Oaklawn Park: On Fire Baby will be back to defend Apple Blossom title

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – On Fire Baby will return to the Oaklawn Park stable of trainer Gary Hartlage in the very near future, with the objective a defense of her title in the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap.

“In two to three weeks, she’ll be here,” said Hartlage, who trains On Fire Baby for her breeder, Anita Cauley. “Our goal is to make the Azeri and the Apple Blossom.”

The Azeri, which has been upgraded from a Grade 3 to Grade 2 and boosted in value from $150,000 to $200,000, will be run at Oaklawn on March 5. The Apple Blossom is April 11.

On Fire Baby won last season’s Apple Blossom on the front end, in her first start in more than a year. She went on run three more times in 2013 and was freshened after an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland in October, Hartlage said.

“She just wasn’t herself at all,” he said.

Hartlage said retirement was debated, but On Fire Baby, who is now 5, checked out fine physically and responded to the down time. Of late, she has resumed training at her current base of Eisaman Equine in Williston, Fla.

“She’s fired up,” Hartlage said.

On Fire Baby is a winner of 5 of 12 starts and $751,974. Following her Apple Blossom win, she missed by a head when second in the Grade 2 La Troienne at Churchill Downs and also was fourth in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga in August. Earlier in her career, she won both the Grade 2 Pocahontas and Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill.

Others making up the filly and mare division this meet at Oaklawn include Grade 2 Chilukki winner Don’t Tell Sophia.

Sprint star eyes Count Fleet

Another top-class horse gearing up for the Oaklawn season is Gentlemen’s Bet, who in his last start was third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. He was given some down time following the race and is back in a regular work pattern at Oaklawn. His meet objective is the Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on April 10.

“My plans are to run him here in the sprint series,” said Ron Moquett, who trains Gentlemen’s Bet for Harry Rosenblum. “Our goal is the Count Fleet, and I’m just going to kind of back up from there.”

Moquett said at this point, he is leaning toward running the horse in next month’s $100,000 King Cotton on Feb. 8. The other local race for his division is the $100,000 Hot Springs on March 8.

In the Breeders’ Cup, Gentlemen’s Bet was prominent throughout, and at one point shook free by 1 1/2 lengths.

“I had a lot of folks come up and tell me, ‘Man, you really got our hearts racing at the head of the stretch,’ ” Moquett said. “Congratulations to the horse that won, but we thought our horse gave a good account of himself and we’re looking for improvement.”

Moquett said the overall goal with Gentlemen’s Bet this year is a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Smarty Jones begins series for 3-year-olds

Oaklawn will race Thursday through Monday next week, and the holiday card Jan. 20 will contain the track’s first stakes in its 3-year-old series, the $150,000 Smarty Jones.

The other stakes in the series are the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 17, the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel on March 15, and the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 12.

◗ Sister Ginger, winner of last year’s Martha Washington at Oaklawn, is a candidate for the $100,000 Pippin on Jan. 18, trainer Steve Asmussen said.