Old Fashioned Returns With Style in Southwest

Monday, February 16, 2009

Fox Hill Farms's Old Fashioned, generally considered the favorite for Triple Crown races this year, made a successful return to the races, putting away a talented field of ten rivals and scoring a three-and-a-quarter lengths win in Monday's featured $250,000 Southwest Stakes, before a crowd of 31,074 gathered for the holiday program in sunny, but chilly, weather.

Clarence Scharbauer, Jr.'s Silver City, fresh from an impressive score in the five-and-a-half furlong Dixieland at Oaklawn, went to the front as expected, zipping through fractions of :22.2 and :45.4, before being collared by the pace-stalking winner on the final turn.  Although Silver City tried valiantly to stay with Old Fashioned, he was clearly beaten after seven furlongs.  Still he held on gamely for second, one length in front of Lukas, Lakin and West Point Thoroughbreds' Buzzin and Dreamin.  It was only a neck further back to Oxbow Racing' Flat Out, who was unprepared for the start and came from far back to just miss a third place finish.

The win for Old Fashioned, a son of Unbridled's Song, out of Collect Call, was his fourth without defeat and his first start since taking Aqueduct's Remsen Stakes by seven-and-a-quarter lengths in late November.  Trained by Larry Jones and ridden by Ramon Dominguez,  Old Fashioned lived up to his reputation as the number one three-year-old in America.  He has now won $323,280, while compiling his four-for-four record.

"This horse is truly blessed," admitted Jones following the race.  "He stays fit.  We weren't looking to go out in :45, but he showed he was a lot fitter than we thought," he added. "He is a gift and we will play it day by day.  With a horse like this you don't want to take any chances."

Jones and Fox Hill Farms owner, Rick Porter, indicated that Old Fashioned would be kept at Oaklawn Park where he will now point for the $300,000 Rebel Stakes on Saturday, March 14.