HOT SPRINGS -- A class-packed field of 12 is entered in the $150,000 1-mile Pippin Stakes for fillies and mares at Oaklawn today.
Post time for the Pippin, the eighth race on the nine-race card, is scheduled for 4:47 p.m.
"There are a lot of good horses in there," said jockey David Cohen, listed to ride Lbd Stable's and David Ingordo's Our Super Freak.
Alex and Joann Lieblong's Wicked Whisper, trained by Steve Asmussen, a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Ricardo Santana, Jr., the seven-time and defending riding champion at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, is listed to ride Wicked Whisper.
Wicked Whisper has not run beyond 7 furlongs since her 2-year-old season, when she won the Grade I Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Oct. 6, 2019. Her last two-turn-race was the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, in which she finished fifth on Nov. 1, 2019. She sprinted to a win in the Grade III 6-furlong Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore on Oct. 3, 2020.
Brereton Jones' Istan Council, a 5-year-old daughter of Istan trained by Larry Jones, is the 7-2 morning-line second choice. Istan Council finished a troubled second in her last start in the $75,000 1-mile, 70-yard She's All In Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Dec. 18. Joe Talamo is expected to ride Istan Council.
"I like her chances a lot," Talamo said. "She's a pretty consistent [mare]. If she runs back to the race she ran at Remington Park, I think she'll be awfully tough in there."
Talamo and Jones both said they hope for a better trip than Istan Council had at Remington.
"I thought it was one of the very few times you see in the [Daily] Racing Form where the horse that ran second was much the best," Jones said.
Vault and Getridofwhatailsu, each trained by Eclipse Award finalist Brad Cox, and Super Freak are 6-1 morning-line third choices.
Vault's listed rider is Florent Geroux, who expects to make this his first full season at Oaklawn. Joseph Rocco, Jr., is listed to ride Getridofwhatailsu.
Our Super Freak made five starts in 2020, each in graded stakes in which she finished, in order, fifth, second, third, sixth, and, in her last race, fourth in the Grade II Falls City Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 26.
Cohen has never ridden Our Super Freak.
"I'm very familiar with the horse just by watching it run," Cohen said. "She looks like she has good enough early footing to get a nice position right outside the speed. That horse looks pretty live in this spot."
8 The Pippin. Purse $150,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
ISTAN COUNCIL was likely best when beaten a head in the Shes All In at Remington, and she is very consistent in races at 1 mile or over. OUR SUPER FREAK was winless in five races last season, but she raced exclusively in graded stake races, while earning Beyer figures that make her a big threat. WICKED WHISPER won the Grade I Frizette at this distance as a juvenile, and she finally returns to a route distance after sprinting and winning a graded stake in 2020.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
6 Istan Council;Talamo;Jones;7-2
12 Our Super Freak;Cohen;DeVaux;6-1
7 Wicked Whisper;Santana;Asmussen;3-1
1 Vault;Geroux;Cox;6-1
9 Regal Beauty;Garcia;Calhoun;8-1
5 Chance to Shine;Tohill;Hartman;10-1
3 Getridofwhatailesu;Rocco;Cox;6-1
2 Figure It Out;Arrieta;Amoss;12-1
11 Graysonsmacho Gal;Vazquez;Ortiz;15-1
10 His Glory;Cabrera;Sharp;12-1
8 Blessed Again;Thompson;Prather;30-1
4 Sara Sea;FDe La Cruz;Lukas;30-1