Oaklawn Park has been a hot bed for Kentucky Derby contenders in recent years. Their prep races have produced names like Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Curlin, Lawyer Ron and many more. The first prep is the Southwest Stakes and it will be contested on today at the distance of one mile. Let’s take a look at some of the contenders.
Caleb’s Posse- The rail horse won the Smarty Jones last out after failing to fire as the 4/5 favorite in the $250k Springboard Mile at Remington. This two turn mile seems right up his alley. Look for him to come off the pace.
Ghost Is Clear- Normally, I might just pass by this colt. However, in the barn of Michael Maker he could be deadly. The son of Ghostzapper finally woke up last time out to win by 7 lengths against FG maidens. The race was six panels. Against him to go two extra furlongs and two turns could be a bit much. Keep any eye on him though as the Maker barn is quite dangerous.
Grant Jack- Brett Calhoun trainee is back after fading as the favorite in the Smarty Jones. Before that he won the aforementioned Springboard Mile. I like the bullet 5 furlong move since his last race. Being on the lead in the Smarty Jones was bad news for him as all the speed was dying that day. He should recover nicely here. 15-1 is a big price on a Calhoun horse and he is worth including on exotics for that reason alone.
J.P.’s Gusto- Winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity has changed barns in hopes of making it to the Kentucky Derby. This will be his second start on dirt and I’m not sure he will like it. The price is much too short at 9/5. I would toss him. There are too many good horses in here to take a short price.
Archarchach- I like this horse as my top pick. His odds are great at 10-1. He didn’t fire last out in the Smarty Jones, but before that he won the Sugar Bowl going away by 1 3/4 lengths at Fair Grounds. He pressed the pace in the Smarty Jones and as I said before speed was dying that day. Running against the bias never helps. The son of Arch has too much talent not to compete for trainer William Fires and jockey Jon Court.
Yankee Passion- Brereton Jones owned and Larry Jones trained colt won easy over this track going 6 furlongs last out. That was his first start his August. I love the 1:01 B 1/44 five furlong bullet he fired last week. Jockey Gabriel Saez should work out a nice trip just off the pace. He is very live at 8-1 and I would include him on all exotic wagers.
Elite Alex- This Tim Ritchey trainee is the buzz horse. Lots of people like the son of Afleet Alex based on his second place finish last out over this track. He had a very poor trip and only missed by a head. This will be just his third start. While I think he has a shot, there are too many good horses for me to take 4-1 on him. Look for Calvin Borel to work out a better trip this time.
Who do you like in the Southwest Stakes? I will be using Archarcharch, Grant Jack and Yankee Passion on my Pick 4 ticket.
[...] Southwest Stakes: Archarcharch ($31) [...]