GREEN HOPES TO CAP BIG MEET WITH RAINBOW WIN
HOT SPRINGS, AR (Thursday, April 15, 2021) – Trainer Aidan Green will try to put an exclamation point on a banner Oaklawn meeting when she sends out 5-2 program favorite Blame J D in Friday’s $150,000 Rainbow Stakes for Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds at 6 furlongs.
Probable post time for the Rainbow, which goes as the seventh of 10 races, is 4:09 p.m. (Central). First post Friday is 1 p.m.
Blame J D will mark the first career stakes starter for Green, 33, who entered Thursday with a sparkling 7-3-7 mark from just 26 starters at the meet. Green recorded her first career training victory Feb. 11 at Oaklawn (Kristo) and Blame J D represented her most lucrative victory to date when the Blame gelding broke his maiden against state-breds March 7.
A homebred for local owner James W. Matheney Jr., Blame J D exits a fourth-place finish against older state-bred allowance runners March 28.
“Couldn’t be happier with the horse I have to run in my first stake,” Green said. “I love him. I think he’s got a really spot in there. Got a great post position. I’m thinking I have a good shot with him and that’s really exciting.”
The projected nine-horse Rainbow field from the rail out: Goodnight Archie, Elvin Gonzalez to ride, 122 pounds, 4-1 on the morning line; Dusty Hill, Terry Thompson, 122, 8-1; Navy Seal, Calvin Borel, 115, 7-2; Mrs. Beans, David Cabrera, 117, 8-1; Topf Road Rules, Joe Talamo, 115, 10-1; Rolling Fork, 119, Ricardo Santana Jr., 6-1; Ghost Strategy, Alex Canchari, 115, 15-1; Blame J D, Ramon Vazquez, 122, 5-2; and Aspen Club, Cristian Torres, 117, 8-1.
Navy Seal was a front-running winner maiden winner against state-breds last Saturday at Oaklawn for trainer Tom Swearingen. Purchased for $80,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sale Co’s March 2-year-old in training sale, Navy Seal is a half-brother to 2015 Rainbow champion Weast Hill and Usual Suspect, winner of the $100,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders’ Stakes for state-bred female sprinters in 2019. Weast Hill and Usual Suspect were then campaigned by their breeder, Arkansan Starsky Weast, who also bred Navy Seal.
“He’s a nice horse,” Swearingen said.
Topf Road Rules and Blame J D split their first two meetings earlier this year at Oaklawn. Topf Road Rules finished 10th behind Navy Seal last Saturday. Goodnight Archie ran third behind Blame J D and Topf Road Rules March 7 before returning to break his maiden by a nose (Navy Seal was second) March 19 at Oaklawn. It was the first career victory for trainer Fermin Soto.
