Turning the Corner

In a post-race interview, following the win by Absinthe Minded in Saturday’s featured Bayakoa, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, never at a loss for the correct words, indicated that he thought his mare had “turned the corner” and was now really ready to face the best of her generation, presumably in the upcoming Azeri and Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn.

An Internet note from Fair Grounds just yesterday suggested that Havre de Grace, who won both of those races last season, en route to her Horse-of-the-Year selection, might be on hand for both. One would certainly expect her for the Apple Blossom, although her stablemate, Joyful Victory, a recent Fair Grounds winner and victress in both the Honeybee and Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn last season which were her best performances of the year, might deputize for her highly-regarded stablemate in the Azeri

Lukas has never shied from top competition with his runners and it is unlikely he’ll shy from anyone after the performance by Absinthe Minded in the Bayakoa.  Billed as a rematch of the exciting Pippin Stakes early in the season between the Lukas mare and her rival, Tiz Miz Sue, those thrills never materialized.  When jockey Carlos Marquez sent Tiz Miz Sue outside of rivals to presumably collar Absinthe Minded near the head of the stretch, the Quiet American mare, who is something of a “horse for course” at Oaklawn, simply kicked into a new gear and sprinted away from her rival. 

The reason Lukas felt his mare had turned the corner rested in the fact that the presence of the speedster Dawn Lane had pressed Absinthe Minded through the pace fractions.  With the distraction of Dawn Lane, there were many who believed Tiz Miz Sue, sent off as the 7-5 favorite, would be able to run down the Lukas charge who came back on and beat her in the final strides of the Pippin.  Instead Tiz Miz Sue was fully extended to hold off the more competitive She’s All In for second, both of them four lengths behind the winner.

Absinthe Minded now shows a career mark at Oaklawn of nine starts with five wins, two seconds and two thirds, for earnings of $289,700.  Those are impressive marks  and there will be many who might otherwise consider the Azeri and Apple Blossom Handicap, but will look at that record and choose not to challenge.  It has been fun to watch the performances of the Lukas charge and be amazed that she is rarely the wagering favorite.  She didn’t miss by much on Saturday, since she was the second choice at 3-2, however she builds a bigger following with each race and the ever-positive Lukas noted that “this was the best race of her career.”  If he’s right, she’ll get a chance to join the elite of the filly and mare division very soon.

On Monday there will be some more getting ready to “turn the corner”.  There are so many three-year-olds on the grounds who show considerable promise that Oaklawn owner Charles Cella okayed splitting the Southwest Stakes and retaining the $250,000 purse for each division.  It would be only justice if Cella’s colt, Cyber Secret, scored in the second division of the race and he might.  But he will be forced to outrun Secret Circle, one of the stars of Breeders’ Cup weekend at Churchill Downs last November and now one of the more highly-regarded sophomores heading towards the Triple Crown races of the spring. 

Neither of these colts will be a “secret” after it turns the corner in Monday’s Southwest second division.  The Southwest provided eventual Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch with a great prep for Oaklawn’s top three-year-old race and now, this year, will give more than just one the honor of a win.

Once we get to these races, like the Southwest, we begin to see the arrival of challengers from other parts of the country.  Jockeys like Martin Garcia, Rafael Bejarano and Julien Leparoux don’t ride here often and have a pretty high win percentage.  The local runners get the chance to turn their own corner and place their names in the important discussions about Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.

Monday’s first division puts the stars of the early-season Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn, Junebugred and Reckless Jerry, into the hunt, but they find a couple of California-based hopefuls blocking the way in Longview Drive, from the barn of Jerry Hollendorfer, and another Baffert trainee, Castaway.  If you go strictly by Beyer Speed Figures, it looks like the Californians will be dominant runners in both divisions.  However, that’s why they race them on the track and not just by the numbers.

Also on hand, looking to “turn the corner” will be a guy who did just that in 2004 with Smarty Jones, trainer John Servis.  Just to keep the whole team together, he has brought along jockey Stewart Elliott for the occasion.  The colt they have with them is Adirondack King, a son of a former Southwest and Arkansas Derby winner, Lawyer Ron.  They drew the number two post in the second division of the race, right outside of Z Rockstar, a son of Rockport Harbor, who was in the Servis barn during his competitive years at Oaklawn.  The ironies are deep when one looks at this race.

The best bet to “turn the corner” on Monday is Oaklawn.  The weather prediction is great, there is a cash giveaway to those on hand of $55,000 throughout the day, the reports from local hoteliers is that rooms are hard to get and the surge of racing interest appears to have taken hold, easily noted by more than 20,000 who showed up on a cloudy and gloomy Saturday when rain was predicted.  The rain never did show up and the crowd were excited and vocal throughout the first ten-race card of the season.  They poured into the Gaming Center afterward and, if it’s any measure, there were nearly fifty eager fans outside of the Gaming Center an hour before it opened on Sunday morning.  I wouldn’t shy from hazarding a guess or even making a wager that the numbers posted at Oaklawn on Monday will be the best in the nation.  This may be a little town, but it may replace Reno, Nevada, as the biggest little city in the world.  Of course there are over 200,000 residents in Reno, but our little town of closer to 50,000 can take away that title this weekend.  My advice to those in Reno is go out of town, take a hard left and head to the real Biggest Little City in the World, Hot Springs.

Once upon a time, in this corner, we talked about the beginning of the Second Season on this weekend.  It looks like that will be the best prediction we may make all season.  However I think it’s safe to say that, barring injury, Absinthe Minded probably still has some important days ahead of her at Oaklawn.  She was the first to “turn the corner”.  I don’t expect her to be the last, but she already has a head-start towards turning the next corner.