Tempt Fate Wires Field in Arkansas Breeders’ Championship

HOT SPRINGS, AR – Jerry Caroom’s Tempt Fate became the first four-time winner this year at Oaklawn with a wire-to-wire victory in the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship before an estimated crowd of 3,500 Friday afternoon.

Ridden by Cristian Torres, Tempt Fate finished two lengths ahead of defending champion Man in the Can in the 1 1/16-mile race for Arkansas-breds, 3 and up. It was 2 ¼ lengths farther back to the filly, The Mary Rose, in third.

Tempt Fate, who is trained by Carl Deville, paid $5.80 as the 9-5 favorite in the 11-horse field. A 4-year-old son of Hamazing Destiny, Tempt Fate was making his two-turn debut in the Arkansas Breeders’ Championship, a race Caroom, of Hot Springs, won in 2019 with Hoonani Road. The winning time over a fast track was 1:44.12.

Tempt Fate – all against state-breds – had won two allowance races and the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes earlier in the Oaklawn meeting. Tempt Fate (4 for 4 at the meeting) won for the fifth time in 11 lifetime starts to raise his earnings to $376,100. Deville, on behalf of Caroom, claimed the colt for $40,000 at last year’s Oaklawn meeting.

Winning trainer Carl Deville, Tempt Fate: “We were a little worried. The horse has never been two turns before. Everything worked out. I just left it in the jock’s hands and let him ride the race.”

Winning jockey Cristian Torres, Tempt Fate: “He’s a nice horse when he’s in the lead. I was hoping to break good from the gate and relax him. He did everything I wanted and when I asked him at the quarter-pole, he took off again. He’s a very nice horse.”

Winning owner Jerry Caroom, Tempt Fate: “You never know (about two turns). This happened the way it happened. He got the lead like we wanted to. He stayed there. Get in front and don’t look back.”

Jockey David Cabrera, second on Man in the Can: “Today, I saw that other horse (Tempt Fate) doing it so easy on the lead. I knew he was going to be hard for us to catch. My horse kicked, but it was a very small kick. He just kind of finished even.”