D'Amato off to good start at meet, has Rockin Ready set to roll

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Southern California-based trainer Phil D’Amato is in his first Oaklawn Park season, and the horses in his local division have come out running, including Rockin Ready, who continues her dirt experiment in the track’s eighth race Thursday.

Rockin Ready will start as a top contender in the first-level allowance for fillies and mares at a mile after running second at the same level and distance earlier this month at Oaklawn. It was just her second start on the main track, but dirt has long been in the plans.

“She always trained well on it, so it was always in the back of our mind to try,” said D’Amato, who is winning at a 30 percent clip at Oaklawn. “She ran such a good race last time, we’re going to keep going with her on the dirt.”

Rockin Ready is part of an eight-horse cast that includes Crystal Lake, who ran third in the same race Rockin Ready exits; Socialite, an impressive debut winner making both her two-turn debut and her first start since August; and Dulce Ride, who is making her first start since last March at Golden Gate Fields.

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Rockin Ready won a maiden race going a mile on turf at Santa Anita and also had four second-place finishes on the grass leading up to her Feb. 2 start at Oaklawn. She will break from post 4 under jockey Richard Eramia.

“The great thing about that filly, she’s very tactical going long,” D’Amato said. “Eramia rode her well last time, and I think he learned a little bit about her during the race. I just envision her in a nice stalking position and pouncing when he chooses.”

Rockin Ready, a daughter of More Than Ready, races for Agave Racing Stable.

D’Amato has gone 3 for 10 with his starters this meet and also has a pair of seconds.

“The money is pretty impressive,” he said last week from Southern California. “I’ve got a lot of owners interested in claiming and buying horses via private purchase and campaigning them out there. We brought 12 in total and built it up to 20 horses. It’s just been great to us, and I’m looking forward to making that a mainstay.”

D’Amato said some of the horses he has at Oaklawn will eventually be part of a division in Kentucky.

“I believe the majority of them will end up back in Kentucky,” he said.

D’Amato on Thursday also has leading contender Dubnation in the fifth race at Oaklawn.

D’Amato has won 525 races from 2,862 starters and has 54 graded stakes victories, according to Daily Racing Form statistics. D’Amato’s list of Grade 1 winners includes Bowies Hero, Obviously, Ransom the Moon, and Hunt.