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

Race Day won his first stakes in the Razorback, battling with Midnight Hawk in the stretch for a neck win over Midnight Hawk. Race Day earned a preliminary 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 Sunday. “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.”

Race Day is owned by Matthew Schera. He earned his first triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, a 109, for a second-level allowance score at Gulfstream in his fifth career start Dec. 21. Race Day backed up the performance by earning a Beyer of 106 for a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper on Feb. 7.

Race Day is a 4-year-old son of Tapit. He is returning to Palm Beach Downs in Florida, said Pletcher.

Midnight Hawk’s next move is to be determined, said trainer Bob Baffert.

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

Baffert said Midnight Hawk, who earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 106 Saturday, would return to Santa Anita on Monday. He wants to monitor the horse’s training going forward before making a decision on his next race. Midnight Hawk’s biggest win to date came in last year’s Grade 3 Sham at Santa Anita.