Oaklawn

Flying P Stable and R. A. Hill Stable's Lone Rock (Majestic Warrior), winner of the 13-furlong GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. on the Breeders' Cup undercard at Del Mar Nov. 6, is a possible candidate for the G1 $12-million Dubai World Cup Mar. 26, according to trainer Robertino Diodoro. If all goes well in the 7-year-old gelding's next start, the GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn Feb. 12, the Dubai World Cup will likely be next. "I don't know if we have to win [the Razorback]," Diodoro said. "We are shortening...

The Week in Review by T.D. Thornton Oaklawn Park readjusted its series of prep races for the GI Kentucky Derby this year by moving back the date of its premier stakes, the GI Arkansas Derby, so it now sits five weeks out from the first Saturday in May instead of the traditional three. That changed the overall complexion of the prep-race picture so that the final three nine-furlong stakes that award 100 coveted Derby qualifying points to the winner will all take place Apr. 9. This means that for the...

On the day Coolmore America sire Munnings got a new 'TDN Rising Star' in Dubai with Shahama, he also added a new stakes winner on the Derby trail with Dash Attack in Oaklawn's Smarty Jones S. Earning 10 points on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' in this one-mile event, Dash Attack broke from the rail, took a little hop out of the gate, and settled midpack behind fractions of :23.03 and :46.38. The chestnut edged closer in earnest on the turn, but was still saving ground in eighth as...

Louis Cella, president of the Oaklawn Jockey Club, has been appointed to the Management Committee of Equibase Company LLC, filling a board seat vacated by Daisy Phipps Pulito, racing manager of Phipps Stable. Cella was named present of Oaklawn Park in 2017, succeeding his late father. He is the third generation of his family to serve on the board of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America (TRA), and a member of The Jockey Club since 2017. He also serves as a director of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and...

8th-OP, $102K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($80K), 3yo/up, 5 1/2f, 4:46 p.m. ET Nearly a year after suffering his first defeat in last winter's GI Runhappy Malibu S., China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's NASHVILLE (Speightstown) will return to the races as a likely prohibitive favorite in this sprint at Oaklawn. Starting his career with a devastating 11 1/2-length romp as a 3-10 favorite in the Saratoga slop last September--easily good enough for 'TDN Rising Star' honors--the $460,000 Keeneland September proved that was no fluke with an effortless 9 3/4-length allowance score...

The Week in Review by T.D. Thornton It was a little odd to see Oaklawn Park in the mix of tracks running on the first weekend of December. It was even stranger to see the Arkansas track carding races for 2-year-olds, which has not happened since Mar. 27, 1975. The winds of change are blowing through the pre-winter mists of Hot Springs. The biggest challenge facing Oaklawn as it embarks upon a Dec. 3-May 8 season for the first time is whether or not the popular track can retain the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-BRED GHOSTZAPPER DEBUTS IN NY 2nd-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 12:20 p.m. Joe Allen went to $400,000 at FTFMAR for GLAMOROUS DAYS (Ghostzapper) after a :21 4/5 breeze and she debuts here for Shug McGaughey. She is a daughter of dual Grade I winner Life At Ten (Malibu Moon). TJCIS PPs   BAUER UNVEILS PRICEY INTO MISCHIEF 7th-OP, $84K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:19 p.m. Rigney Racing's LITTLE MOMBO (Into Mischief) makes his career bow in this spot for trainer Phil Bauer. The $500,000...

Four years ago--almost to the day--when Arkansas native Staton Flurry sat down for a tête-à-tête with the TDN, his trainer Brad Cox took the opportunity to indulge in a little divination. "He's out for good horses and wants to win stake races," said Cox at the time, before pointing to their as yet unfinished greatest hits tour with multiple graded-stakes winner, Mr. Misunderstood (Archarcharch). "What this horse has done for him, those are the kinds of horses that he's looking for." Turns out, Cox reads the tea leaves as well...

Dr. Lee Cyphers, Oaklawn's longtime Association Veterinarian, passed away at age 66 Sunday, Sept. 5 following complications from a brain aneurysm. He was a fixture at the Oaklawn starting gate and in the paddock spanning three decades. He was a local Hot Springs veterinarian with a highly successful small animal clinic. He is preceded in death by his parents and two brothers Steve and Chuck Cyphers. Survivors include his wife and best friend Kristi; children, Morgan Lee (Summer) Cyphers, Margaret "Meggy" Beatrice (Joseph) Boone, the mother of his children, Viki...

Oaklawn will celebrate 2020 champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) with Whitmore Day, held at Oaklawn Park Mar. 19. The afternoon will be highlighted by the $200,000 Whitmore S., formerly named the Hot Springs S. Whitmore Day will also feature an appearance by Whitmore, in addition to t-shirt giveaways, and the first 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative Whitmore baseball card. Whitmore won the six-furlong race four times during his career for trainer Ron Moquett's Southern Springs Stable, Robert LaPenta, and Head of Plain Partners LLC. Victorious in the GI Breeders'...

The richest meet in the 118-year history of Oaklawn is set to begin Dec. 3 and will feature maiden special weights for $84,000 and open allowances starting at $100,000. Overall, the 66-day season will offer purses between $45 million and $50 million. Stall applications and the first condition book are now available at www.oaklawn.com/racing/horsemen/. Stall applications are due Thursday, Oct. 21. "Our slogan has been 'A New Level of Racing' the last few years and that's exactly what we intend to deliver," Oaklawn President Louis Cella said. "Our purses will...

The purse for the 2022 GI Arkansas Derby will be increased to $1.25 million--up from $1 million in 2021--and the race will be contested Saturday, Apr. 2, Oaklawn Park announced Tuesday. The date shift is a departure from the traditional three weeks before the Kentucky Derby and the increased purse makes the race the richest event among Derby preps. In 2022, Oaklawn will offer a record 36 stakes worth $12.3 million. In addition to the Arkansas Derby, three stakes will carry million dollar purses and 15 other stakes will offer...