Owendale, Mystic Guide launch season in Razorback

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Owendale and Mystic Guide will launch what could be significant seasons Saturday in the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 4-year-olds and up is one of three stakes on the card. The others are the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest, which is a points race for the Kentucky Derby, and the $200,000 Spring Fever for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs. The stakes were all rescheduled after a winter storm led to eight lost days of racing at Oaklawn.

Owendale and Mystic Guide both exit Grade 1 races and boast the field’s best recent Beyer Speed Figures. They are part of a cast of seven that includes fellow graded stakes winners Silver Prospector, Long Range Toddy, and Rated R Superstar.

Owendale, the second-highweight in the Razorback at 120 pounds, was a fast-closing third in the Clark Handicap in his last start Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. He finished behind winner Bodexpress and runner-up Code of Honor.

“I thought he ran really well,” said Brad Cox, who trains Owendale. “I thought once he started moving down the middle of the track, he had a big shot of winning. We were beat by two really nice horses. He’s been knocking on the door of a Grade 1. Hopefully at some point in the year we can check that off the list.”

Owendale arrived Wednesday from Fair Grounds, where he had traveled earlier this month in order to escape the winter storm that ended up costing Oaklawn-based horses 11 days of training on the track. Owendale had spent some time this winter at Oaklawn.

“He’s doing good,” Cox said. “I feel like he’s fit. He’s had several works over [this] track, breezed well over it. It will be his first run over it, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Cox, who won last year’s Razorback with Warrior’s Charge, has given the mount to Joel Rosario. Owendale has won a trio of Grade 3 races, and the Rupp Racing-owned runner leads the field in earnings with $1.3 million.

Mystic Guide, who is the 121-pound highweight, wrapped up his season last year on Oct. 10 with a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

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“It was a big effort by him, and his first Grade 1,” said Michael Stidham, who trains Mystic Guide. “He only got beat three-quarters of a length.”

One start prior, Mystic Guide won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga. He added blinkers for the race and earned a career-high Beyer of 95. Mystic Guide topped that number last out, with a 102.

“Both of his races with blinkers were huge races, pretty big moves forward Beyer-wise,” Stidham said.

Mystic Guide is a 4-year-old Godolphin homebred by Ghostzapper. His dam, Music Note, was a five-time Grade 1 winner who earned $1.6 million. Mystic Guide has made six starts and won his maiden in his two-turn debut last March at Fair Grounds.

“We were pretty patient with him through his whole 3-year-old year and gave him time to develop and tried to select the spots that made the most sense for him,” Stidham said. “At the end of the year, he was never off the board in any of his starts, was a Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed. We’re hoping for an even better 4-year-old year.”

Luis Saez has the mount from post 7.

“He’s a horse that will sit anywhere from midpack to a stalking position, depending on how fast they’re going,” Stidham said.

Hunka Burning Love figures to be prominent early in the race. He’s looking for his fifth stakes win after missing by a nose last out in the $150,000 Fifth Season on Jan. 23 at Oaklawn.

◗ Amy’s Challenge will be looking to win the Spring Fever for the second time in her career. Amy’s Challenge, 6, won the race as a 4-year-old in 2019.

Amy’s Challenge is part of a nine-horse field that includes Kimari, who last year won the Purple Martin at Oaklawn, and Casual, who is a daughter of the multiple Grade 1 winner Lady Tak.