Southwest Worth the Wait

A field of 11 line up Sunday for Oaklawn’s GIII Southwest S., which was postponed from its traditional spot on Presidents Day due to winter weather. Harry Rosenblum and Robert LaPenta’s Far Right (Notional) rallied up the rail to win the local Smarty Jones S. Jan. 19 going away after favored Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) veered out in deep stretch and checked in third. A third-out graduate sprinting 6 1/2 panels at Churchill Downs Sept. 13, Far Right followed with a pair of third-place finishes in that venue’s one-mile Street Sense S. Oct. 26 and with a troubled trip in the GIII Delta Downs Jackpot. S. at today’s distance Nov. 22. 

Although still eligible for a ‘one-other-than’ allowance, Mr. Z garnered significant attention after a juvenile campaign that included Grade I placings behind Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway) in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity and Dortmund (Big Brown) in the Los Alamitos Futurity. Owned by Zayat Stables LLC and trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, the chestnut got the better of Far Right in the Delta Jackpot, a race where he was beaten a nose by ‘TDN Rising Star’Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense). 

Bayerd (Speightstown) and Private Prospect (Discreet Cat), second and fourth in the Smarty Jones, also resurface here. The former, who has never been worse than third in his career, annexed Remington’s Kip Deville S. in September and the Springboard Mile in the mud Dec. 14. He is one of two Steve Asmussen trainees along with Bold Conquest (Curlin). That Ackerley Brothers Farm colorbearer finished second, beaten just a neck, to stablemate Lucky Player (Lookin at Lucky) in Churchill’s GIII Iroquois S. Sept. 6, and was a distant third when last seen in the Breeders’ Futurity. The chestnut shows some quick works at Fair Grounds leading up to this. 

Dream Walkin Farms homebred Hillbilly Royalty (Langfuhr) wasn’t entered in the Southwest the first time around, but is a most intriguing addition. The Donnie Von Hemel trainee scored first out going a mile in the Remington slop Nov. 22, and belied 13-1 odds to run away with a track-and-trip optional claimer Feb. 6.