Keepmeinmind, the top 3-year-old based at Oaklawn Park, will bypass an intended start in the track’s Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes on Saturday and instead point to its Rebel Stakes, trainer Robertino Diodoro said Tuesday.
The field for the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes rescheduled for Saturday at Oaklawn Park could be larger than initially anticipated as new nominees like Southern California-based Spielberg have committed to the points race for the Kentucky Derby.
Run Classic scored a sharp second-start win Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds, going from a promising runner-up finish in his sprint debut Jan. 17 to a 3 1/2-length dirt-route maiden win that produced an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. His trainer, Bret Calhoun, saw enough in the recent performance to aim Run Classic for the Louisiana Derby.
The trainer Brad Cox had not one, but two 2020 champions all dressed up and ready to go to their first race of 2021. Then winter hit Arkansas with a fury.
Less than four weeks ago, Prime Factor was all the rage heading into the Grade 3 Holy Bull here. But after finishing a tiring third as the even-money favorite in his stakes debut, Prime Factor will take a back seat to both Holy Bull winner Greatest Honour and Breeders' Cup hero Fire at Will when he gets a second chance on the Triple Crown trail in Saturday's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
Kendrick Carmouche, the leading jockey at the Aqueduct meet, will be here Saturday to ride Fire At Will in the Fountain of Youth and at least two other mounts.
Prevalence, the exciting Godolphin homebred who made a flashy career debut on the Jan. 23 Pegasus World Cup undercard, missed a scheduled workout at the Palm Meadows training center after spiking a temperature recently and will not be in action at Gulfstream Park this week as was hoped.
Life Is Good, winner of the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita in his stakes debut and the most highly-regarded 3-year-old in Southern California, breezed five furlongs in 59.60 seconds on Sunday in preparation for the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 6.
Cafe Pharoah earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar with an attractive win in Sunday’s Group 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.
The top five finishers from the Jan. 30 Holy Bull plus a Breeders' Cup winner are among the prospective starters for the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, which will be run next Saturday (Feb. 27) for the 74th time at Gulfstream Park.
