Bravo planning to winter at Oaklawn Park

Jockey Joe Bravo, a winner of more than 5,000 races, plans to winter at the Oaklawn Park meet, which opens on Jan. 25, according to his agent, Tony King.

Bravo is currently based at Fair Grounds.

King said Bravo has stakes engagements at Fair Grounds on Jan. 19. He also said the rider is scheduled to team with True Timber in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

True Timber is coming off a runner-up finish to Patternrecognition in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile. Bravo was aboard for Calumet Farm and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Bravo, who long has been a fixture on the East Coast, has had just a handful of mounts at Oaklawn through the years. He won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby with Danza in 2014 and the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap with Upstart in 2016. Bravo also won the Smarty Jones in 2012 with Junebugred.

There were a couple of reasons to head to Arkansas, said King, who also will represent Fernando Del La Cruz.

“The purses, and opportunity to hopefully ride live horses for several different people,” King said Saturday.

Bravo on Saturday won the $75,000 Pan Zareta at Fair Grounds for trainer Brad Cox, who also has a division of horses at Oaklawn.

Bravo is a career winner of 5,331 races, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form. Bravo has won multiple titles at Monmouth Park, and has won Grade 1 races on Sheer Drama, Big Blue Kitten, Blue Prize, A.P. Indian, Army Mule, Bradester, and Zipessa, among others.

King said De La Cruz is scheduled to begin working horses Sunday at Oaklawn.