Racing scheduled to resume; Fastly needs quicker start

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Fastly could be much closer to the pace in Thursday’s featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park than he found himself in his most recent start. The card is scheduled to be the first program here since a winter storm system shut down racing Feb. 12.

Fastly is part of a field of eight older horses in the six-furlong money allowance. His rivals include Thomas Shelby, who shakes a sharp Jalen Journey; Bank, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Brilliant Speed; and Bandit Point, a top older Arkansas-bred.

The horses, like most on the card, find themselves in an unusual spot as there has been no training at Oaklawn from Feb. 12 through Monday. That’s a total of 11 days at the hands of extreme conditions.

“I’ve never been in this situation,” Bret Calhoun, who trains Fastly, said Saturday. “I’m not worried about fitness with horses who have been racing. Horses coming off layoffs, it might affect them more. You just hope mentally they can handle the amount of days off they’ve had, that they don’t make mistakes in the gate or the paddock.”

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It was a mistake in the starting gate that led to Fastly breaking last in a field of 10 in a first-level allowance Jan. 30 at Oaklawn. He trailed under jockey Joe Rocco Jr. and closed well for second in the in the mud of the six-furlong race. One start prior, Fastly broke on top, set a quick pace, and prevailed in a maiden special weight Nov. 29 at Churchill.

“He’s always been a very, very good gate horse,” Calhoun said. “Joe said he just wouldn’t stand up in there for whatever reason. They’re animals.

“He found himself well back. I thought he was the best horse that day.”

Calhoun said the race gave him more insight into Fastly, a promising son of Justin Phillip who races for Tom Durant.

“It wasn’t like a style change, obviously,” Calhoun said. “It was good to learn he’s flexible, he can do different things, he can have a different style. We’ll just let him get away from there and not try to [send] him to the front or take him back. We’ll let him do his thing.”

Rocco has the mount from post 4.

Thomas Shelby has been chasing Jalen Journey. He ran fourth to him in a $40,000 claiming race Nov. 20 at Churchill Downs and third to him in a $50,000 claiming race Jan. 23 at Oaklawn. Thomas Shelby will break from post 6 under David Cohen, who has the mount for M and M Racing and trainer Robertino Diodoro.