Oaklawn report

— Borel, 46, closing in on 5,000

Jockey Calvin Borel will have to wait another day to reach 5,000 career victories.

Borel was blanked in six mounts Saturday atChurchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., leaving him three victories away from becoming the 26th rider in North American history toreach 5,000.

Borel, 46, is a two-time riding champion at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

He is named on six horses today at Churchill, the final day of its fall meeting, including two trained by older brother Cecil and another trained by Little Rock native Dan Peitz.

Jerry Hissam of Hot Springs is Borel’s longtime agent.

Midwest record

Chicago-based Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., the leading owner at the past two Oaklawn meetings, won its North American-record 495th race this year Saturday at Laurel in Maryland.

Dan Lasater, who dominated the owner standings at Oaklawn throughout much of the 1970s, set the previous record for races won in a single year (494) in 1974.

Midwest (Richard and Karen Papiese) led the country in victories in 2010 and 2011. It won 20 races at Oaklawn in 2011 and finished with 42 victories in 2012.

Midwest used two trainers at Oaklawn in 2012, with Brad Cox and Jamie Ness each winning 21 races.

Midwest also led all owners in purse money at the 2012 meeting ($766,176).

Promotions

Oaklawn will again have a baseball cap giveaway for its Jan. 21 holiday Monday program, said David Longinotti, the track’s assistant general manager for racing.

“That worked well for us last year, so we decided to go back with that, a free cap,” Longinotti said.

Oaklawn previously had a popular bobblehorse promotion on the corresponding racing date, beginning in 2008 with Smarty Jones and continuing with Curlin (2009), Rachel Alexandra (2010) andZenyatta (2011).

All four horses raced at Oaklawn and won an Eclipse Award as a division champion and/or Horse of the Year.

Oaklawnheld a cap giveaway to open the 2002 season, the track’s first apparel promotion.

Rocket man

Boss Man Rocket, an $800,000 2-year-old purchase earlier this year by Frank Fletcher of North Little Rock, recorded a 5-furlong bullet workout (:59.60) Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs.

Boss Man Rocket, winless in two starts this summer in New York, isnearing his comeback race, which is expected to come on the turf at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Boss Man Rocket was originally trained byHall of Famer Bill Mott, but is now based at Churchill with trainer Tim Glyshaw.

Two-time Oaklawn riding champion Calvin Borel has been working the son of War Front, who has three consecutive bullet workouts at Churchill.

Final furlong

Oaklawn had 201 horses on the grounds late Saturday morning, said David Longinotti, the track’s assistant general manager for racing. ... Batesville attorney Bill Walmsley, president of the Arkansas division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, was appointed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe. ... Trainer Dan Peitz, a Little Rock native and Oaklawn regular, entered Saturday with 24 victories this year, a career best since going out on his own in 1987. Peitz’s previous high for victories in a year was 21 in 2001, when he also won a career-best $1,038,829 in purses, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.

Peitz began Saturday with $687,615 in purse earnings this year. ... Win Willy, winner of the 2011 Oaklawn Handicap, ran fourth and last in Wednesday’s $100,000 Swatara Stakes at Penn National in Pennsylvania, but pushed his career earnings to $960,387. Trainer Mac Robertson said Win Willy will make his 2013 debut in the $75,000 Fifth Season Stakes on Jan. 11 at Oaklawn, where a victory would make him a millionaire.

Sports, Pages 36 on 11/25/2012

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