Bob's Edge surges in stretch to take King Cotton

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Bob’s Edge was a giant killer on Saturday, defeating two track-record holders in Nashville and Hollis in the $150,000 King Cotton at Oaklawn Park.

He won by 2 3/4 lengths over Home Base. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third to Seven Nation Army.

Bob’s Edge ($16.60) settled off the pace as Nashville, who broke last of all, rushed up and ran the opening quarter in 21.90 seconds and the half-mile in 45.60. Bob’s Edge, under Luis Quinonez, advanced on the turn, burst to the lead in the stretch, and went on to cover six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.50.

“Bob, he just runs hard every time,” winning trainer Larry Jones said in a post-race interview broadcast by Oaklawn. “He’s just a nice horse.

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“I think it kind of helped us with Nashville breaking slow and then having to use himself to get up there and to get in his position. It sure didn’t hurt our feelings, him having to run early. Nashville is a nice horse and he’s hard to go by, but he used most of his run getting that first half-mile. We just kind of drafted in, and made Bob run. He loves that outside path. That’s what Luis was able to get.”

Nashville, who set a track record at Keeneland in 2020, finished seventh as the favorite. Hollis, who set a track record at Oaklawn in December, was the second choice and finished fifth Saturday.

Bob’s Edge is a son of Competitive Edge who races for the partnership of Michael Freeny, Patricia Freeny, and Jennifer Grayson Taylor. He has now won 5 of 12 starts and has earned $396,428.

Bob's Edge won his first stakes in the King Cotton and Jones said the horse could run back in the next race in Oaklawn's sprint series, the $200,000 Whitmore, on March 19.

The King Cotton was the last of three stakes Saturday, which featured the Southwest won by Newgrange and the Martha Washington won by Secret Oath.

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