There figure to be plenty of George Washingtons and Abe Lincolns put through the pari-mutuel windows Monday afternoon at Oaklawn Park, which plays host to a competitive renewal of the GIII Southwest S., the second local prep for the GI Kentucky Derby.
Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled the Southwest winner on four different occasions since 2010, including two victories in 2012 when the race split and won by stablemates Castaway (Street Sense) and Secret Circle (Eddington). The barn is represented this time around by Collected (City Zip), who breaks from the rail in this bulky field. By the sire of turf champion Dayatthespa, Collected got his start over the downhill course at Santa Anita and graduated by a nose at first asking last October, then led late in the one-mile GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. at Del Mar Nov. 29, but was run down late by Dressed In Hermes (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Green-lighted for a dirt try in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 9, the chestnut was forced to cover some ground, but found the line a length better than stablemate Let's Meet In Rio (Flatter). He'll have his fair share of admirers Monday, but will likely need to step up his game to be a factor here.
Trainer Ron Moquett reached out to Hall of Famer Mike Smith to partner with Far Right (Notional) on the road to Louisville last winter, and it proved a fruitful arrangement with wins in the Smarty Jones S. and this event ahead of a distant second to American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI Arkansas Derby. Smith is back in Hot Springs to take over at the controls of the well-regarded Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) Monday afternoon. The gelding belied debut odds of 15-1 to smash a field of Churchill maidens by 7 1/4 lengths Nov. 6, but a 15-day turnaround, a stretchout to 8 1/2 panels and–perhaps–sloppy conditions underfoot in the GIII Delta Jackpot S. Nov. 21 proved a task too tall, as Whitmore faded to fifth after contesting the pace. Connections regrouped for a six-furlong allowance over this strip Jan. 16, and despite a fairly rough passage, he came through at the fence and pulled clear to score by open lengths before galloping out strongly.
Discreetness (Discreet Cat), who drew the dreaded outside gate for this attempt, outfinished Toby Keith's Gordy Florida (Cactus Ridge) to take this year's Smarty Jones S. by a neck Jan. 16, as Synchrony (Tapit) closed well enough to finish third, just ahead of Luna de Loco (Mailbu Moon). Cutacorner (Even the Score), trained by the legendary Jack Van Berg, has form through Discreetness, having finished a running-on fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in Remington's Springboard Mile Dec. 13. The gray colt dropped back into a two-lifetime allowance over course and distance Jan. 21 and stayed on very nicely to best the pacesetting, but wayward American Dubai (E Dubai) and Torrontes (Macho Uno), the latter of which was hampered badly in the waning yards by American Dubai.
Bird of Trey (Birdstone) is an interesting new shooter for John Servis, who sent out Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality) to annex this race a dozen years ago en route to his rendezvous with history in the Triple Crown. A Pennsylvania-bred, Bird of Trey followed in the hoofprints of Smarty Jones in winning the restricted Pennsylvania Nursery S. to close out his freshman campaign, but was a disappointing and distant fourth when last seen in Aqueduct's GIII Jerome S. Jan. 2.
The Southwest is the final race on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' that offers points on a 10-4-2-1 schedule. Next Saturday's GII Risen Star S. begins the 50-point races.
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