HOT SPRINGS — Workout 1st step to race shape - Alternation’s first step toward his 2013 debut was a small one, with the multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire working an easy 3 furlongs in :38.80 under regular rider Luis Quinonez on Saturday morning at Oaklawn Park.
Alternation, who swept Oaklawn’s three-race stakes series for older handicap horses last year, breezed just after the break to renovate the racing surface.
Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel said he caught the 5-year-old son of Distorted Humor in splits of about :14, :12.60 and :12.40.
“Just kind of get us back in the swing here and, hopefully, we’ll be on a regular basis again,” Von Hemel said, referring to a work schedule.
Von Hemel said the $500,000 Grade II Oaklawn Handicap on April 13 is the major spring objective for Alternation.
Alternation, Von Hemel said, will not run before March 9, the date of the $150,000 Grade III Razorback Handicap, a race the horse won last year by 1/2 lengths.
Smarty Jones
A field of nine is entered in Monday’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 mile.
The field includes Avare, who will be making his first start outside Southern California for Doug O’Neill, who trained 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another.
Avare hasn’t started since a front-running 4 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes on Dec. 29 at Santa Anita.
Avare is co-owned by Louisville basketball Coach Rick Pitino.
Arkansas-owned Brown Almighty will be making his 3-year-old and dirt debut in the Smarty Jones.
Brown Almighty is scheduled to break from post 8 under Corey Nakatani.
‘Marshall’ out
Marshall Raylan emerged from his highly anticipated career debut, a fifth-place finish in a Jan. 11 sprint, with a cracked knee and will be sidelined approximately 90 days, said the 3-year-old colt’s trainer, Steve Hobby of Hot Springs.
Hobby said no surgery will be required, but the colt is scheduled to leave Tuesday for Ocala, Fla., where he will recuperate.
“When I sent him back to the track, I didn’t like the way he went,” Hobby said. “It’s minor now. It would have been major if we went on with him.”
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway, originally purchased the Dixie Union colt for $185,000 at Keeneland’s Horses of All Ages sale in January 2011.
The Lieblongs entered Marshall Raylan in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March select sale of 2-year-olds in training and bought him back for $650,000.
The colt had several sparkling workouts leading up to his debut.
“He’s going to be OK,” Hobby said.
Back class
Right to Vote, a Political Force gelding trained by Eoin Harty, is scheduled to make his 4-year-old debut in today’s fifth race, a secondlevel allowance/optional claiming event at 6 furlongs.
Right to Vote ran third behind Union Rags and Alpha in the Grade I Champagne Stakes at 2 and was second in last year’s Grade II Peter Pan Stakes.
Right to Vote hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the Grade III Matt Winn Stakes on June 16 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., because of a bone bruise in a rear leg, said Brian Ange, who oversees Harty’s Oaklawn division.
“Looks like it might be a bit of a tough race for him coming off the layoff,” Ange said. “He’s a really nice horse.”
Another chance
Night Seeker, trained by Steve Hobby of Hot Springs, is entered in today’s second race, the 4-year-old colt’s 16th chance to break his maiden.
Night Seeker finished second seven times last year.
“Usually when I have a horse like that, I’m cussing because he gets to the front and hangs or doesn’t want to win,” Hobby said. “This horse has never been that way. I never felt like he didn’t try. When he got beat, it was just because somebody was better.”
Night Seeker was a $275,000 yearling purchase, the most expensive buy at auction for his original owner, Little Rock-based Hardin Farms.
Night Seeker was sold after last year’s Oaklawn meeting when Bill and Jane Hardin divorced.
Cresran LLC, a longtime Hobby client, and Joe Colley privately purchased Night Seeker and another Hardin Farms horse, Lulu Wong, who was claimed for $32,000 on Friday.
Rulings
Stewards have fined four trainers for failing to notify the identifier that their horses were racing as geldings for the first time.
Fined $100 were Cody Autrey (trainer of Bubble Conditions), Ron Moquett (Cahoots), David Whited (Fantastic Bull) and Allen Milligan (Strategic Player).
Information such as the alteration of a horse’s sex is important to some handicappers since horses can show improvement when racing as geldings for the first time.
Bubble Conditions ($10.40) won his career debut in Thursday’s fourth race.
Final furlong
There were dead-heats for the win in Saturday’s fifth and sixth races, perhaps a first in Oaklawn history. … First-time starter Indian Alley ($63.60), winner of Saturday’s third race, was the 899th career victory for trainer Stanley Roberts of Forrest City, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.
At a glance
DAY 4 ATTENDANCE 13,062 ON-TRACK HANDLE $1,059,146.40 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $1,951,210.43 TOTAL HANDLE $3,010,356.83 CLASSIX CARRYOVER $16,164.02 TODAY’S TIMES First post for the nine races is 1:30 p.m. Gates open at 11 a.m. 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)
WAGERING MENU
Win, place, show (all races) Exacta (all races) Trifecta (all races) Superfecta (races 4 and 6 and last race) Daily double (races 1-2, 8-9) CLASSIX (races 3-8) Pick-3 (begins with races 4, 5 and 7) Pick-4 (begins with race 6) TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE Tampa Bay Downs (11:25 a.m.), Aqueduct (11:30 a.m.), Gulfstream Park (11:45 a.m.), Turfway Park (12:10 p.m.), Fair Grounds (1 p.m.), Santa Anita (2:30 p.m.), Golden Gate Fields (2:45 p.m.)
Sports, Pages 33 on 01/20/2013