Arabian Knight handles slop, two turns in Southwest romp

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Arabian Knight looked like more than a million dollars Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

He looked like $2.3 million.

The exciting 3-year-old ran to his purchase price when he shuttled to a 5 1/2-length win over Red Route One in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes. It was another two lengths back in third to Frosted Departure.

The start was Arabian Knight’s first since an outstanding debut win on the Breeders’ Cup Saturday undercard Nov. 5 at Keeneland. The son of Uncle Mo was tackling two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest and shipped to town from his base at Santa Anita.

Arabian Knight ($2.80) was confronted with some wet weather and a field of more seasoned runners, but he handled the new variables with aplomb. He was in command of the Southwest heading into the first turn, and went on to set fractions of 22.98 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.82 for the half-mile, and 1:11.88 for six furlongs under regular rider John Velazquez.

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Frosted Departure, a stakes winner, chased the leader, made a bid heading into the stretch, but was rebuffed, just as stakes winner Jace’s Road was when he made his bid on the final turn. Arabian Knight went on to win on a sloppy, sealed track in a strong time of 1:43.50.

“You’re always hoping they run that way,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Arabian Knight. “The mud, I wasn’t really worried about the mud. [His grandsire] Indian Charlie loved the mud. Those good horses, they’ll handle it.

“The break was good and once he got away from there Johnny got him in a nice rhythm. I knew down the backstretch if he gets beat, it’s too far for him. He just handled it. They came to him, and he went on. He’s just an amazing horse.”

Velazquez said Arabian Knight put him in a good position from the start Saturday.

“He made it look easy,” he told the Oaklawn publicity department. “He broke well and I took advantage of it.”

Zedan Racing Stables purchased Arabian Knight at the spring 2-year-olds in training auction put on by the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. in April.

Arabian Knight earned $458,250 for the win, to improve his career bankroll to $544,275.

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The Southwest offered Kentucky Derby points to the first five finishers, but the 20 that would normally go to the winner were forfeited because Arabian Knight was ineligible to collect them as Churchill Downs is not accepting Kentucky Derby entries from Baffert this year.

The remaining points went to the second- through fifth-place finishers: Red Route Run (8), Frosted Departure (6), Sun Thunder (4), and Jace’s Road (2).

Baffert was winning the Southwest for the sixth time in his career. Last year, he teamed with Velazquez to win the race with Newgrange. Baffert also won the race in 2010 with Conveyance, won split divisions with Castaway and Secret Circle in 2012, and in 2013 with Super Ninety Nine.

Handle on the 11-race card Saturday was $11.8 million from all sources, according to Oaklawn. The estimated attendance was 27,000.

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