Oaklawn Park

Sacra Hoxen gave jockey Don Howard his fifth winner of the afternoon when he overtook Fighting Brother in mid-stretch for a 2 1/2-length victory in Tuesday's $21,000 allowance feature at Oaklawn Park. Sacra Hoxen paid $10.60, $5.80 and $3.20 after going the six furlongs in 1:11 25. Fighting Brother, with Sam Maple in the saddle, finished three lengths in front of Unloved and returned $4.20 and $3. Unloved, guided by John Lively, was worth $4.80.

Posing and dancing for fans in the paddock, unbeaten Zenyatta once again saved her best performance for the track, rallying from last place in a field of eight to win her 15th consecutive race, a 1¼-length triumph over 51-1 longshot Dance To My Tune in the Grade I $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap on Saturday, thrilling her supporters at Santa Anita. Twenty minutes earlier in New Orleans, Zenyatta's rival for top horse in America last year, Rachel Alexandra, made her first start in six months and was beaten by Zenyatta's stablemate, the John Shirreffs-trained Zardana, by three-quarters of a length in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies at 1 1/16 miles . Whether Rachel Alexandra's defeat causes her connections to reconsider a scheduled April 9 showdown against Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park remains to be seen, but Shirreffs said his 6-year-old mare intends to head to Hot Springs, Ark., and that she was never brought back after considering retirement to simply take on the 2009 horse of the year.

For a Sunday, it was a great Friday, Oaklawn Park General Manager Eric Jackson said. It was the first-ever regularly scheduled Sunday racing program at Oaklawn Park, Jackson said, and Sunday's numbers--16,921 people wagering $2,179,161--met track officials' "most optimistic expectations," Jackson said. "We looked at what we did last year on Fridays and weekdays in February," Jackson said. "Compared to almost any yardstick, this was a tremendous day for us."

The much-anticipated racing showdown between unbeaten Zenyatta and 2009 horse of the year Rachel Alexandra scheduled for April 9 in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park is off. Rachel Alexandra's owner, Jess Jackson, said in a statement Sunday that his horse is not in top condition and will skip the race. Rachel Alexandra, a 4-year-old filly, finished second Saturday to Zenyatta's stablemate, Zardana, in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies, her first race in six months. On the same day, the 6-year-old Zenyatta won her 15 t h consecutive race, winning the Grade I $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap at Santa Anita.

Tarascon improved his 3-year-old credentials when he blew past Karen's Tom in the middle of the turn and coasted to a 12-length victory over Dotsero on Saturday in the $58,400 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Adjudicating, one of the top 2-year-olds in the country last year, made up some ground late and finished third. Tarascon, ridden by Larry Snyder, completed the mile in 1:35 4/5. As the favorite, he returned $4.80.

Bordonaro, who broke his maiden against $32,000 claimers on April 1 last year at Santa Anita, will try for his second graded stakes career victory today in Arkansas. The 5-year-old Memo gelding, who is owned by breeders Fred Carrillo and Daniel Cassella and trained by Bill Spawr, will face six opponents in the $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap today at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

Disqualified in the Santa Anita Handicap in his last start, The Wicked North will have 11 opponents when he runs in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap today at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The 1 1/8-mile race is one of three out-of-town events, along with the Blue Grass Stakes from Keeneland and the California Derby from Golden Gate Fields, that Santa Anita will simulcast today. Post time will be 15 minutes earlier than usual, at 12:15 p.m.

Oaklawn Park begins its 55-day winter-spring meet with a nine-race card today in Hot Springs, Ark. The main event is the $50,000 Dixieland Stakes, a 5 1/2 -furlong dash for 3-year-olds. Sir Laff Alot, who won an allowance race by 7 3/4 lengths in his last start, Oct. 29 at Keeneland, heads a field of 10 in the Dixieland. Trained by Bob Holthus for Fly Racing LLC, the 3-year-old General Royal colt will be ridden by John McKee in his Oaklawn debut.

Demons Begone stalked Lookinforthebigone until early in the stretch and then went on to an easy 3 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Arkansas Derby, establishing himself as a legitimate contender for the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Demons Begone, who has won his only three starts of the year, finished the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47 3/5, the second-fastest time in the 51-year history of the race. Althea set the race record of 1:46 4/5 in 1984. Jockey Pat Day said he used his whip only once, for a light tap.

