Race Day eyes Charles Town Classic

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Race Day, who won the Grade 3, $250,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn on Saturday, could make his next start in the Grade 2, $1.5 million Charles Town Classic on April 18, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.

Race Day won his first stakes in the Razorback, battling to the wire with Midnight Hawk for a neck win. Race Day earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, his third straight triple-digit number. He was moving back to two turns following a pair of one-turn mile races at Gulfstream Park.

“We were delighted with his effort,” Pletcher said. “He’s developing into a very nice horse and he handled the stretch-out in distance into a stakes in very good order. Prior to the race, we had talked about possibly pointing for the Charles Town Classic.”

Pletcher said he will monitor how Race Day comes out of the Razorback and works back before a final decision is made on the Charles Town Classic.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Midnight Hawk would return to Santa Anita on Monday. He wants to monitor the horse’s training before making a decision on his next race.

“He ran a big race,” Baffert said. “He got beat by a nice horse.”