Authority the winner of the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 22, will point to Stephen Foster (G1) July 1 at Churchill Downs is his next main target, said coach Michael Stidham. If all goes according to plan, Stidham will marry Godolphin’s half-blood who is faucet to Saratoga before aiming for the final season-end prize at Santa Anita Park.
“Our goal is to try to be at the end of the year for the Breeders’ Cup (Classic),” said Stidham.
The proxy won the Oaklawn Handicap despite losing focus several times throughout the race, a recurring problem that frustrated Stidham but also gave reason to think that an even better effort could be made. Last time, Stidham equipped Proxy with bold pieces, which may or may not have a positive impact but will likely continue to win.
“As coaches, we always try to get the little extra we need,” says Stidham. “It was a trial and error. We put him in the eye when he was 3 years old. It didn’t really feel like it made a big difference. But when we started working with him, we started working with him. In his cheek pieces, he can normally be kind and slow in his works, but with his daring pieces, he’s been very progressive in all of his works.
The Oaklawn Park points moved Proxy’s record to 5-6-2 from 16 starts in his life and increased his earnings to $1,775,970. Proxy is out of many Rank 1 winners underwear raid . Proxy had a point in Foster’s favor, he scored the biggest win of his career to date on the surface at the $750,000 Clark Stakes (G1) last fall.
The $1 million Foster Grand Prix is a 1/8-mile race that can feature a rematch between the top three finishers in the Oaklawn Handicap.
D. Wayne Lukas, Oaklawn Handicap runner-up Hall of Fame coach The Last Samurai Warrior , said after the race that “we’ll probably look at Stephen Foster next.” The third position quiet boy His coach, Ed Moger Jr., told the Oaklawn Handicap that if all goes well, he is “thinking” about Stephen Foster. Proxy came in third in last year’s Stephen Foster.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
