Combatant puts in serious work for Southwest Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Derby Watch member Combatant worked Wednesday at Oaklawn Park as he continues preparations for the track’s Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 19.

Combatant will start as a top contender in the 1 1/16-mile race following runner-up finishes in the $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn and the $400,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park.

Combatant worked five furlongs in company in 1:01.20 on Wednesday. The drill came on a fast track, right after the renovation break. Combatant broke off a few lengths behind his workmate, stalked him, and moved even with him at the top of the stretch. Combatant moved past his mate in the stretch, with Oaklawn clocker Taylor Radimer getting Combatant’s final quarter in 23.60 seconds and his gallop-out of six furlongs in 1:13.40.

“The Southwest is the target,” trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Asmussen has two other candidates for the Southwest in Retirement Fund and Zing Zang, who worked Tuesday at Oaklawn. The pair also drilled five furlongs on a fast track, going in 1:02. The horses went into their work together, with Zing Zang on the rail, and both finished strongly, with Radimer timing their final quarter in 23.20 and their six-furlong gallop-out in 1:14.40.

Zing Zang was fourth in the Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 13 at Fair Grounds, while Retirement Fund is making his stakes debut after starting his career with a pair of route wins at Fair Grounds.

Asmussen is one of several trainers with multiple horses under serious consideration for the Southwest. Trainer Bob Baffert has Mourinho, winner of the Smarty Jones, and Zulfikhar, while Brad Cox is looking at High North, the fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill, and Ezmosh. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has Hopeful winner Sporting Chance in play, while Todd Pletcher is looking at running Impact Player and could send another runner if the Southwest is split into divisions.

The race has been split three times, most recently in 2012 when both divisions were won by Baffert. David Longinotti, director of racing for Oaklawn, said it’s too early to tell if the race will be split. The maximum gate for the stakes is 14.

The Southwest carries 17 eligibility points for the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers said that if the Southwest is split into two divisions and each division carries a $500,000 purse, then the 17 points will be awarded for each division. If the $500,000 purse is split between the divisions – $250,000 each – then the points will be halved.