Gaming draws the rail for 3-year-old debut in Southwest Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Eclipse Award finalist Gaming will battle impressive maiden winners Patch Adams and American Promise for Kentucky Derby points next Saturday at Oaklawn Park when he breaks from the rail in the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes that drew 10.

The 1 1/16-mile race was won last year by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan when worth $800,000. The first five finishers from this year’s richer Southwest will earn points on a sliding scale of 20-10-6-4-2. It goes as the 10th race, with a post time of 4:10 p.m. Central, on a 12-race card that starts an hour earlier than usual, at 11:25 a.m.

The Southwest Day card also features the $300,000 Martha Washington, a Kentucky Oaks points race that drew the multiple Grade 1-placed Quietside and the unbeaten Fair Grounds stakes winner Her Laugh. The $150,000 Fifth Season is for older horses at one mile, while the $150,000 King Cotton puts the spotlight on older sprinters. There also are two overnight stakes on the first major stakes program of the season at Oaklawn.

Gaming, set as the 2-1 morning-line favorite, will be making his 3-year-old debut after a campaign last year in which he won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and third in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Trainer Bob Baffert, who has won six runnings of the Southwest, has given the mount to Juan Hernandez. Gaming worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

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Patch Adams, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 on Sunday at Payson Park, will start from post 7. He is making his two-turn debut after a more than 10-length win in a maiden special weight over seven furlongs Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs. For the effort, Patch Adams earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. Flavien Prat has the mount for trainer Brad Cox.

American Promise, who earned a Beyer of 95 for a maiden special weight win around two turns at Oaklawn, drew post 8. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has given the mount to the red-hot apprentice rider Tyler Bacon.

The complete Southwest field from the rail with riders and odds set by Oaklawn linemaker Rick Lee: Gaming, Hernandez (2-1); Publisher, Erik Asmussen (12-1); Monet’s Magic, Francisco Arrieta (15-1); Tiztastic, Keith Asmussen (10-1); Render Judgment, Manny Esquivel (15-1); Sandman, Cristian Torres (5-1); Patch Adams, Prat (5-2); American Promise, Bacon (6-1); Bon Temps, Nik Juarez (30-1); and Speed King, Rafael Bejarano (15-1).

Kenny McPeek, who trains Mystik Dan, has Render Judgment in this year’s Southwest.

Erik Asmussen, an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey, will be riding as a journeyman on Saturday's card at Oaklawn.

The Martha Washington drew a field of six led by Quietside and Her Laugh. It goes as the ninth race Saturday.

Quietside is coming off a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs. She will break from the rail and trainer John Ortiz has given the mount to Ricardo Santana Jr.

Her Laugh won the Untapable at Fair Grounds in her most recent start and on Sunday at the New Orleans track breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds. Axel Concepcion has the mount from post 4 for trainer Whit Beckman.

McPeek, who won last year’s Martha Washington with Band of Gold, has entered Take Charge Milady and Gowell’s Delight. The field is completed by Adeera and Legal Empress.

The first five finishers will earn Kentucky Oaks points on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2.

The forecast for Saturday is a high of 56 degrees, with cloudy skies and a 17 percent chance of precipitation, according to AccuWeather.

Oaklawn will have a Mystik Dan bobblehead giveaway Saturday.

The track opens its raceweek Thursday after having canceled the holiday card Monday due to an arctic front. The Monday card has been moved as drawn to Thursday.

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