Caldwell dominates owner standings going into second half
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Danny Caldwell took quick command of the owner standings at Oaklawn Park by winning two races on the first card of the meet Jan. 13, and little has changed approaching the second half of the season. Caldwell had 15 wins through Sunday, eight more than second-leading owner Muddy Waters Stables.
Caldwell, a 51-year-old native of Oklahoma, was tied for fourth among owners in wins in North America through Sunday. He has won the last three titles at Oaklawn and wrapped up his record eighth Remington Park title for Thoroughbreds in December.
Caldwell also leads all Oaklawn owners in stable earnings at this meet with $507,342 through Sunday. He moved his horses into the track shortly after the Remington meet closed in mid-December.
“We’ve had a really good start,” Caldwell said. “We were prepared, and everything fell into place. Our Remington horses ran really well early.”
Caldwell gives a great deal of credit to trainer Federico Villafranco, who ranked second in the standings through Sunday.
“Without Freddie and his team, I wouldn’t have any success,” Caldwell said.
Domain’s Rap is the star of the barn. He won the $125,000 Fifth Season on opening day and was to run back at Oaklawn on Monday in the Grade 3, $500,000 Razorback Handicap. Other top runners for the stable include Boalt Hall, who goes in the featured eighth race Thursday. He is part of a nine-horse field for the optional $40,000 claiming sprint over six furlongs. Boalt Hall will start as a top choice after winning a first-level allowance here Jan. 15 and running third in an allowance for non-winners of three lifetime Jan. 28.
“He ran a big race last time,” Caldwell said. “He got in a speed duel with Jazzy Times. We went real fast, went fast too early, and it killed both of us.”
Jazzy Times, who was Grade 1-placed last year in Southern California, runs in the seventh race Thursday at Oaklawn. The optional $40,000 claiming sprint also drew One Fine Dream, a leading Iowa-bred looking for his sixth straight win in his first out since September.
Ramon Vazquez will ride Boalt Hall, a son of Scat Daddy who will break from post 9.
Other quality winners for the Caldwell operation at this meet include Snickerboxer. He’s the meet’s leading runner in wins, going 3 for 3 this season while climbing the class ladder. Snickerboxer’s last score came Feb. 16 in an optional $50,000 claiming route for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81. Overall, he has won his last four starts since Caldwell claimed him for $10,000 in November at Churchill Downs.
A Gala Day was placed second in the $125,000 American Beauty last month at Oaklawn and could again see stakes action in the future, Caldwell said. Choir Director dominated a $25,000 conditioned claimer this month and popped a career-high 89 Beyer.
“We put blinkers on, and it seemed to wake him up,” Caldwell said. “He went in 1:09 and change. We were really pleased with his performance.”
P C Cowboy, who was a maiden special weight winner last month at Oaklawn, was scheduled to run in the Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest on Monday, but not for Caldwell. He sold the horse the day before entries were drawn, so P C Cowboy now races for Thomas Julian, also of Oklahoma.
“They wanted to buy him, and I decided to go ahead sell him,” Caldwell said.
No doubt the Caldwell barn will come up with another winner really soon.