Share the Upside a front-running winner in King Cotton

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Share the Upside became a stakes winner on Saturday at Oaklawn, when he gave his rivals the slip at the start and went on to a 1 1/2-length victory over even-money favorite Whitmore in the $125,000 King Cotton. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back to Silver Ride in third.

The race was the first local stepping-stone on the road to the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap here April 11.

Share the Upside ($6.80) broke on top from his rail post and was up by 1 1/2 lengths through an opening quarter in 21.89 seconds. Share the Upside remained in control of the race through a half-mile in 44.94 seconds. In the stretch, Whitmore made a determined run at the leader, but Share the Upside had more and went on to cover six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.39.

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“The horse was working unbelievably,” winning rider Ricardo Santana Jr. told publicity at Oaklawn. “He was really happy in the post, the one-hole. I was really happy with it. He’s a fast horse and I knew that was going to help him a lot. He broke really sharp. He really wanted the lead. He was fast. The track was fast. That helped us a lot.”

Steve Asmussen trains Share the Upside, who was making his first start since August. The horse was returning to a surface over which he won a pair of allowances in 2019.

Whitmore also was launching his season, and making his first appearance in the King Cotton after winning five sprint stakes through the years at Oaklawn.

“I was able to save ground around the turn and then got to the quarter pole really nice,” jockey Joe Talamo told publicity at Oaklawn. “I really thought I was a winner turning for home. Hat’s off to the winner. He really dug in and fought hard. So did my horse. He ran hard the whole way.”

Share the Upside is a 5-year-old son of Maclean’s Music. He has now won 5 of 13 starts and earned $345,097. Share the Upside races for Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Windsor Boys Racing.

► Handle on the nine-race card from all sources was $5,712,754, according to figures provided by Oaklawn. The attendance on track was an estimated 12,500.