Ortiz confident Barber Road will move forward
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Barber Road is looking for a breakthrough win Friday at Oaklawn Park.
He’s the class of the field in the ninth race, but needs a few things to go his way to nail down his first win at the meet.
“He just needs a track and a trip – and some good racing luck,” trainer John Ortiz said.
Barber Road goes in a first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and up at a mile that was split into two divisions. He is part of a field of 11 for the ninth, while the other division goes as the eighth race with a field of 10. The purse for each race is $104,000.
Barber Road ran second or third in all four of Oaklawn’s top races for 3-year-olds last year, led by a runner-up finish in the Arkansas Derby. He leads Friday’s field in earnings with nearly $700,000. Barber Road will be making his fourth start of the meet, after running a third and two fifths in his prior starts this season.
“It’s the same song as last year,” Ortiz said. “He just doesn’t have that lucky trip. He falls too far [back]. The tracks haven’t been ideal for him. He’s run over a muddy track, a dry, cuppy track – he just hasn’t caught that right fast track yet. With the weather now getting better, we’ll be looking for a better performance.”
Ortiz looks for Barber Road to sit closer to the pace when he breaks from post 4 under David Cabrera.
“I’m hoping he’s going to be sharper, put himself in the race a little more,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz has been working Barber Road himself of late, coming out of his semi-retirement from breezing horses in the mornings. Barber Road went a half-mile in 49.20 seconds Feb. 19 at Oaklawn.
“I know that the horse is there, we’ve just got to get the racing luck,” Ortiz said.
“We’re just trying to get this condition out of the way and have a nice horse for the rest of the summer.”
Barber Road is a son of Race Day owned by WSS Racing. He finished sixth of 20 in last year’s Kentucky Derby one start after his runner-up finish to Cyberknife in the Arkansas Derby.
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The chief threats Friday appear to be Tonka Warrior, who was second at this level Jan. 28, and Pats Property, who in June ran fourth to eventual champion Elite Power in a first-level allowance at a mile at Churchill Downs. Jedrek, who breaks from the rail, has won his maiden and a $50,000 starter allowance at Oaklawn in his last two starts.
The eighth race pits recent route runners Amongst Friends and Stormy Pattern against sprint-to-route prospect Alvaaro. Amongst Friends was third at this level last time, and Stormy Pattern, fourth. Alvaaro last raced over six furlongs in a $30,000 starter allowance, finishing second by a nose. He is proven at two turns and is stretching back out for his second start since December.
◗ Oaklawn puts the spotlight on Arkansas-bred sprinters Saturday with the running of the $150,000 Nodouble and $150,000 Downthedustyroad.
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