Rated R Superstar, Conquest Windycity clash again
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Rated R Superstar and Conquest Windycity, who were stakes rivals last fall in Kentucky, are set to launch their 3-year-old seasons Friday at Oaklawn. The pair will meet in an entry-level allowance at a mile against a field that includes promising maiden winners Major League and Giant Trick.
The race goes as the eighth, and it’s one of two notable allowances on the program. Wolf Man Rocket, the winner of last year’s Northern Spur at Oaklawn, returns home from Southern California for race 7, an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up at a mile. He faces Oakton, who is making his first start since running sixth in the Queen’s Plate in July at Woodbine.
Rated R Superstar and Conquest Windycity met in the Grade 3 Iroquois last September at Churchill Downs. Rated R Superstar closed from 10 lengths back for second, while Conquest Windycity rallied from next to last for fourth. The right kind of effort Friday could send either horse back into stakes competition, with the campaign for Rated R Superstar to be determined, said Ken McPeek, who trains the horse for Radar Racing.
“He’s doing really good,” McPeek said. “If he runs well, then I’ll discuss with the owner what the next step is. I’m sure we’ll nominate to all the major [3-year-old preps] and also be looking at other options in the spring.”
Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Rated R Superstar, by Kodiak Kowboy
Last 3 Beyers: 60-80-83
◗ Rated R Superstar followed his effort in the Iroquois with a third-place finish to Brody’s Cause in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. Rated R Superstar then advanced to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and finished 11th, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Nyquist.
“He ran well against some top-quality horses last fall,” McPeek said. “In the Breeders’ Cup, he broke really bad.”
◗ Rated R Superstar will be making his first start since Nov. 28, when ninth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill. The race’s runner-up, Mor Spirit, has since won the Los Alamitos Futurity and Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and its third-place finisher, Mo Tom, has since won the Lecomte Stakes.
“His last race is a bit of a throw-out,” McPeek said. “Nothing went right, and it was the end of the season.”
◗ Chris Landeros has the mount from post 2.
Conquest Windycity, by Tiznow
Last 3 Beyers: 67-75-70
◗ He was favored in the Iroquois off a runner-up finish in a maiden special weight race at Saratoga.
◗ Joe Rocco Jr. has the mount for Conquest Stables and trainer Mark Casse.