Fields coming together for Apple Blossom, Oaklawn Handicap

The Arkansas Derby closes out the Racing Festival of the South. Other major races during the series, which features nine stakes over the final week of the meet, include the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap on Friday and the Grade 2, $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday.
Racing secretary Pat Pope had seven possible starters for the Apple Blossom as of Friday: Untapable, Call Pat, Streamline, Theogony, Forever Unbridled, Tara’s Tango, and Include Betty.
Call Pat and Streamline worked for the race Friday at Oaklawn during a special training session reserved for stakes horses. Call Pat went a half-mile in 50 seconds, with a final quarter in 23.40, according to clockers at Oaklawn. Streamline went five-eighths in 1:01.80.
Grade 1 winner Tara’s Tango is scheduled to ship from Santa Anita to Oaklawn on Wednesday, and is to be ridden by Bejarano.
Pope’s list of possible starters for the Oaklawn Handicap includes Blofeld, Carve, Domain’s Rap, Effinex, Financial Modeling, Melatonin, and Upstart. Point Piper is expected to arrive Wednesday for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. He is scheduled to add blinkers, and be ridden by Martin Garcia.
Effinex is scheduled to arrive Monday from New York.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he plans to start Natchez.