Two days after a wild and rough running of the $250,000 Southwest S. (G3) at
Oaklawn Park, the top four finishers are doing well and their connections are
making tentative plans for their three-year-olds to join the next dance in the
$300,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) on March 19.
Race winner ARCHARCHARCH (Arcg) is doing well for owner Bob Yagos and trainer
Jinks Fires two days after emerging from a pack of horses to take the one-mile
contest by a length over J P’S GUSTO (Successful Appeal). The 14-1 upsetter
bounced back from a disappointing effort in the Smarty Jones S. January 17 with
the victory. Monday’s result surprised many, but not Fires.
“I never lost confidence in him after that last race,” said Fires Wednesday
morning. “The track was just so tiring that day and when he came back with a
little filling in his hock, I knew if we could get that cleared up, he was going
to be fine. I’ve felt sure he was a good horse from the beginning — from the
first day I worked him.”
Fires indicated the Rebel would be next and that chances were good he would
also saddle BLUEGRASS JAM (Bluegrass Cat) and/or BLUEGRASS BULL (Bluegrass Cat)
in the race as well. The latter two, both owned by Patricia Blass, are exiting
losses in tough allowance races, but both have Fires confident they can step up
and win — much like Archarcharch. Bluegrass Jam was a close third in an
off-the-turf allowance race at Fair Grounds February 11, while Bluegrass Bull
faded to fourth in a key allowance race on Monday’s undercard, finishing behind
the highly ranked ALTERNATION (Distorted Humor) and DREAMINOFTHEWIN (Successful
Appeal).
“Bluegrass Jam is still young, but he showed a lot in his last race,” Fires
said. “The other horse needed a different way to go in his race. The jockey was
going to try to get him to relax, but he broke so alertly and then another horse
came up to him right away and he never got to calm down. I’m pleased with the
horse, but displeased with the way the race fell out.”
Trainer Joe Petalino reported that J P’s Gusto has “come back strong” after
rushing to grab the place spot once able to clear traffic in the Southwest.
Unfortunately, BRICKYARD FAST (Sharp Humor), who helped set the fast pace,
emerged from his ninth-place finish with a condylar fracture in his left front
leg. He was being shipped Wednesday morning to the Oakridge Equine Hospital near
Oklahoma City where Dr. Michael Major was scheduled to perform surgery.
“The owners should want to go to the Rebel off that race,” said Petalino of J
P’S Gusto, a Grade 1-winner, who has now finished second in three of his last
four starts. “It was a tough trip, but we’re okay coming out.”
Third-place finisher ELITE ALEX (Afleet Alex) was “good” and had “no
problems” according to trainer Tim Ritchey. Elite Alex has hit the board in both
his starts as a three-year-old, amassing excuses in both efforts.
“The winner ran a great race,” said Ritchey, who is also a co-owner along
with Chuck Zachney and other partners. “We didn’t get the trip we needed, but
that’s horse racing. It doesn’t always go the way you hope, but he got a good
education for sure.”
The surprise performer was fourth-place finisher PICKO’S PRIDE (Cactus
Ridge), who made a late charge under jockey Israel Ocampo after starting from
post 11 and getting forced even wider at the break. Picko’s Pride will now try
to give trainer Mac Robertson his latest up-and-coming longshot in the Rebel
since shocking the field in 2009 with Win Willy (Monarchos).
“I think the bad post might have cost us something bigger,” said Robertson.
“I don’t know if we could have beaten the winner, but we were so adamant about
dropping to last out of there, that we ended up way out of it. He waited a
little bit, but he galloped out really well and with the winners. We’d have
loved to have gone a mile and a sixteenth that day, and that’s what we get next
time. He’s just a little horse, but sometimes those little ones surprise you.
They can run farther than you think.”
It takes nothing to bring the frustration to the surface for the help at
trainer Donnie Von Hemel’s barn following the unlucky sixth-place finish by
CALEB’S POSSE (Posse).
“You could see his engine was really revving but no one would let him out,”
seethed Kristal Campbell, Von Hemel’s assistant referring to the Smarty Jones S.
winner getting blocked for more than a quarter-mile. “Of course, when it’s a big
stakes like that, they’re not supposed to let a live horse out, but it was just
so frustrating.”
Campbell reported Alternation, who is now two-for-two at Oaklawn after his
allowance victory earlier on the Southwest card, and Caleb’s Posse were both
doing well after their efforts.
Trainer Larry Jones reports YANKEE PASSION (Yankee Gentleman) strained a
muscle in his left rear leg after finishing fifth in the Southwest. He was
relieved it wasn’t something worse, but says the colt will be “out a little
while” and is no longer under considered for the Rebel and likely the $1 million
Arkansas Derby (G1) April 16.
“It’s the muscle on the inside of his thigh, but that’s all it ended up
being,” said Jones. “When he first got back, I was worried it could be worse,
but he’s going to be alright. Hopefully, we can get him back jogging in about a
week. He’s probably done for the races down here, though.”