HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Speed King’s win in the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes on Saturday at Oaklawn Park called to mind some similarities with last year’s winner, Mystik Dan.  For starters, both horses are owned by Arkansas residents. A second similarity involved a purple saddle towel. “Both came out of the 10-hole, too,’” noted Ron Moquett, who trains Speed King. Ted Bowman, the principal of the Triton Thoroughbreds stable that owns Speed King, is a resident of Hot Springs, Ark.    "He lives two blocks from the track,” Moquett said. “What’s funny is, Ted lives two blocks on one side and I live on the other side of the track. We live less than five-eighths of a mile apart.” :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Moquett on Sunday said Speed King emerged from the Southwest “a very happy horse” and plans are to move on to another race in the Oaklawn prep series for the Kentucky Derby. Speed King earned 20 points toward the classic on Saturday and overall has 25 points to rank second on the Kentucky Derby leaders list administered by Churchill Downs. “We’re here at Oaklawn Park,” Moquett said. “We’ll train here and try to point him towards either the Rebel or the Arkansas Derby - or both.” The Grade 2, $1.25 million Rebel is Feb. 22 and the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby is March 29. Speed King was making just the third start of his career in the Southwest. He set the pace and was a length winner over Sandman to earn a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 93.    “We didn’t plan on being on the front the first part of it,” Moquett said. “We figured we would break well, and try to save ground. That’s what we wanted to do. But when the other couple folks had trouble with breaks, we were left there wondering, ‘Who’s going to get in front of us?,’ so we could have someone to stalk, and anyways, he was on the front end.” From there, Moquett watched the fractions unfold as Speed King carried on under Rafael Bejarano.  “The pace was okay and then up comes American Promise,” Moquett said of a pace rival. “The first [quarter-mile] fraction was okay, but that second one sped up quite a bit. They went 24 and 2 [seconds] and then the second fraction was like 23 and 2. I thought, ‘Man, that’s going to cause us not to have enough to fight,’ but I knew the distance wouldn’t be an issue if the pace was okay. And it kind of worked out to where we still had a little bit in reserve. The main thing I loved was the gallop out and the fact that [Bejarano] said he was still very comfortable. So, that’s good stuff moving forward.” Moquett was winning his second Southwest Stakes behind the 2015 running with Far Right. He also ran second in the race in 2016 with eventual champion Whitmore. Speed King utilized a style different from those horses. “We’re not guaranteed to go to the front in any race, but if it’s there, he’s fast enough to take care of it,” Moquett said. “I’ve had all these closers with Far Right, Whitmore.” Sandman closed for second in the Southwest after significant trouble at the start and Moquett said Sunday he could feel for trainer Mark Casse on the tough beat Saturday. “I’ve sat exactly where Sandman’s sitting today, with Whitmore having troubled trips,” Moquett said. “When we won the race, we were able to get through with Far Right, the Southwest, when we won it. When we should have won it, with Whitmore, we got trapped and couldn’t get out until late and finally he came running. I’m very fortunate to be on this side of it this time.” Speed King is a son of Volatile that Triton Thoroughbreds purchased for $100,000 at a 2-year-olds in training spring auction put on by the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., in April. “He’s a big, scopey, athletic horse that had a ton of speed at the sale,” Moquett said. Moquett has trained for Bowman for 19 years. Some of their best and most memorable horses include Seek Gold, who won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. Go Now was a stakes winner for the owner-trainer team, while Humble Chris won eight races for them one year. Triton Missile was a starter horse for the men and was Bowman’s inspiration for the name Triton Thoroughbreds, said Moquett. “Mr. Bowman, one thing about him is he’s loyal, and he loves the sport, and those are two traits everyone looks for in an owner,” Moquett said. “He’s not going to go spend a king’s ransom at the sales, but you know, he’s very good about staying consistent and trying and for a guy like that, I’m so happy for him to be rewarded on his home track with such a nice win.” Now, for the sake of Bowman, Moquett is hoping Speed King will have one more thing in common with Mystik Dan: A win in the Kentucky Derby. Sandman came rolling in the Southwest after an awkward start. Cristian Torres was aboard for the touch and go moment in the Southwest. “Cristian said that he stumbled just a touch and then he shot through the air,” trainer Mark Casse said Sunday. “I don’t know how Cristian stayed on him, to be honest.” Casse noted the athleticism of both horse and rider. “Cristian and him, they make a good team,” he said. Casse said Sandman emerged from the race in very good condition, with simply a superficial remnant from the incident at the start.  “He nicked himself a little bit on his hind ankles,” he said.   Sandman went on to put in a big closing bid Saturday, one start after winning an allowance at Oaklawn. “As I said previously, we were going to figure out whether he’s a man or a boy and I think he proved he’s a man,” Casse said. Sandman is based at Oaklawn. “Well, we came there for a reason, we’re not leaving, so I guess the Rebel’s next,” Casse said. “That’s the plan.” Oaklawn handled more than $11.4 million on its 12-race card Saturday. Attendance on track was an estimated 27,500. It was a sunny afternoon that warmed up to the 50s. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.