Purse boost leads to increased interest in Southwest Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Reservations might be needed to get into this year’s Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.

A large contingent of locals and Collected from the barn of Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert are among those anticipated for the 1 1/16-mile race on Feb. 15. Entries will be taken Friday, Feb. 12, and the number of starters will be capped at 14.

“I do expect a large field,” said Pat Pope, racing secretary at Oaklawn. “People are targeting this race.”

Pope said one reason is the significant purse boost for this year’s running, noting that Oaklawn president Charles Cella kicked up the race’s value from $300,000 to $500,000. The Southwest also awards its first four finishers Kentucky Derby eligibility points on a sliding scale of 10-4-2-1.

Collected, who is based at Santa Anita, won that track’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes in his most recent out Jan. 9.

As for the locals, Pope looks for the Southwest to draw a large number of starters from last month’s $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. Discreetness won by a neck over Gordy Florida, and both horses are on deck for the Southwest, according to their trainers, Jinks Fires and Kenny Smith.

Synchrony, who finished third, and Luna de Loco, who was fourth, also are Southwest candidates, according to their trainers, Donnie Von Hemel and Steve Asmussen. Von Hemel has another Southwest candidate in Suddenbreakingnews, who will be making his first start since he was beaten a nose by Discreetness in the $250,000 Springboard Mile in December at Remington Park.

Pope said he also looks for the Southwest to draw horses from trainers D. Wayne Lukas, Rodney Richards, and possibly Ken McPeek. Lukas sent out Gray Sky to finish fifth in the Smarty Jones and has Z Royal, fifth in last month’s Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds, breezing at Oaklawn. The Richards charge American Dubai worked a mile Wednesday at Oaklawn. The horse exits a first-level optional-claiming route won by Cutacorner, who is targeting the Southwest, according to trainer Jack Van Berg.

Bird of Trey, the fourth-place finisher in the Grade 3 Jerome in his most recent start Jan. 2, was sent to Oaklawn with a goal of making the Southwest, according to trainer John Servis. Siding Spring, who last raced in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, also could develop into a candidate for the Southwest, according to trainer Mark Casse.

Whitmore, a recent optional-claiming winner at Oaklawn, will breeze Monday before a decision is made about going in the Southwest, said trainer Ron Moquett.

“That’s a strong local group right here,” said Pope, who also is offering a first-level allowance route for 3-year-olds on the undercard of the Southwest.

Nominations for the Southwest were to close Friday night and be released Sunday.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman