Prodigious Bay figures to show the way in allowance

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Prodigious Bay has something of a prodigious stride and because of it he could find himself forwardly placed in Friday’s eighth race at Oaklawn Park.

The one-mile allowance is for 3-year-olds and up that have never won three races. It shares a card with a no-conditions allowance at 1 1/2 miles that drew stakes winners Tenfold and Strong Tide.

The races open Rebel week at Oaklawn, which will put on the $1 million Kentucky Derby points race Saturday.

Prodigious Bay has shown speed in all of his races and figures to do so again when he breaks from post 2 in the nine-horse field Friday.

“We’ve never told the riders what to do,” trainer Ron Moquett said. “It seems like they find themselves on the front end. He’s got this big, long stride that it’s easier for him doing that.”

Prodigious Bay opened his Oaklawn season with a third-place finish in a Dec. 4 allowance won by the talented Taishan. One race later, Prodigious Bay was third in another local allowance on Jan. 1.

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“I know that our horse is coming into the race very well,” said Moquett, who trains Prodigious Bay for Lou Cella. “I thought he’s run two very good races at the meet so far, and I think with the right trip he should be live.”

Prodigious Bay will be ridden by David Cabrera, who won the first four races on the holiday Monday card at Oaklawn. He also had a four-bagger here last Saturday.

The chief threat to Prodigious Bay could be stakes winner Game Day Play, who is making his first start since last spring. He was third in the $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes on May 1 and sixth in the Grade 3 Matt Winn on May 29 at Churchill Downs. Ramon Vazquez has the mount from post 6 for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

The race will end at the sixteenth pole, as with all mile races at Oaklawn.

The marathon allowance goes as the fourth race, and Strong Tide will be moving back to dirt after finishing third by a head in the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup over 1 1/2 miles on Jan. 30 at Sam Houston Race Park.

The last time Strong Tide raced at Oaklawn he set a track record for 1 3/16 miles in a Jan. 9 allowance. He covered the distance on a sealed track rated good in 1:56.33.

Strong Tide will break from post 7 on Friday in the field of seven older horses. Trainer Mike Lauer has given the mount on the three-time stakes winner to jockey Geovanni Franco.

Tenfold is the class of the field as a Grade 2 winner of $1.2 million. Cabrera has the mount for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Cupid’s Claws was third to Lone Rock in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance over 1 5/8 miles in November at Del Mar. Francisco Arrieta has the mount for trainer Rene Amescua.

You’re to Blame registered his biggest win at 1 1/2 miles in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup in 2018 at Parx Racing.

Allege won an Oaklawn allowance over Prodigious Bay in January.