HOT SPRINGS — Win Willy set for 5th Season

Nine older horses are entered in the $75,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses Friday afternoon at Oaklawn Park, including 2011 winner Win Willy.

A victory in the 1 1/16-mile Fifth Season would push Win Willy past $1 million in career earnings.

Also entered is Endorsement, a multiple Grade III stakes winner for trainer Eoin Harty.

Endorsement, who broke his maiden at the 2010 Oaklawn meeting, will be making his first start since finishing sixth in the Grade I Whitney Handicap on Aug.

4 at Saratoga in New York.

On Tuesday morning, Endorsement had a strong workout, recording a 3-furlong bullet (:35.20). He galloped out a half-mile in :46.80 and 5 furlongs in 1:01.40.

The Fifth Season will be the eighth race on the ninerace program, with a probable post time of 4:33 p.m.

Racing is scheduled to begin Friday, the first day of Oaklawn’s 56-day meeting, at 1 p.m.

Devil and a half

Trainer Don Von Hemel of Hot Springs said Storm Devil, a 3-year-old Storm Surge gelding, should make his career debut during the middle of the meeting.

Storm Devil is a halfchampion Uncle Mo.

Von Hemel said Now U Know, the dam of Now I Know and Storm Devil, is in foal to Cowboy Cal and booked back to Pure Prize.

Storm Devil is also an Oklahoma-bred.

Final furlong

Best of Birdstone is a candidate for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan.

21, trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel said. ... The highly regarded Marshall Raylan, a 3-year-old Dixie Union colt, is scheduled to make his career debut in Friday’s seventh race. ... Von Hemel said Evolutionary, his promising 3-year-old Curlin filly, has been turned out because of a minor problem and likely won’t run at the meeting.

brother to Now I Know, an Oklahoma-bred daughter of Pure Prize who won 6 of 7 career starts and $461,721 for Von Hemel and Wayne Stockseth.

“He’ll probably never be as good as his half-sister, but we’re going to give him a chance,” Von Hemel said.

Von Hemel said minor issues kept Storm Devil from starting as a 2-year-old, adding he was never close to a race.

“I think he’s got some talent,” Von Hemel said.

Now I Know, also bred by Von Hemel and Stockseth, was retired after emerging from a runner-up finish in last year’s $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn with a fractured knee.

She was subsequently sold and booked to

Sports, Pages 21 on 01/09/2013