A year ago, trainer Wayne Lukas left Oaklawn Park with the Arkansas Derby winner, a filly named Althea, and headed for Kentucky. Althea was installed as the Kentucky Derby favorite but ran next to last in a 20-horse field. Lukas again is headed for Kentucky with the Arkansas Derby winner. This time it is Tank's Prospect, who won Saturday's $582,750 race at the Hot Springs, Ark., track by 6 1/2 lengths before a crowd of 67,103.

Horse racing fans are on the verge of having what might be the top item on their wish list fulfilled -- a race between the nation's top two female horses, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. Charles Cella, owner of Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., said Thursday the owners of the two horses had agreed to run in the $5-million Apple Blossom Invitational on April 9. "This is truly a race for the ages," Cella told the Associated Press. He moved back the Apple Blossom six days after Jess Jackson, owner of Rachel Alexandra, said his horse would not run in the race because the date was too early.

Bordonaro, who broke his maiden against $32,000 claimers on April 1 last year at Santa Anita, will try for his second graded stakes career victory today in Arkansas. The 5-year-old Memo gelding, who is owned by breeders Fred Carrillo and Daniel Cassella and trained by Bill Spawr, will face six opponents in the $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap today at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

Oaklawn Park begins its 55-day winter-spring meet with a nine-race card today in Hot Springs, Ark. The main event is the $50,000 Dixieland Stakes, a 5 1/2 -furlong dash for 3-year-olds. Sir Laff Alot, who won an allowance race by 7 3/4 lengths in his last start, Oct. 29 at Keeneland, heads a field of 10 in the Dixieland. Trained by Bob Holthus for Fly Racing LLC, the 3-year-old General Royal colt will be ridden by John McKee in his Oaklawn debut.

Many horseplayers in the crowd of 140,000 at Saturday's Kentucky Derby were betting on Smarty Jones. But there were a few insurance companies betting against him. When Smarty Jones, the Derby favorite, won the race, owners Patricia and Roy Chapman earned a $5-million bonus offered by Oaklawn Park, a track in Hot Springs, Ark. Months earlier, Oaklawn's owners took out an insurance policy covering half the bonus. They secured a second policy for the remaining $2.

Disqualified in the Santa Anita Handicap in his last start, The Wicked North will have 11 opponents when he runs in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap today at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The 1 1/8-mile race is one of three out-of-town events, along with the Blue Grass Stakes from Keeneland and the California Derby from Golden Gate Fields, that Santa Anita will simulcast today. Post time will be 15 minutes earlier than usual, at 12:15 p.m.

Tarascon improved his 3-year-old credentials when he blew past Karen's Tom in the middle of the turn and coasted to a 12-length victory over Dotsero on Saturday in the $58,400 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Adjudicating, one of the top 2-year-olds in the country last year, made up some ground late and finished third. Tarascon, ridden by Larry Snyder, completed the mile in 1:35 4/5. As the favorite, he returned $4.80.

After severely burning more than half his body in a jockey-room accident two years ago, all Randy Romero wanted to do was die. "I cried and cried, I was so depressed," he said. "I was in so much pain. And they told me I'd never ride again." Romero refused to believe it. And now within reach is the goal he held since he started racing in the Louisiana countryside at age 9. Romero is fewer than 20 victories behind Chris Antley, an East Coast rider, in the race for the nation's racing championship.

Trainer Charlie Whittingham says the critics say every year that the 3-year-old crop isn't much. But this year, observers of the Kentucky Derby prospects seem to be knocking the current generation far and wide, and there can be no stronger disparaging words from this precinct than those of Johnny Campo. Campo, who trained Pleasant Colony to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 1981, has seldom left anything to interpretation.

Sacra Hoxen gave jockey Don Howard his fifth winner of the afternoon when he overtook Fighting Brother in mid-stretch for a 2 1/2-length victory in Tuesday's $21,000 allowance feature at Oaklawn Park. Sacra Hoxen paid $10.60, $5.80 and $3.20 after going the six furlongs in 1:11 25. Fighting Brother, with Sam Maple in the saddle, finished three lengths in front of Unloved and returned $4.20 and $3. Unloved, guided by John Lively, was worth $4.80.