Interesting weekend coming up. Southwest may get splint into two divisions w/some nice horses being pointed for the race on Monday.
Oaklawn will card two stakes races Feb. 19 – the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses and the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds.
Rera said there are eight early probables for the 1 1/16-mile Razorback: City of Lights, Far Right, Hawaakom, Hoppertunity, J Boys Echo, Leofric, Sonneteer and Untrapped.
City of Lights, Hoppertunity and Sonneteer are based in Southern California, with the latter two already Oaklawn stakes winners.
Hoppertunity won the $600,000 Rebel (G2) for 3-year-olds in 2014 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Hoppertunity has earned $4,347,025 in a 29-race career.
Sonneteer won the $125,000 Fifth Season – Oaklawn’s first of four two-turn stakes races for older horses – Jan. 12 for trainer Keith Desormeaux.
City of Light hasn’t started since winning the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds Dec. 26 at Santa Anita for trainer Michael McCarthy.
Hawaakom finished a distant second to eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner in last year’s Razorback.
Far Right won Oaklawn’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and $300,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) in 2015 before finishing second to eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1).
The 1 1/16-mile Southwest is expected to draw a large field, including Grade 1 winner Sporting Chance for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Sporting Chance is the most accomplished 3-year-old on the grounds.
Post positions for the Razorback and Southwest will be drawn Friday.
http://www.oaklawn.com/news/2018/feb...kend-stakes-c/
