Hall of Fame coach D. Wayne Lukas said he plans to cover a variety of topics in his keynote address on March 2 during the Association for Human Services and Defense’s annual conference. from the National Knights at Oaklawn Parkof the luxury hotel overlooking the first turn of the track.
“I think we’ll try to entertain them a little bit,” Lukas said on Sunday morning. “We will cover all kinds of topics. There can be pluses and minuses in terms of where the trainers are located at this time of year and for this era and where the ownership is and where the tracks are. I will bounce everywhere. “
Perhaps, Lukas, 86, could say a word or two about his horses. After all, one of Thoroughbred racing’s most iconic figures has a lot to say these days after nearly wiping out Oaklawn’s two major 3-year prep races on February 26.
D. Wayne Lukas
Lukas has won $300,000 in Honey Bee Shares (G3) for popular fillings Secret Vow , which is 7 ½ in length representing her third straight win at the meeting. Almost three hours later, Lukas finished second in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) with The path of purity who has lost half its length by one eye Un Ojo an outsider 75-1.
“That dead dog was running a lot faster than the pony, and she was in control of the cruise and they were being steered,” Lukas said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’ll keep it one and one for now, for sure. “
Lukas is referring to further racing plans for Secret Oath and Ethereal Road, namely the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) and the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Both races take place on April 2 in Oaklawn.
Secret Oath – has clearly cemented her status as Oaklawn’s top 3-year-old by recording the third-biggest winning margin in the Honeybee’s 35-year history. A hybrid of Briland Farms (Robert and Stacy Mitchell), Secret Oath covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.74 under the lead of Luis Contreras. She gets a rough Equibase speed figure of 100.
Secret Oath earned a spot in the Kentucky Oaks with a Honeybee win, topping the leaderboard for the Kentucky Oaks, with 60 points, including 50 for her Honeybee win. Since the fat man dominated the meeting, Lukas said Secret Oath could be a candidate to challenge the men for the first time to the 1 1/8 mile Arkansas Derby. Lukas won the 1984 Arkansas Derby against Althea.
“Right now, she’ll be on the Road of Illusion and the Path of Purity will be at the Derby (Arkansas),” Lukas said.
From the first season of the deceased Arrogate champion, Secret Oath has won three starts at the meet for a total of 23 times. She was an 8 grant winner on December 31 and won $200,000 in Martha Washington Shares on January 29 by 7 lengths.
Ethereal Road launched its stake after an eye-catching first four-way win that ultimately caught the eye at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 29. Ethereal Road, 15-1 in Rebel Staking (G2), narrowly tied for the lead in the middle before being examined inside by Un Ojo. The final time on the fast track – the surface turned jagged because of the rain – was 1:45.69 in 1 1/16 miles.
“You can grow that pony,” Lukas said. “I think Luis moved the same way he did when he won the first race. If he sat a little longer, I think we’d get that too. But he ran a good race. I don’t want to be a critic”.
Ethereal Road won 20 points when it came to second and placed fourth on the Kentucky Derby rankings. Un Ojo collected 50 points for his Rebel victory and rose to 2nd place overall with 54 points.
Un Ojo defeated Ethereal Road and Barber Road in Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park
A New York hybrid of the late Laoban, Un Ojo earned a preliminary Equibase Speed Index of 91 when he won the Rebel under Ramon Vazquez.
Clay Courville, who carried Un Ojo in the absence of his father, coach Ricky Courville, said February 27 that the gelding had escaped Rebel in good condition and would be taken to the Copper Training Center Crowne in Opelousas, La tomorrow morning. Ricky Courville says he keeps about 30 horses at Copper Crowne, five minutes away Evangeline Downs.
“He’s feeling good,” said Clay Courville, 25, who broke and galloped Un Ojo. “He’s ready to get off the stall).”
Un Ojo finished in the last two runner-ups in Aqueduct race track for trainer Tony Dutrow, including $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) at 1 1/8 mile Feb. 5. Un Ojo was shipped back to Ricky Courville for Rebel, arriving Tuesday after being flown in from New York to Memphis via FedEx and shipped 190 km Hot Springs Distance.
“It still feels unreal, you know?” Clay Courville, who supports his father, said.
Un Ojo, who lost his left eye in a meadow accident as a child, is owned by Cypress Creek Equine (Kevin Moody). Ricky Courville said in a phone interview after the uprising that he would talk to Cypress Creek about his plans for the next race for Un Ojo (Spanish for “one-eyed”).
“Give him a couple of weeks and maybe come back for the Arkansas Derby in a week, like we did,” Courville said.
Ethereal Road has completed a previous stitch Haircut line , who finished as runner-up in Oaklawn’s first two Kentucky Derby scoring races – Jan. 1 Smarty Jones Stock and Southwest Stock on January 29 (G3) –for coach John Ortiz. Barber Road has 18 points to place fifth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
Ortiz said Sunday morning that Barber Road had exited the Rebel in good condition and would likely be assigned for the Arkansas Derby.
“Just one step away from being a winner,” Ortiz said. “I think the Arkansas Derby is the one we’re looking at right now. Obviously, we’ll let him tell us where we’re going from here. But the Arkansas Derby was the warehouse’s dream. ”
Ortiz also finished second in Fantasy with Ice orchid to breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. Ice Orchid, daughter of Super savings earned 20 points for runner-up and placed 7th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.
Ortiz said: “It’s great to be back, it looks great. “It feels like she’s hit the best numbers of her career again. She was just out there to practice a little bit for the points and now we focus on Fantasy. Now Keeneland Editing to open, but Fantasy is exactly what we wanted to win. “
Coach Rodolphe Brisset says Yugiri can also advance to Fantasy after finishing third in Jockey John Velazquez’s Honeybee on the Walk of Fame. Yuugiri hasn’t started since runner-up in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) November 27 at Churchill Downs.
Brisset said: “We just went for a jog for her and she is healthy. She broke her flat leg so the first jump wasn’t very good. She has done that in the past. She started her way up there -:23,:47, 1:12 and the shift are very solid fractions for that track. That song is pretty sticky. She just got sick on the 16th and Johnny respects her. “
Yuugiri has 14 points to place 10th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.
Brisset also recorded Rebel’s favorite odds Newgrange to coach Bob Baffert and said Violence colt seems to come out of the race in good form. Newgrange finished a weak sixth, the first loss in four career starts.
The Arkansas Derby and Fantasy are both 170-point qualifying races for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively. Both prep races will offer 100 points to the winner, 40 second, 20 third and 10 through fourth.
