Ortiz Relishing His Position Heading into Saturday’s Arkansas Derby
At 0h46, on April 2, 2022 • By OAKLAWN PARK
To win the biggest race of his career, trainer John Ortiz will have to topple one of the biggest names in Thoroughbred history.
Ortiz will send out the consistent Barber Road in Saturday’s $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1), which is Oaklawn’s fourth and final points race for the Kentucky Derby. The 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby also attracted star filly Secret Oath, who is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, 86, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner and member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Ortiz was just 13 when Lukas, a former high school basketball coach, captured his fourth Kentucky Derby in 1999, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. A former assistant to Kellyn Gorder, Ortiz, 36, struck out on his own in 2016 and is seeking his first Kentucky Derby starter.
“It’s fun to run against Wayne Lukas – period,” Ortiz said following Barber Road’s final work for the Arkansas Derby Sunday morning at Oaklawn. “I turned to the ‘Coach’ one time with the first stakes filly that I had. Her name was Sully’s Dream and I was actually on her. He was sitting on his pony and we were actually standing by the gate here at Oaklawn. I looked at him and said, ‘Coach, I know we don’t talk much and I’m just new, but I’ve got a little conflict.’”
Ortiz said he wasn’t sure whether to run Sully’s Dream in an allowance race or the $50,000 Houston Distaff Stakes in January 2018 at Sam Houston. Ortiz said he believed Sully’s Dream could win the Houston Distaff, but she also still had an allowance condition. Reaching this fork in the road, Ortiz asked Lukas to point him in the right direction.
“He goes, ‘Johnny, go with your heart,’” Ortiz said. “He’s like, ‘I’ve won more stakes races that I shouldn’t have been in than the ones I point to.’ Guess what? I turned around and won that race.”
Sully’s Dream provided Ortiz with his first career stakes victory. Four years later, Barber Road is trying to give Ortiz his biggest career stakes victory in the Arkansas Derby, which highlights Saturday’s 13-race card. The Arkansas Derby will go as the 12th race, with probable post 6:35 p.m. (Central). First post is noon. Weather permitting, the infield will be open.
The Arkansas Derby will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. While Secret Oath is 3 for 3 at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting (winning her races against 3-year-old fillies, including two stakes, by a combined 23 lengths), Barber Road is still seeking a breakthrough victory.
Barber Road finished second in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 mile Jan. 1 and $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29 and third in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26. Barber Road collected 18 points for those finishes and ranks 20th on Kentucky Derby leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs. A top three finish in the Arkansas Derby likely would secure Barber Road a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.
“It’s just exciting to be in this position for the first time,” said Ortiz, who trains Barber Road for former Walmart executive William Simon. “I’m pumped. It’s crazy.”
