By My Standards looks for path to Breeders' Cup Classic

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – By My Standards emerged from his career-best performance in the Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday in good order and now has a goal of targeting a Grade 1 race, trainer Bret Calhoun said Sunday.

By My Standards was a 1 3/4-length winner of the Oaklawn Handicap, defeating a field that included Santa Anita Handicap winner Combatant and Grade 2 winners Mr Freeze, Tacitus, and Tax.

“I thought it was a really, really good field of quality horses,” Calhoun said.

By My Standards tracked the pace and went on to cover the 1 1/8 miles in a sharp 1:47.80. The time was the fastest of four 1 1/8-mile races on Saturday’s card, including two divisions of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. It also was the fastest Oaklawn Handicap win since Medaglia d’ Oro in 1:47.66 on April 5, 2003.

For the effort, By My Standards earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 102.

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“He was really impressive,” Calhoun said. “He wasn’t emptied out at the end. He was still running through the wire.”

By My Standards came into the race off a win in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic in March at Fair Grounds. He remained at Oaklawn on Sunday and will soon ship to Kentucky.

“He came out of it very well,” Calhoun said. “He walked early this morning and when they put him back in his stall he bucked and squealed. I thought that was a very good sign."

Calhoun said plans for By My Standards are yet to be determined, with racing schedules having been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t really know what the next spot is,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve got to wait and see where and when we start racing. At some point in time this year, we’d like to chase a Grade 1. There’s not a lot of them out there until later in the year. We’ll take our time.

“I thought we’d point toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic. We’ll figure out what all the races are here in the coming weeks and kind of work backwards from there, the Breeders' Cup. Hopefully, we’ll get some kind of campaign together for him. So much is up in the air still. We don’t know where all the races are going to be, but hopefully, in the next few weeks, we’ll have a clearer picture.”

Calhoun said one of the appeals of the Breeders’ Cup Classic this November is the fact that it will be run in Kentucky, at Keeneland.

By My Standards went over $1 million in earnings Saturday. He is a son of Goldencents and last year won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. He is now 3 for 3 at 1 1/8 miles, with all of those wins coming in Grade 2 races. By My Standards is owned by Allied Racing Stable.