Rebel

Last Sunday's GII Rebel Stakes third-place finisher Litmus Test (Nyquist) will stay in Hot Springs to contest the GI Arkansas Derby March 28 for trainer Bob Baffert. Speaking of his Arkansas runners from last weekend, Baffert said that while his GIII Honeybee Stakes winner Explora (Blame) had shipped back to California, Litmus Test would remain at Oaklawn through the end of the month. "I didn't want to bring him all the way back here and ship him back," Baffert said. "He's there. I want to give him another chance. I...

Silent Tactic (Tacitus), winner of the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 6 and narrow runner-up in Sunday's GII Rebel S., will be pointed to the $1.5-million GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Mar. 28, per trainer Mark Casse. "I thought Cristian (Torres) gave him a good trip," Casse said. "He was a little keener, which wasn't surprising to me because he's trained keener. He ended up settling for Cristian, but it took a little bit of doing. He was wanting to go. I think if you look at his numbers, especially if...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for this weekend's trio of GI Kentucky Derby preps--Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park and GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct and Sunday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. - Commandment (Into Mischief) is a deserving favorite and the horse to beat in this absolutely loaded renewal of the Coolmore Fountain of Youth. He kicked off the New Year in style, splitting horses at the top of the stretch en route to a...

The Week in Review by T.D. Thornton Secret Oath (Arrogate)'s big winning move despite trip trouble in Saturday's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park launched the 3-year-old filly to the forefront of conversation just at the precise time the sport needs a little diversion from anything having to do with lawsuits, trainer banishments, and the GI Kentucky Derby. There is no question that the D. Wayne Lukas trainee looms large atop the leaderboard for the GI Kentucky Oaks and that her 86-year-old conditioner isn't crazy for at least considering running...

Wayne Lukas has won the GI Kentucky Oaks four times, but should there be a fifth this year it would no doubt be among the most special accomplishments of this Hall of Famer's career. He's no longer able to attack the race with an arsenal of well-bred, expensive and talented horses sent his way by some of the sport's biggest owners. Those days are long gone. Instead, the 86-year-old trainer will have to overcome the odds and an inherent bias in the sport against older trainers and try to win...

Pending approval from the Arkansas Racing Commission, Oaklawn plans to conduct its regular 57-day meet highlighted by four $1-million stakes races--$1-million GII Rebel S., $1-million GI Arkansas Derby, $1-million GII Oaklawn H. and $1-million GI Apple Blossom H.--and the richest purse structure in its 117-year history. The 2021 season, which will be accentuated by the opening of a multi-purpose event center and a luxury 200-room hotel overlooking the track, is scheduled to run Friday, Jan. 22--Saturday, May 1. In addition, 21 stakes will have their purses raised by at least...

Just five days after he attended the races at Oaklawn Park, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. "This is not just about social distancing," Payton told ESPN. "It's shutting down here for a week to two weeks. If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. It's not complicated to do what they're asking of us. Just that...

'TDN Rising Star' Nadal (Blame) made it a perfect three-for-three digging down gamely to deliver as the 4-5 favorite in wire-to-wire fashion in Saturday's $1-million GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. Removing blinkers for this first two-turn test, the rail-drawn bay was hustled to the front by Joel Rosario and was immediately hounded by unbeaten Louisiana-bred No Parole (Violence) and the returning GI American Pharoah S. runner-up American Theorem (American Pharoah) rounding the clubhouse turn. No Parole backed off, but the two California invaders continued to throw down through sharp...

With escalating fears over the spread of coronavirus, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort has decided to run all races this weekend without on-site spectators, it was announced late Thursday evening. Saturday's card is headed by the $1-million GII Rebel S. for 3-year-olds. Oaklawn President Louis Cella said, "We represent the sport of kings. As such, we will act in a similar fashion to other sports organizations throughout the country. The health and safety of our fans, horsemen, and team members have always been and will continue to be our top priorities."...