Oaklawn Park: Strong Mandate heads dozen lined up for Southwest

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Strong Mandate will break from post 8 in a field of 12 on Monday, when he makes his first start since the Breeders’ Cup in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. The 1 1/16-mile race is the first major local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 12.

Strong Mandate was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, after breaking from post 14. Joel Rosario was aboard, and has the mount again Monday. Others making up the Southwest cast include Tapiture, the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes winner who will break from the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr.; Louies Flower, the $250,000 Springboard Mile winner at Remington Park who drew post 4; and Ride On Curlin, the third-place finisher in the Grade 1 Champagne who will start from post 9 under Calvin Borel.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Strong Mandate opened up his lungs for the Southwest on Friday morning, breezing about a quarter of a mile.

“He just [blew] out a little,” said D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Strong Mandate.

Strong Mandate, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful last summer at Saratoga, is being pointed for the remainder of the 3-year-old series at Oaklawn, Lukas said. The horse, who did not race with Lasix last out because of a Breeders’ Cup policy, will be back on the diuretic Monday.

Tapiture worked for the Southwest between the first and second races Thursday at Oaklawn, going a half-mile in 50 seconds. He came home the final eighth in 11.60 seconds, according to Oaklawn clocker Taylor Radimer. Trainer Steve Asmussen said he was pleased with the move from Tapiture, who like Strong Mandate will be making his first start since November.

Tanzanite Cat, Walt, and Coastline, the first three finishers in last month’s $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn, all return for the Southwest. Walt will add blinkers for the race, said his trainer, Chris Hartman.

The complete field from the rail with riders is Tapiture, Santana; Coastline, Shaun Bridgmohan; Tanzanite Cat, Corey Nakatani; Louies Flower, Luis Quinonez; Kendall’s Boy, Leandro Goncalves; Paganol, Norberto Arroyo Jr.; Walt, Ken Tohill; Strong Mandate, Rosario; Ride On Curlin, Borel; Son of Dixie, Cliff Berry; Fire Starter, Robby Albarado; and Bourbonize, Ramon Vazquez.

The Southwest will go as the ninth race on a 10-race program that starts at 1 p.m. Central. The Southwest is scheduled to go off at 5:09 p.m. Forecasters are calling for highs approaching 70 degrees on Monday, a far cry from the freezing temperatures that have gripped Oaklawn since early February.