Fort Larned tops Oaklawn Handicap
Apr 11, 2013 0:49:18 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Apr 11, 2013 0:49:18 GMT -5
Hey Cait - is it true your "Babe" is packing Crazy Glue? ;D
Fort Larned tops Oaklawn Handicap
After dumping jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. at the start of last month's Gulfstream Park Handicap, Fort Larned will take a mulligan in Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap. The 1 1/8-mile test is the richest of the three supporting stakes on the Arkansas Derby program.
Despite racking up wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Whitney Handicap, and three other stakes, the Ian Wilkes-trained Fort Larned was edged by turf star Wise Dan in the voting for champion older male honors in last year's Eclipse Award ballot. With a Breeders' Cup title defense at Santa Anita the long-term goal for the E Dubai five-year-old, Fort Larned returned to action in the one-mile Gulfstream Park on March 9. After stumbling badly at the start and unseating Hernandez, Fort Larned continued to run throughout the one-turn event and crossed the finish line well ahead of the rest of the field.
With that unofficial prep behind him, Fort Larned appears good to go as the 123-pound high weight. The Janis Whitham homebred is a grandson of the Hall of Fame mare Bayakoa, who took the 1989 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn.
The Oaklawn 'Cap was the third in a string of four straight stakes triumphs for Alternation in 2012. The Pin Oak homebred subsequently won the Pimlico Special, but concluded the year on a down note with three unplaced finishes in his final four starts. The Donnie Von Hemel trainee was favored to rebound in his first start of the year, the March 9 Razorback Handicap, but was a dull fifth after a five-wide journey around both turns.
The top three finishers from the Razorback -- Cyber Secret, Golden Ron and Atigun -- were separated by a half-length that day and all return for this lucrative prize. Also of note is the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Optimizer, who kicked off the season with a pair of Grade 3 turf wins at Fair Grounds before finishing fifth in the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial over the same course on Louisiana Derby Day.
Completing the field are Maxxam Gold Cup winner Unstoppable U, stakes winner Taptowne, Grade 3 veteran Sabercat, and fan favorite Win Willy, the 2011 Oaklawn Handicap winner. The latter three occupied the top three slots, respectively, in a March 24 allowance prep over the Oaklawn strip.
Grade 2 veterans Justin Phillip and Flashback, both from the Steve Asmussen barn, are the top draws in the $250,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, a Grade 3 event over six furlongs.
Unsuccessful in a pair of starts at Santa Anita over the winter, Justin Phillip was transferred to Oaklawn where the five-year-old promptly captured a March 21 allowance by an impressive 4 1/2-length margin. Flashback, meanwhile, captured the Sam Houston Sprint Cup two back, and then finished second to returning rival Laurie's Rocket in the March 23 Hot Springs.
Others of note are Gentlemen's Bet, a two-time allowance winner this meet who is undefeated in three lifetime outings, and King Cotton victor Apprehender, a sub-par last of five in the six-furlong Hot Springs most recently.
www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=35791&from=656
Just for Cait LOL
Fort Larned is the first reigning Breeders' Cup Classic winner to come to Oaklawn since Zenyatta in 2010
(Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com
Fort Larned tops Oaklawn Handicap
After dumping jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. at the start of last month's Gulfstream Park Handicap, Fort Larned will take a mulligan in Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap. The 1 1/8-mile test is the richest of the three supporting stakes on the Arkansas Derby program.
Despite racking up wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Whitney Handicap, and three other stakes, the Ian Wilkes-trained Fort Larned was edged by turf star Wise Dan in the voting for champion older male honors in last year's Eclipse Award ballot. With a Breeders' Cup title defense at Santa Anita the long-term goal for the E Dubai five-year-old, Fort Larned returned to action in the one-mile Gulfstream Park on March 9. After stumbling badly at the start and unseating Hernandez, Fort Larned continued to run throughout the one-turn event and crossed the finish line well ahead of the rest of the field.
With that unofficial prep behind him, Fort Larned appears good to go as the 123-pound high weight. The Janis Whitham homebred is a grandson of the Hall of Fame mare Bayakoa, who took the 1989 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn.
The Oaklawn 'Cap was the third in a string of four straight stakes triumphs for Alternation in 2012. The Pin Oak homebred subsequently won the Pimlico Special, but concluded the year on a down note with three unplaced finishes in his final four starts. The Donnie Von Hemel trainee was favored to rebound in his first start of the year, the March 9 Razorback Handicap, but was a dull fifth after a five-wide journey around both turns.
The top three finishers from the Razorback -- Cyber Secret, Golden Ron and Atigun -- were separated by a half-length that day and all return for this lucrative prize. Also of note is the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Optimizer, who kicked off the season with a pair of Grade 3 turf wins at Fair Grounds before finishing fifth in the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial over the same course on Louisiana Derby Day.
Completing the field are Maxxam Gold Cup winner Unstoppable U, stakes winner Taptowne, Grade 3 veteran Sabercat, and fan favorite Win Willy, the 2011 Oaklawn Handicap winner. The latter three occupied the top three slots, respectively, in a March 24 allowance prep over the Oaklawn strip.
Grade 2 veterans Justin Phillip and Flashback, both from the Steve Asmussen barn, are the top draws in the $250,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, a Grade 3 event over six furlongs.
Unsuccessful in a pair of starts at Santa Anita over the winter, Justin Phillip was transferred to Oaklawn where the five-year-old promptly captured a March 21 allowance by an impressive 4 1/2-length margin. Flashback, meanwhile, captured the Sam Houston Sprint Cup two back, and then finished second to returning rival Laurie's Rocket in the March 23 Hot Springs.
Others of note are Gentlemen's Bet, a two-time allowance winner this meet who is undefeated in three lifetime outings, and King Cotton victor Apprehender, a sub-par last of five in the six-furlong Hot Springs most recently.
www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=35791&from=656
Just for Cait LOL
Fort Larned is the first reigning Breeders' Cup Classic winner to come to Oaklawn since Zenyatta in 2010
(Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com
