Southwest Stakes gets Kentucky Derby points boost
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Kentucky Derby points value for the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest on Jan. 28 has been raised from 10 to the winner to 20 to the winner, said Oaklawn racing secretary Pope. (Points are administered by Churchill Downs.)
Oaklawn’s points series for 3-year-olds starts with the $250,000 Smarty Jones on Jan. 1 and continues with the Southwest, the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel on Feb. 25, and the Arkansas Derby.
New claiming policy
Oaklawn, which last season reported 691 claims for $13.9 million in transactions, has a new policy in place to give owners who lose a horse through the claim box preference over those who haven’t for a future claim.
When submitting a future claim, the owner has the option of checking a box on the claim slip, indicating a desire to use the preference. For example, said racing secretary Pat Pope, if there are 20 claims in for a horse and three slips have the preference box checked, the shake would be among the three owners who utilize their preference.
“If you don’t claim the preference, you don’t get the preference,” said Pope, noting owners choose when to apply it.
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Trainer incentive plan
A bonus to encourage entries at the end of the meet, called Stay Until May, will pay trainers $200 to $250 for every non-stakes starter who fails to run first, second, or third in a race. In order to be eligible, trainers must start at least two horses during the final 14 dates of the season, with one of those during the final nine dates. The bonuses, which will be paid out at the end of the meet, will be worth $200 through April 2 and $250 until the end of the meet. The total bonus payouts could reach $750,000, Pope said.
Caldwell adds a Villafranco
Danny Caldwell, a multiple owner-title winner at Oaklawn, said Martin Villafranco will be training his 35-horse division this meet. Villafranco’s father, Federico, is usually at Oaklawn for Caldwell, but will instead have horses for the owner at Sam Houston.
Caldwell said the arrangement came about because Martin Villafranco was able to get set up at Oaklawn early while his father finished out the meet at Remington Park.
Caldwell said jockey Isaac Castillo will be a regular aboard his horses at Oaklawn.
◗ Cristian Torres is leading the Remington jockey standings by 18 wins, but is now based at Oaklawn, said agent Cody Autrey. Torres on Dec. 17 will ride at both Oaklawn and Remington, which runs the Springboard Mile that day.
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