Bandit Point takes fourth shot at Nodouble Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Bandit Point has been one of the top Arkansas-breds in training for years and on Saturday he will make his fourth appearance in the $150,000 Nodouble at Oaklawn Park.

The six-furlong race is for 3-year-olds and up bred in Arkansas. It shares a card with the $150,000 Downthedustyroad at the same distance. The latter race is restricted to Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, and recent allowance winner Connie K could go favored over the capable Kaboom Baby.

Bandit Point is part of a 10-horse field that includes Tempt Fate, the reigning Arkansas-bred of the year who won last year’s Nodouble; K J’s Nobility, who won the Nodouble in 2020; and Gar Hole, who won the allowance prep for this year’s Nodouble.

Bandit Point first ran in the Nodouble at the age of 4 and finished third. He returned a year later and was second to K J’s Nobility, then ran third to Tempt Fate in 2021. Now 7, Bandit Point is seeking to nail down an elusive first stakes win Saturday.

“He’s been such a victim of pace scenario,” said Robert Cline, who owns and trains Bandit Point. “They’ve got to go quick for him to really shine. If nobody goes out there and presses the pace, it’s hard for him to close.

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“Hopefully, he gets a quick pace, and if it happened to rain, that wouldn’t bother me.”

Bandit Point used his closing kick to finish first over Tempt Fate in a Dec. 12 allowance at Oaklawn. However, following the race Bandit Point was disqualified for interference and placed 11th. Since that start, he’s run third in the allowance prep for the Nodouble, which Gar Hole won over Tempt Fate on Feb. 13 at Oaklawn.

“Obviously, Tempt Fate and Gar Hole, they’re tough,” Cline said. “We can’t spot them too much from the quarter pole home.

“I think with a little luck and with us being in contention turning for home, we could probably make it interesting.”

Kelsi Harr, the regular rider of Bandit Point, has the mount from post 2.

Cline, 37, purchased Bandit Point privately for $3,000. The four-time winner has run first, second, or third in 21 of his 40 career starts and to date has earned $370,863. Bandit Point is a son of the Jump Start stallion Indy Squall.

“We got him as a yearling and needless to say, he wasn’t an expensive buy,” Cline said. “He’s certainly overachieved. He was a nice-looking horse, but you never could foresee a $3,000 horse earning [nearly] $400,000.

“I do plan to stand him at stud eventually, give him an opportunity. He’s such a big, pretty horse.”

Cline, who earlier in his career galloped such top-class runners as Havre de Grace, Hard Spun, Joyful Victory, and Old Fashioned, is hoping the fourth time is the charm for Bandit Point on Saturday.

“We always dream of winning a stakes with him, but somebody always messes up my plan,” he joked. “He’s a good horse. There’s not too many times we’ve led him up there that he hasn’t made his run.

“He’s tried and true.”