Stakes Advance – Southwest (G3)
At 9h20, on February 3, 2024 • By OAKLAWN PARK
Dating to 2021, nationally prominent trainers Brad Cox, Bob Baffert, Steve Asmussen and Kenny McPeek have combined to win 11 of Oaklawn’s last 13 Kentucky Derby prep races.
All can build on their total in the $800,000 G3-Southwest Stakes Saturday at Oaklawn, a 1 1/16-mile race that is Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races.
Probable post time for the Southwest, the 11th of 12 races, is 5:42 p.m. (Central). First post is 12:30 a.m.
Three other stakes races will be run Saturday – $250,000 Martha Washington for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, $150,000 King Cotton for older horses at 6 furlongs, and the $150,000 American Beauty Stakes for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs.
Originally scheduled to be run Jan. 27, the four stakes races were postponed one week after winter weather prompted Oaklawn to cancel racing Jan. 14 and Jan. 19-21.
The Southwest will offer as many as 42 points to its top five eligible finishers (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) for the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown. Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $1.25 million G2-Rebel Stakes Feb. 24 and $1.5 million G1-Arkansas Derby March 30.
The 12-horse Southwest field from the rail out: Maycocks Bay (#1), Francisco Arrieta to ride, 117 pounds, 3-1 on the morning line; Charleston (#2) , Harry Hernandez, 117, 30-1; Magic Grant (#3), Chris Landeros, 117, 30-1; Otto the Conqueror (#4), Joel Rosario, 119, 5-1; Wynstock (#5), Kyle Frey, 119, 4-1; Liberal Arts (#6), Cristian Torres, 119, 8-1; Carbone (#7), Ricardo Santana Jr., 119, 9-2; Common Defense (#8), Julien Leparoux, 117, 15-1; Linebacker (#9), Emmanuel Esquivel, 117, 30-1; Mystik Dan (#10), Brian Hernandez Jr., 117, 12-1; Just Steel (#11), Ramon Vazquez, 117, 8-1; and Awesome Road (#12), Florent Geroux, 117, 8-1.
