AT THE POST

DAY 55 Of 57

THURSDAY'S ATTENDANCE 7,500

THURSDAY'S TOTAL HANDLE $3,674,684

THURSDAY'S ON-TRACK HANDLE $615,692

TODAY'S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Tampa Bay, 11:35 a.m.; Gulfstream Park, 11:55 a.m.; Keeneland, 12:05 p.m.; Laurel Park, 12:10 p.m.; Aqueduct, 12:20 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.; Santa Anita, 3 p.m.; Hawthorne, 4:10 p.m.; Penn National, 5 p.m.; Evangeline, 5:40 p.m.; Charles Town, 6 p.m.; Palm Beach (greyhounds), 6 p.m.; Daytona Beach (greyhounds), 6:25 p.m.; Southland (greyhounds), 8:30 p.m.; Los Alamitos, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY'S STARS

Ricardo Santana Jr., who is the leading rider during the meet, won the sixth race when he rode Care ($7.40) to victory. With the victory, Santana raised his total to 49 victories in 259 starts. He leads Ramon Vazquez (46 victories in 290 starts), who did not win a race Thursday, by three. Alex Canchari, who is third with 44 victories in 270 starts, won the first race when he rode Miss Shelby ($6.60) to victory. Luis Contreras was the only jockey to win multiple races when he won the seventh and 10th races with Reckling ($7.20) and Marcy Darcy ($6.40).

Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer on the season, won the seventh and 10th races to improve to 39 victories in 211 starts. He leads Ron Moquett (19 victories in 153 starts) by 20.

EMPIRE GETS A FEEL

John Oxley's champion Classic Empire tested the Oaklawn surface for the first time Thursday morning, jogging a mile and galloping a mile in preparation for Saturday's $1 million Arkansas Derby, according to assistant trainer Norm Casse.

Classic Empire was flown from Ocala, Fla., to Arkansas on Wednesday and rolled into the Davona Dale barn at 4:30 p.m. He was the country's champion 2-year-old male after winning four of five starts, including the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita. But his 2017 season features just one start -- a third in the $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park -- and reportedly refusing to work twice at Palm Meadows Training Center in south Florida.

"I think probably a month, a month and a half ago when he was continuing some of his antics we kind of had thrown our hands up and been like, 'Well, what are we supposed to do?' '' said Casse, the son of the colt's trainer, Mark Casse. "Last-ditch effort, we send him back to Ocala where it all started for him and said if he trains there, good, if not we'll take a step back and will wait until the summertime. So, he's earned his right here. We feel like we're kind of playing on house money."

Classic Empire was installed as the 8-5 program favorite for the 1⅛-mile Arkansas Derby. He is scheduled to break from post 2 under regular rider Julien Leparoux.

NO WORK ON THURSDAYS

Sonneteer, per tradition under trainer Keith Desormeaux, did not work on the track Thursday. Desormeaux doesn't take his horses to the track on Thursdays and Sundays.

"It's so funny. When we first started going to some of the big races, when we wouldn't go to the track, all of the press would flock to you like, 'What's wrong?' " said Julie Clark, Desormeaux's assistant trainer. "Like you're hiding something. And I'm like, 'It's just a Thursday.' Thursdays and Sundays."

Calumet Farm's home-bred Sonneteer has three seconds, two thirds and a fourth in seven maiden races, along with a fourth place in the California Derby in his sixth start. After he was a rallying second in a Feb. 25 maiden race at Santa Anita, Desormeaux shipped him to Oaklawn, where at 112-1 odds he won a three-horse photo for second, with Malagacy the 2-length winner.

MALAGACY 'RELAXED'

Malagacy, winner of the Rebel Stakes, arrived from South Florida on Wednesday afternoon. The Todd Pletcher-trained horses went out for a gallop under assistant trainer Adele Bellinger. Malagacy schooled in the indoor paddock and on the infield grass at noon, well before the first race.

"He's such a relaxed gallop; he doesn't just drag you," Bellinger said. "Some horses, two days out, they know they're going to run and they drag you around there. They're a little rude and obnoxious. That's not how he is."

NEW RIDERS FOR ASMUSSEN

Both of trainer Steve Asmussen's Arkansas Derby horses -- Untrapped and Lookin At Lee -- have new riders for Saturday's race. Mike Smith will be aboard Untrapped, and Luis Contreras rides Lookin At Lee.

Santana had ridden Untrapped in four of his five starts, with Irad Ortiz aboard for the colt's third in the Rebel. Santana also rode Rebel sixth-place finisher Lookin At Lee in his five prior starts, including a second in Keeneland's Grade I Breeders' Futurity and fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Santana had been Asmussen's main rider much of the year, including at Oaklawn, but the Hall of Fame trainer severed their business relationship weeks ago. Asmussen called the Hall of Famer Smith to ride Saturday on Untrapped, explaining cheerfully, "Because I've seen him in the winner's circle in a significant race recently" -- an apparent reference to the Smith-ridden Arrogate rallying to defeat the Asmussen-trained Gun Runner in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

"Mike has always been a great talent, tremendous," said Asmussen, who has known the 51-year-old Smith "since he galloped horses for Bob Arnett in New Mexico."

Smith is committed to Louisiana Derby winner Girvin for the Kentucky Derby, but Asmussen's only concern now is trying to win a $1 million, Grade I race before then. "There are so many things that will change, for all of us," he said.

Contreras has replaced Santana as Asmussen's first-call rider at Oaklawn.

"Luis has done an excellent job here, riding the course really well," he said. "We'll try to take advantage of that."

THE LONGEST SHOT

One Dreamy Dude, at 50-1 the longest shot in the Arkansas Derby's field of 12, has not only never run in a stakes race, his best finish in six maiden races was losing by a nose four races ago. He also has a trio of fourth-place finishes.

The son of First Dude is out of the mare Dreamy Dream, hence the name. But owner Mike Waters of Seattle said he also named the colt after his Hall of Fame trainer, Jack Van Berg.

"If we win this race, it would just be a dream come true," Waters said. "It would be 30 years since Alysheba won (the Kentucky Derby) with Jack Van Berg. I know we're a long shot, and big odds. But you know what? It's horse racing, and anything can happen.

"When we bought this horse in Ocala in June, we only paid $25,000. But Jack likes to wink at me when he likes a horse. I never got more than three winks ever out of Jack, and Jack gave me four winks on this horse."

Information for this report was contributed by Oaklawn media department.

Sports on 04/14/2017

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