Rated R Superstar can justify Caldwell's investment

HOT SPRINGS, Ark – Danny Caldwell claimed Rated R Superstar for $50,000 last month, and on Thursday the owner will be hoping for a return on his investment when Rated R Superstar runs in the featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park.

The money allowance over a mile and a half carries an optional claiming price of $80,000 and Rated R Superstar is entered for the tag. He’s one of seven older runners in a field that includes multiple Group 1 winner Carlos L., Grade 3 winner You’re to Blame, and stakes-placed Split the Wickets. The race could produce starters for the $150,000 Temperence Hill at the same marathon distance March 13 at Oaklawn.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

Rated R Superstar on Thursday could go favored after closing from well off the pace for a 2 3/4-length win at a mile and a sixteenth Jan. 30 at Oaklawn. He earned this field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 91. Caldwell claimed the 8-year-old gelding for $50,000 that day, and sent him to his longtime trainer Federico Villafranco.

“We’ve had very good luck with older horses, mainly Domain’s Rap,” Caldwell said of the gelding who at 9 won the Fifth Season here and was second in the Oaklawn Handicap.

“I’ve been watching this horse run a couple years now. I like his running style. Most of those older horses who lay back off the pace and run long, they don’t beat themselves up too bad. They stay sounder.”

Caldwell said the claiming price was on the higher end of the spectrum for his operation, which has won multiple titles at Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows, and Remington Park. He is tied atop the Oaklawn standings with Shortleaf Stable.

“I don’t claim a lot of $50,000 horses,” Caldwell said. “Most of mine are from $10,000 to $30,000. When I claim one for $50,000, I do a lot of research, a lot of replay watching, and then comes the No. 1 thing – gut feeling. I have to have that gut feeling it’s going to work out.

“Most always, he was trying at the end of a race. That’s where you get paid – the finish line. This horse seems to have a big heart. He seems to love his job, loves to roll in the lane.”

Rated R Superstar is one of three horses who have been claimed for $50,000 this meet. They are the highest-priced claims that have been made during a season that has seen 111 horses haltered for more than $2 million since opening day, Jan. 22.

:: Start earning weekly cashback on your wagering today. Click to learn more.

Rated R Superstar will break from post 5 under Ricardo Santana Jr., who is the co-leading rider at Oaklawn along with Florent Geroux.

“To me, it looks like the horse wants to lay back and not go real fast early, then pick up the pieces,” said Caldwell.

Geroux will be aboard Split the Wickets from the rail for trainer Tom Van Berg. The horse is moving from turf back to dirt, and when he last ran on the main track he was second in a third-level allowance Nov. 13 at Churchill Downs.

The forecast for Thursday is for a high of 32 degrees and a 50 percent chance of morning snow showers, according to the Weather Channel.