Ivan Fallunovalot gets a rest ahead of Oaklawn meet

If there’s one rooting interest Texas and Oklahoma have in common, it might be Ivan Fallunovalot.

The reigning Texas-bred Horse of the Year who is based at Remington Park in Oklahoma City swept into Maryland last weekend and won the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash.

Ivan Fallunovalot returned to his Remington base from Laurel Park on Monday night, said trainer Tom Howard. The horse won his fourth consecutive race in the De Francis, his final start of the year.

“Ivan came out of the race real good,” said Howard, who trains the horse for Lewis Matthews Jr.

Howard said Ivan Fallunovalot will target the $125,000 King Cotton on Feb. 4 at Oaklawn Park. The horse could ship to Hot Springs, Ark., in early December. The meet opens in January.

Calvin Borel was aboard for the De Francis, in which Ivan Fallunovalot prompted the pace, overtook leader X Y Jet, and went on to win by 4 1/2 lengths. For the effort, Ivan Fallunovalot earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99.

“When they broke, after the first quarter, Calvin said he was real comfortable where he was at,” said Howard.

Ivan Fallunovalot has won six of his last seven starts, with his lone loss during that period a ninth-place finish in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He won the $150,000 David M. Vance Sprint at Remington prior to the ship to Laurel.