|
Hymn Book, Ron the Greek highlight loaded Oaklawn Handicap
 |
| Hymn Book registered his first graded victory by a nose in the Donn Handicap
(Adam Coglianese Photography) |
The Grade 2, $400,000
Oaklawn Handicap, a race that routinely brought
together the east's and west's leading older males for a neutral-site showdown
during the 1980s and 1990s, will serve that purpose for the first time in many
years when renewed on Saturday as part of a strong Arkansas Derby Day program.
Prior to the creation of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in 1996, the 1 1/8-mile
Oaklawn 'Cap often served as a first meeting place of the season between the top
older males who wintered at Santa Anita in California and Gulfstream Park in
Florida. With its multi-million dollar purse, the Dubai World Cup wound up
siphoning horses who normally would have run in races like the Oaklawn Handicap,
which eventually lost its Grade 1 status and had its purse reduced.
Now with the Dubai World Cup run on a synthetic surface, the opportunity for
the Oaklawn Handicap to regain some of its previous luster exists as some
horsemen have chosen to bypass the long trip to the Middle East in favor of
keeping their best handicap horses on dirt.
|
Leading the charge in this edition is Hymn Book, the 6-1 upset winner of the
Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream, and Ron the Greek, a 3 1/2-length victor of
the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. They are joined by locally-based standout
Alternation, last year's Oaklawn Handicap winner Win Willy, Grade 2 winner
Yawanna Twist, and the classic-placed Nehro.
Hymn Book, a six-year-old gelding trained by Shug McGaughey, is belatedly
hitting his best stride. Having spent a good portion of his early career on
turf, Stuart Janney III's homebred has made remarkable strides since
concentrating on dirt. Hymn Book has finished first or second in his past five
attempts on the surface, winning two overnight stakes in New York in addition
the Donn, and placing in both the Grade 1 Cigar Mile and Grade 2 Suburban
Handicap.
The February 11 Donn was the scene for a stellar performance by Hymn Book,
who made a very wide rally and overcame bumping in the stretch to edge multiple
Grade 2 hero Mission Impazible by a nose. The son of Arch will be ridden again
Saturday by John Velazquez.
 |
| Ron the Greek gave Hall of Famer Bill Mott his first victory in the Santa Anita Handicap
(Benoit Photos) |
Ron the Greek, a minor Grade 3 winner prior to joining trainer Bill Mott last
summer, has been similarly consistent over the same period, finishing first or
second in five starts for the Hall of Fame conditioner. Following two overnight
stakes scores in New York last fall, the Florida-bred finished a clear second in
the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic to Mucho Macho Man in his 2012 debut, and
then rallied from 14 lengths down to win the Big 'Cap going away over 12 rivals.
Riding a two-race win streak into Saturday's race is Alternation, a
comfortable winner of the two local preps -- the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap and
Essex Handicap. The Donnie Von Hemel trainee has performed more effectively
since adding blinkers three races back, and it would be no surprise to see him
on or close to the lead in what appears to be a relatively paceless affair on
paper. Last year's Grade 2 Peter Pan winner has an enviable four-for-five record
at Oaklawn.
Local fan favorite Win Willy finished second in the 2010 Oaklawn 'Cap but
rebounded to win last year's renewal by a length. That proved to be the final
race of the season for the deep-closing gray, who was likely in need of a race
when trailing throughout in the March 10 Razorback following an 11-month
absence.
Yawanna Twist, who placed in couple of Grade 3 classic preps and was a solid
fourth in the Grade 1 Preakness two seasons ago, has been battling infirmities
for much of his career. However, the five-year-old has put it all together in a
pair of starts since New Year's Eve. The more significant of the two was the
Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel on Presidents' Day, where the New
York-bred rallied from slightly off the pace to register his first stakes win in
the seven-furlong feature. John Parisella will be Yawanna Twist's trainer of
record for the Oaklawn 'Cap, substituting for the embattled Rick Dutrow.
|
Nehro, runner-up last season in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, Grade 1 Arkansas
Derby and Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, returned from a layoff of more than eight
months on February 25 at Fair Grounds. Facing little in the way of opposition,
the Mineshaft colt won a first-level allowance by 7 1/4 lengths. He was
subsequently re-routed from the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap after tying up the
morning of the race.
Completing the field are outsiders Stachys and Don Dulce.
The Grade 3, $250,000
Count Fleet Sprint Handicap attracted field of six to
go six furlongs, including the mare Izzy Rules, who recently captured the Grade
3 Las Flores against fillies and mares only a few months after race for a
$20,000 claiming tag. Also in the field are Grade 3 Mr. Prospector winner
Apriority and Hamazing Destiny, runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in
2010.
The $100,000
Northern Spur, a one-mile test for three-year-olds, features the
Bob Baffert-trained Drill, who notably captured the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity
last summer. After a series of disappointing efforts, the colt was taken out of
consideration for the classics despite a recent rebound victory in the Grade 2
San Vicente at Santa Anita.
The main threats to Drill include Pee H Dee, Explain and Master Rick.
Send this article to a friend
| 
