Informed Patriot punches Preakness Stakes ticket with Bath House Row victory

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Informed Patriot earned a berth into the Preakness Stakes on Saturday when he held off surging stablemate Imperial Gun for a head win in the $200,000 Bath House Row at Oaklawn Park.

It was another four lengths back in third to Gould’s Gold.

The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds was the first of three stakes on the card. The top two finishers are trained by Steve Asmussen.

Informed Patriot ($8.80) broke well and settled right off pacesetter Maximus Magic, who set fractions of 23.55 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.86 for the half-mile and 1:13.89 for six furlongs. Informed Patriot moved to the fore soon afterward and went on after straightening up for home. Informed Patriot covered the distance on a track upgraded to fast in 1:51.48.

Ricardo Santana Jr. was aboard the winner for J. Kirk and Judy Robison.

“Ricardo got away cleanly today and was in a perfect, comfortable position,” Asmussen said in a post-race interview conducted by Oaklawn.

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Asmussen said plans for Informed Patriot will be determined after discussions with the Robisons. The trainer won this race last year with Red Route One, who went on to finish fourth in the Preakness.

Informed Patriot is a son of Hard Spun and a full brother to Spun to Run, a Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner who earned $1.1 million. Informed Patriot earned $114,000 for the win, and overall is 2 for 8 for career earnings of $313,140.

Informed Patriot won his first stakes race in the Bath House Row. He came into the race off fifth-place finishes in both the Arkansas Derby, won by Muth, and the Sunland Park Derby, won by Stronghold.

Winnable in Valley of the Vapors

Winnable unleashed a three-wide move on the turn and caught pacesetter Neom Beach nearing the wire for a length win in the $200,000 Valley of the Vapors. It was another length back in third to Tx Women for Arts.

The Valley of the Vapors was a one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. It ended at the sixteenth pole, as with all mile races at Oaklawn.

Winnable ($6.60) settled off the pace as Neom Beach took the field through an opening quarter in 23.86 seconds, a half-mile in 48.51 and six furlongs in 1:13.60. Winnable began her bid on the final turn, and closed with good energy while covering the distance on a fast track in 1:39.38.

Colby Hernandez was aboard for trainer Kenny McPeek.

“I think she was really just getting going at the top of the stretch,” Hernandez told Oaklawn publicity. “When she switched to her right lead, she started digging, finding more and more down the stretch.”

Winnable is a daughter of Justify who races for her breeder, Stoneleigh Farm. She is now 2 for 3.

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