Welder seeks fifth local stakes win in Highland Ice

Welcome to Welder country.

Welder has long been a flagship horse for Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., and on Tuesday he will make his first appearance at the young meet in the $50,000 Highland Ice.

The race, which is for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs, also drew Wings Locked Up, a stakes winner on turf and dirt, and Shannon C, a son of a well-known Will Rogers mare from the past, Miranda Diane.

Welder has compiled a 7-for-8 record at Will Rogers since March 2016. The 6-year-old horse has won at least one stakes per meet at Will Rogers and overall has four local stakes wins. His lone loss at Will Rogers came in last year’s Highland Ice, when he finished fourth following a five-month layoff.

Welder, who is owned by Ra-Max Farms and trained by Theresa Luneack, finished third in the $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes on March 9 at Oaklawn Park. He was beaten just two lengths by Grade 1 winner and Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Whitmore.

“Running third to Whitmore is nothing to be ashamed of by any stretch of the imagination,” Luneack said. “That was fantastic. I was impressed.”

Welder is based at a training center near Will Rogers.

“It’s his home track,” Luneack said. “He loves the track there. It’s a two-minute haul for him. From the farm to the racetrack, it’s literally two minutes. It’s real easy for him. He goes over there all the time and trains. This just sets up perfect for him.”

David Cabrera, who won four consecutive stakes aboard Welder last season at Remington Park and also had the mount in the Hot Springs, will be aboard from post 6 on Tuesday.

“I don’t think we could have got a better spot,” Luneack said. “It’s what I was hoping for.”

Welder, a front-runner, earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 99 in the Hot Springs. He is a son of the Giant’s Causeway stallion The Visualiser and overall has won 15 of 24 starts and earned $650,151.

Wings Locked Up will be looking for career win No. 19. He is back on dirt following a pair of turf starts, one of which was a win in the $75,000 Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint on Jan. 27 at Sam Houston. Walter De La Cruz has the mount for trainer Clinton Stuart.

Shannon C’s dam, Miranda Diane, was a multiple stakes winner at Will Rogers. Shannon C, a son of Latent Heat, won a division of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes last year at 3 at Remington Park.