Oaklawn report

— Borel’s pursuit resumes

Jockey Calvin Borel’s pursuit of 5,000 career victories is scheduled to begin again Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn Park.

Borel, who hasn’t ridden at the meeting because of a broken wrist, is scheduled to ride in two races on the 10-race card.

Borel needs one victory to become the 26th North American jockey to win 5,000 races.

He is named on Conte for trainer Mike Tomlinson in the third race and Analytic for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs in the sixth race.

Borel was named on five horses Jan. 11, opening day of the scheduled 56-day meeting, but was diagnosed with a broken wrist Jan. 8.

Borel hasn’t ridden since Dec. 28, when he guided Malibu High to a first-level allowance/optional claiming victory for his older brother, trainer Cecil Borel, at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Calvin Borel was originally scheduled to miss approximately three weeks because of the injury but only began working horses this week at Oaklawn.

Oaklawn and the city of Hot Springs still plan to distribute commemorative trading cards when Borel reaches the career riding milestone. The cards will be free to anyone at Oaklawn on the day Borel wins his 5,000th race.

Borel has 899 victories at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, and was the track’s leading rider in 1995 and 2001.

The only other jockey to reach 5,000 career victories at Oaklawn is the now retired Tim Doocy in 2009.

Taking charge

Will Take Charge tuned up for Monday’s $300,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes by working an easy half-mile Thursday for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Clockers credited Will Take Charge with :49 - fastest of 30 works recorded at the distance - including a final quarter in :24.20 and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:03.40.

Will Take Charge was the first worker of the morning.

Owned by Willis Horton of Marshall, Will Take Charge won the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan.

21 in his last start.

Shortly after the break to renovate the surface, Arkansas-owned Brown Almighty blew out a quarter mile through the stretch in preparation for the Southwest, at 1 1/16 miles.

“I thought he looked good,” trainer Tim Ice said.

Another scheduled Southwest starter, Super Ninety Nine, arrived Thursday on a flight that originated in Southern California.

Super Ninety Nine is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who won the 2010 Southwest with Conveyance and swept both divisions last year with Secret Circle and Castaway.

Other Southwest probables are Always in a Tiz, Officer Alex, Texas Bling, Channel Isle and Fear the Kitten.

Trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs said Thursday morning that Big Lute, a dazzling Feb. 1 career debut winner, was still on the fence for the Southwest, which will anchor a 10-race card.

A 1 1/16-mile entry-level allowance race Sunday is also under consideration, Hobby said.

The Baffert-trained Title Contender, who accompanied Super Ninety Nine on Thursday’s flight, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s entry-level allowance race.

Atigun’s debut

Instead of beginning a stallion career, Atigun is scheduled to begin his 4-year-old campaign in today’s eighth race, a sterling allowance/optional claimer for older horses at 1 1/16 miles.

Owned by John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, Atigun is using the race as a prep for the $150,000 Grade III Razorback Handicap on March 9.

Atigun hasn’t started since finishing third in the $500,000 Grade II Breeders’ Cup Marathon (1 3/4 miles) on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita near Los Angeles.

Atigun also finished third in last year’s Belmont Stakes (1 1/2 miles) and fourth in the $1 million Grade I Travers and $1 million Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup, the latter two races at 1 1/4 miles.

“In the industry they call horses like this ‘Cup horses,’ ” Anthony said. “In the old days, stamina horses were called Cup horses because they raced long distances. They’re not as attractive stallion prospects.

“Having not won a classic, despite racing well in them, or not having accomplished as much at shorter distances - what the stallion prospects call for - perhaps this old boy will race for a long time.”

Trainer Ken McPeek, who is based in Florida, has been in Hot Springs this week overseeing Atigun’s final preparations.

Also entered are major stakes winners Endorsement and Hurricane Ike and Shrill, claimed for a meet-high $55,000 on Jan. 17.

Rulings

Apprentice jockey Alex Canchari is appealing a three-day riding suspension that was scheduled to begin today, state steward Stan Bowker said.

Stewards had suspended Canchari through Sunday for an incident in last Saturday’s first race.

Flashy Pearl was disqualified from fifth to sixth after drifting out in deep stretch under left-handed urging from Canchari to bother Renegade Band.

New entry times

Beginning with the third condition book (Feb. 21), Oaklawn will enter at least 72 hours prior to race day.

David Longinotti, Oaklawn’s assistant general manager/racing, said horsemen requested the change.

Oaklawn has normally drawn entries for most races 48 hours prior to race day.

The new schedule means all races will be drawn at least 72 hours out during a race week: Saturday for Thursday (120 hours), Sunday for Friday (120 hours), Wednesday for Saturday (72 hours) and Thursday for Sunday (72 hours).

At a glance DAY 19

ATTENDANCE 3,084 ON-TRACK HANDLE $306,791.70 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $1,701.794.23 TOTAL HANDLE $2,008,585.93 CLASSIX CARRYOVER $41,045.96 THURSDAY’S STARS Red-hot trainer Chris Richard teamed with jockey Terry Thompson and owner Maggi Moss for two victories. Richard, Oaklawn’s leading trainer, is 13 for 27 at the meeting.

Ricardo Santana Jr. rode two winners.

TODAY’S TIMES First post for the nine races is 1:30 p.m. Gates open at 11 a.m.

TODAY’S TELEVISION HRTV (full card), Oaklawn Today replays (8 p.m., Resort Cable Channel 5; 11 p.m., KARZ, Channel 42, Little Rock, 11 p.m.) TODAY’S RADIO Oaklawn Morning Line (8:45 a.m., KVRE-FM, 92.9, Hot Springs Village) PRICES Admission ($2); parking in Oaklawn lots ($2); reserved seats ($2.50 weekdays, $4.50 weekends); programs ($2). Daily Racing Form on track ($5, $6.50); tip sheets ($2-$5) TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE Tampa Bay Downs (11:25 a.m.), Aqueduct (11:30 a.m.), Gulfstream Park (11:45 a.m.), Fair Grounds (1 p.m.), Hawthorne (2:30 p.m.), Golden Gate Fields (2:45 p.m.), Santa Anita (3 p.m.), Turfway Park (4:30 p.m.), Penn National (5 p.m.), Delta Downs (5:45 p.m.), Palm Beach (6 p.m.), Charles Town (6:15 p.m.), Daytona Beach (6:25 p.m.), Southland (6:30 p.m.), Wheeling (6:30 p.m.), Sam Houston (7 p.m.).

WAGERING MENU

Win, place, show (all races)

Exacta (all races)

Trifecta (all races)

Superfecta (races 4 and 6 and last race)

Daily double (first two races, last two races)

CLASSIX (races 3-8)

Pick-3 (begins with races 4, 5 and 7 on nine-race cards and races 4, 5, 6 and 8 on 10-race cards)

Sports, Pages 24 on 02/15/2013

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