First Division bred to get the added ground

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The debut winner First Division will get the added distance he’s bred to appreciate Friday when he moves to two turns in the featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park.

The first-level allowance for 3-year-olds will be run at 1 1/16 miles and has an optional-claiming price of $150,000. The field of seven includes McDude and Rio Chama, who exit an allowance won by Sandman. Landing Craft owns the field’s best Beyer Speed Figure, an 81.

First Division, a son of Arkansas Derby winner Omaha Beach, launched his career Jan. 18 at Oaklawn and closed from ninth for a half-length victory in a maiden race over six furlongs.

“For him to win going short was impressive,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “I think he’s going to like the stretch-out. You know, he’s a half-brother to Corningstone and Ice Cold.”

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Both of those runners have won stakes around two turns, with Corningstone the local division leader among fillies and mares. McPeek has entered Corningstone in the Grade 3 Bayakoa on Saturday at Oaklawn.

Julien Leparoux, who has the mount on Corningstone, will be aboard First Division when he breaks from post 6 on Friday for Deann Baer, Brett Logan, and Bill Baxter.

McPeek and Leparoux have been a formidable team this meet. They have gone 11 for 45 together, including winning a trio of stakes. The success of the Kentucky-based duo is nothing new.

“He’s ridden for me for a couple of decades,” McPeek said. “He’s won for me for a long time.”

Leparoux is seventh in the Oaklawn standings with 14 wins from 65 starts for mount earnings of $1.2 million. He leads the top 15 riders in win percentage, with a 22 percent strike rate.

McPeek is tied atop the Oaklawn trainer standings with Steve Asmussen. McPeek had won 14 races from 67 starters through Sunday for total stable earnings of $1.2 million.

“We’ve got a good team, a nice group of horses, clients that will let us run where they can win,” McPeek said. “It’s gone really well. We’ve got a lot of stuff falling into place.”

McDude and Rio Chama finished a respective fifth and sixth to Sandman in a Dec. 13 allowance. Sandman returned to run a troubled second in the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes.

McDude and Rio Chama were both making their two-turn debuts in the allowance. McDude on Friday will break from the rail, with Fernando Jara aboard for trainer John Ortiz.

Rio Chama, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Secret Spice, will start from post 2. Trainer Michael Stidham has given the mount to Oaklawn leading rider Cristian Torres.

Landing Craft is facing winners for the first time after a Jan. 17 maiden score going a mile at Oaklawn. He led throughout to earn a career-high Beyer of 81.

Authentic Gallop is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Kopion, Grade 3 winner Ami’s Flatter, and Prince of Wales winner Ami’s Gizmo.

◗ In the seventh race, half-siblings Navy Seal, Lochmoor, and Cooler King will break from the respective posts of 5, 6, and 7.

The horses are out of the mare Copperelle. Lochmoor is one of three stakes winners she has produced, the others being Weast Hill and Usual Suspect. The Friday race is an allowance sprint for Arkansas-breds that should produce stakes starters.

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