Capable field entered in Fifth Season Stakes

HOT SPRINGS -- Five of the seven horses entered in the $150,000 1-mile Fifth Season Stakes for horses 4-years-old and up today at Oaklawn have graded-stakes experience. The likely favorites have excelled in them.

The Fifth Season is the sixth of nine races on the card at Oaklawn today. Post time is scheduled for 3:39 p.m.

"It's a tough spot," said Robertino Diodoro, trainer of Pioneer Spirit, the Fifth Season winner on opening weekend last season. "But the horse is back on a surface he likes. He's had a couple of real solid works, and we're expecting him to come back to his old form [today]."

As Diodoro and horsemen across Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort's facilities and grounds began their final preparations for Friday, opening day for the 2021 season, a feeling common to the start of racing at tracks everywhere reached through the cold sunshine.

"I felt it first thing this morning," Diodoro said. "I felt it in our own barn and then in the viewing stand to watch training. You can tell. You definitely can tell there's a buzz in the air."

Lawrence Roman's and Heads Up Racing Stable's Pioneer Spirit was claimed for $150,000 about three months before he won last season's Fifth Season.

Steve Landers Racing's Night Ops, trained by Brad Cox, won the Grade III 1 1/8-mile Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on July 5 in his last start and is the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Martin Garcia is the listed rider.

The 5-2 second choice is Hronis Racing's Combatant trained by John Sadler. Combatant is entered in the Fifth Season off seven consecutive graded-stakes starts. In his last, he finished third in the Grade III 1 1/8-mile Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. Joe Talamo is set to ride Combatant in the Fifth Season.

"This is definitely a good field with some classy horses," Talamo said. "I'll tell you what, though, John speaks very highly of this horse. He's doing well. He should be very pretty darn tough in there."

Sadler agreed.

"We thought he would be a good fit over there this winter, so he flew last weekend," Sadler said. "He got some good races on his form, so we think he's going to be tough."

Winchell Thoroughbred's and Willis Horton's Silver Slate, a 4-year-old son of Hard Spun and maternal grandson of Empire Maker from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, is the 3-1 third choice on the morning line. He has won his last two starts, both at 7 furlongs. The first was in allowance company at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 22, followed by an optional-claiming effort at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 27. Defending Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana, Jr., is listed to ride.

Pioneer Spirit, an 8-year-old son of Malibu Moon, helped start Diodoro's run to his first Oaklawn training championship last season.

"Everyone wants to get off to a good start, and that really helped," Diodoro said. "It was nice having owners here. That really got things kick-started for us."

David Cohen is expected to ride Pioneer Spirit from the starting gate's third stall.

"He's been training great," Cohen said. "I think he'll get a good trip. I do like the post position. He's not a horse that has to have the lead. He's quick enough to go for if we want to, but there's speed outside of him, so there are options. If someone is hell-bent on going for the lead, we don't have to go with him. If he breaks well and catches a flyer, we won't have to work extra hard to clear horses and get to the front, so it gives us more options. I think he will run well."

6 The Fifth Season. Purse $150,000, 1 mile, 4-year-olds and up

SILVER STATE has been dominant in consecutive allowance sprint races in Kentucky, and a case can be made the multiple graded stake-placed colt is better around two turns. NIGHT OPS won three of four races after finishing third in the 2020 Fifth Season, but he could be a tad vulnerable in his first race since July. COMBATANT has been a little inconsistent, but he did win the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap last March.

PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS

4 Silver State;Santana;Asmussen;3-1

1 Night Ops;Garcia;Cox;2-1

7 Combatant;Talamo;Sadler;5-2

5 Hunka Burning Love;Cabrera;Broberg;6-1

6 Nifty;Tohill;Hartman;15-1

3 Pioneer Spirit;Cohen;5-1

2 Full Authority;Rocco;Fires;15-1

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