shine. He was able to take advantage of a fast speed duel out front between Humble Smarty and Mallet, and got the perfect stalking trip to win by a length at odds of 8-1. Even though this was an Arkansas Bred Stakes race, the time was fairly fast so perhaps Valid Commander could be finding his groove. The win was his second in a row, and first stakes win of his career.
– 2nd Star: Back Forty (KY) – Thursday’s feature allowance race could have been the toughest race of the week, but Back Forty was able to handle the field nicely to win by three-quarters of a length over Frederico. Back Forty has now won three of six races at Oaklawn, which easily looks to be his favorite track. Look for him in another Oaklawn allowance next time out, or perhaps a small stakes at Delaware where he also excels.
– 3rd Star: Adrianne G (KY) – After finishing fourth in a Stakes last time out at the Fair Grounds, Adrianne G returned to allowance company at Oaklawn Saturday was victorious for the third time in four starts. She held a perfect stalking position early on, and was able drive clear with ease in the stretch to win by a little over one and half lengths. The win could propel her into Stakes company again next time out.
Flop of the Week
– Bull Dozer (FL) – The local fan favorite couldn’t put on a show for all his fans on Thursday, as he was the well beaten heavy favorite in the feature allowance race. The track was playing strangely on Thursday which could have caused some problems. You can bet he’ll regroup and will probably be backed pretty well next time out.
Trainer Standings
Rank |
Trainer Name |
Sts |
1st | 2nd |
3rd |
Total $ |
|
Win% |
Top3 |
Top3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Richard | 49 | 17 | 4 | 4 | $422,970 | 35% | 25 | 51% | |
| 2 | Steven M. Asmussen | 65 | 16 | 13 | 5 | $728,199 | 25% | 34 | 52% | |
| 2 | Federico Villafranco | 50 | 16 | 11 | 7 | $319,766 | 32% | 34 | 68% | |
| 4 | Cody Autrey | 67 | 15 | 12 | 9 | $400,691 | 22% | 36 | 54% | |
| 5 | Chris A. Hartman | 47 | 11 | 8 | 5 | $299,522 | 23% | 24 | 51% | |
| 6 | Brad H. Cox | 35 | 8 | 5 | 6 | $257,569 | 23% | 19 | 54% | |
| 7 | Ron Moquett | 62 | 7 | 8 | 5 | $322,827 | 11% | 20 | 32% | |
| 8 | D. Wayne Lukas | 56 | 6 | 6 | 10 | $336,541 | 11% | 22 | 39% | |
| 8 | David R. Vance | 22 | 6 | 3 | 1 | $137,602 | 27% | 10 | 45% | |
| 8 | J. R. Caldwell | 21 | 6 | 3 | 6 | $91,084 | 29% | 15 | 71% |
Jockey Standings
| Rank |
Jockey Name |
Sts |
1st | 2nd |
3rd |
Total $ |
|
Win% |
Top3 |
Top3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | 146 | 27 | 24 | 12 | $1,202,368 | 18% | 63 | 43% | |
| 2 | Norberto Arroyo, Jr. | 137 | 25 | 20 | 17 | $774,538 | 18% | 62 | 45% | |
| 3 | David Mello | 106 | 20 | 13 | 12 | $465,051 | 19% | 45 | 42% | |
| 4 | Terry J. Thompson | 109 | 14 | 10 | 13 | $471,354 | 13% | 37 | 34% | |
| 5 | Ramon A. Vazquez | 82 | 13 | 12 | 14 | $376,374 | 16% | 39 | 48% | |
| 6 | Channing Hill | 79 | 11 | 8 | 9 | $515,234 | 14% | 28 | 35% | |
| 6 | Luis S. Quinonez | 96 | 11 | 11 | 13 | $416,695 | 11% | 35 | 36% | |
| 6 | Alex Birzer | 127 | 11 | 15 | 12 | $400,931 | 9% | 38 | 30% | |
| 9 | Alex Canchari | 85 | 10 | 12 | 12 | $353,575 | 12% | 34 | 40% | |
| 9 | Ken S. Tohill | 71 | 10 | 12 | 9 | $323,045 | 14% | 31 | 44% | |
| 9 | Jareth Loveberry | 74 | 10 | 9 | 9 | $210,610 | 14% | 28 | 38% |
Owner Standings
| Rank |
Owner Name |
Sts |
1st | 2nd |
3rd |
Total $ |
|
Win% |
Top3 |
Top3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danny R. Caldwell | 48 | 15 | 11 | 7 | $308,906 | 31% | 33 | 69% | |
| 2 | Maggi Moss | 27 | 10 | 3 | 3 | $195,567 | 37% | 16 | 59% | |
| 3 | Steve Landers | 42 | 9 | 7 | 7 | $151,779 | 21% | 23 | 55% | |
| 4 | Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc. | 36 | 7 | 6 | 3 | $171,012 | 19% | 16 | 44% | |
| 5 | William Stiritz | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | $171,071 | 16% | 7 | 23% | |
| 5 | Zayat Stables, LLC | 15 | 5 | 1 | 2 | $161,773 | 33% | 8 | 53% | |
| 5 | Ulwelling, Al and Bill | 19 | 5 | 2 | 1 | $115,852 | 26% | 8 | 42% | |
| 8 | John C. Oxley | 23 | 4 | 2 | 4 | $214,309 | 17% | 10 | 43% | |
| 8 | Driver, James L. and Ywachetta H. | 13 | 4 | 5 | 1 | $198,137 | 31% | 10 | 77% | |
| 8 | Dream Walkin Farms, Inc. | 23 | 4 | 3 | 2 | $97,666 | 17% | 9 | 39% |
Preview to Next Week
– Saturday: The Honeybee Stakes (Grade 3) – 3 Year Old Fillies – 1 1/16th Miles – Purse: $150,000
– Saturday: The Hot Springs Stakes – 4 Year Olds and Upward – Six Furlongs – Purse: $100,000
