Weast Hill starts season at home track

Weast Hill will put his perfect Oaklawn Park record on the line Sunday, when he attempts to win his sixth race there. He goes in a six-furlong allowance for Arkansas-breds that drew a full field of 12.

Weast Hill won all three of his starts at Oaklawn last year and in 2015 launched his career at the track with a maiden special weight score and a victory in the $75,000 Rainbow. He will be making his first start since May on Sunday, and the time off was by design, said trainer Brad Cox.

“There were not a lot of [suitable] races available this summer,” Cox said. “He’s going to make most of his money in Arkansas. We took the same approach with him as a 3-year-old. We gave him a break, and we decided to do it with him as a 4-year-old. He really appreciates his time off.”

Weast Hill rewarded breeder and owner Starsky Weast for the time off last year, winning a pair of $100,000 Arkansas-bred stakes at Oaklawn. He has banked $251,000 of his $281,210 in career earnings at Oaklawn.

Cox said he has been pleased with Weast Hill’s training ahead of the allowance Sunday, which has a purse of $75,000. His most recent work was a five-eighths move in 1:01.60 last Sunday at Oaklawn.

“He’s fit,” Cox said. “If he runs as well as he’s been training, we should be okay. I’m very happy with the way the horse is doing.”

Joe Rocco Jr. has the mount from post 8.

Oaklawn using also-eligible lists

For the first time in many years, Oaklawn has instituted also-eligible lists at this meet, said racing secretary Pat Pope. Oaklawn has seen its purses rise sharply over the past decade and in recent years has been home to some of the country’s largest fields.

The also-eligible policy came into play right off the bat, with three horses drawing into races on the first day of the meet Jan. 13. Overall, six horses drew into races over the first five dates of the meet, according to assistant racing secretary Russ Ramstad.

As a result of the new policy, the scratch time for Oaklawn has been moved to 10:30 a.m. the day before the card.

◗ Jockey Terry Thompson is scheduled to start riding at Oaklawn this week, his agent, Tony King, said on Friday.

“He’s been breezing some horses,” said King.

Thompson won riding titles at Oaklawn in 2009 and 2010.