Robertino Diodoro wins 3,000th career race Saturday at Oaklawn

Dr. Miranda explains why she thinks Carbone will win the 2024 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park, a prep race for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Timberlake (#7) is on a two-race schedule to reach the Kentucky Derby. The journey begins in the $1.25 million G2 Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn, which marks the 3-year-old debut for the Grade 1…

Welcome to Noel Michaels' Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend best bets and spot plays from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Check back every week for a couple of highlighted selections designed to help you cash a few bets and make some money. Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse…

Todd Pletcher is preparing a trio of major prep winners - Forte, Kingsbarns and Tapit Trice - for Kentucky Derby 2023. While those 3-year-olds train for the May 6 showcase, the trainer sends out one of his best older runners in Saturday's featured event. Charge It is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 2, $1 million Oaklawn Handicap. Post…

King Peanut leads the field in the $150000 Rainbow Stakes Saturday at Oaklawn. - Photo courtesy of Coady Photography On a day that three Kentucky Derby preps went off at other tracks, some Arkansas-bred horses got down to business at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. Moments after the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, King Peanut got through on the rail…

The 2023 Ashland (G1), a traditional feature of the opening day of the Keeneland spring meet, is coming up on Friday, April 7! A Grade 1 race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, it drew a field of seven sophomore fillies to compete for a $600000 purse and 100-40-30-20-10 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Oaks,…

Oaklawn's road to the Kentucky Oaks draws to a close Saturday, April 1, with the Fantasy Stakes (G3). The 1 1/16 mile race drew a field of 10 sophomore fillies to compete for a $600000 purse and 100-40-30-20-10 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points for the first five horses across the wire. It is the final race in Oaklawn's three-race Kentucky Oaks prep…

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas would not be denied, andneither would Last Samurai. Breaking from the outside post in a 10-horse field and racingfour wide while rating the pace from mid-pack, Last Samurai (1-1) was coaxedforward by jockey Cristián Torres until he finally wore down Classic Causeway(7-2) to win Saturday in the Grade 3,…

Mendelssohns March remains undefeated with an allowance win March 9 (Coady Photography) Oaklawn Barn Notes by Robert Yates HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Add a pair of recent Oaklawn winners for trainer Kenny McPeek to the list of early probables for the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1. McPeek said unbeaten Mendelssohns March and Interlock…

The Road to the Kentucky Derby in Arkansas continues Saturday, February 25, with the Rebel Stakes (G2). The 1 1/16-mile race over the Oaklawn dirt drew a field of 11 to compete for rich spoils: a $1 million purse and 50-20-15-10-5 Road to the Kentucky Derby points for the top five finishers. It is the third points race in Oaklawn's series: preceded…

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- What normally would be a hot weekend on the Triple Crown trail hit a few bumps along that Thoroughbred thoroughfare as cold weather forced postponement of one big race and another drew only four horses -- all trained by Bob Baffert. That leaves the Holy Bull Stakes and the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park as the top 3-year-old events…

Arabian Knight cost $2.3 million. In his debut on the undercard of November's Breeders Cup Classic, he looked every bit the price spent on a horse expected to be among the Triple Crown contenders. His second career race comes Saturday in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Last weekend Instant Coffee won the Lecomte Stakes, the first Derby…

Flash of Mischief wins the $150000 Ring the Bell Stakes on Dec. 10, 2022, at Oaklawn. Flash of Mischief is entered in today's $150000 King Cotton Stakes. - Photo courtesy of Coady Photography Oaklawn renews a race today that did not flesh out his legend but called Whitmore to mind in another way. The $150000 King Cotton is the Hot Springs sprint…

Lovely Ride wins Saturday's Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the first three finishers in Sunday's $100000 Grade III Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" race, while the other weekend qualifier went to a colt who might find the Derby distance…

The trail toward the first Saturday in May reaches its next step on the first Saturday in January. Arctic Arrogance is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the $150000 Jerome Stakes. Post time from Aqueduct is 3:16 p.m., with FS2 showing the one-mile event for 3-year-olds. The Jerome awards its top five finishers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a…

Coach, under Ricardo Santana Jr., wins the Pippin Stakes on Jan. 8, 2022, at Oaklawn. - Photo courtesy of Coady Photography He bears the nickname of a Hall of Fame trainer, but someone other than Wayne Lukas conditions Coach, a 5-year-old mare stabled at Oaklawn. One may be more familiar with the man saddling Coach. Brad Cox, along with Steve…

Cyberknife, shown winning the Arkansas Derby, tops the list of invitations to the Grade I Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Kentucky Derby preps in California and New York highlight the weekend horse racing schedule with plenty of would-be stars looking for a big step…

Trainer Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020, is off to a fast start at the 2022-23 meet, picking up his second stakes win since the Dec. 9 opening and his second straight $200000 Tinsel Stakes victory on Saturday with Bal Harbour. Last Saturday, he won the $150000 Mistletoe Stakes with Lovely Ride. He won the 2021 Tinsel Stakes…

Bal Harbour (#4 rail) outbids Last Samurai (#1) for the win. (Coady Photography) Jennifer Hoyt/Oaklawn Racing HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Trainer Robertino Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 2020, is off to a fast start at the 2022-2023 meet, picking up his second stakes win since the Dec. 9 opening and his second straight $200000 Tinsel Stakes victory…

The only graded stakes on Saturday's racing schedule features distaffers battling under the twin spires. Coach is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $300000 Chilukki Stakes. Post time from Churchill Downs is 5:35 p.m. EST, with FS2 showing the one-mile race for 3-and-up fillies and mares. The Chilukki is part of a November Churchill…

Kueber Racing's two-time stakes-winning filly Coach will attempt to collect her first victory in graded stakes company as the headliner in Saturday's $300000 Chilukki Stakes (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs. The one-mile Chilukki Stakes for fillies and mares will go as Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 5:35 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 1…

Secret Oath ridden by jockey Luis Contreras finished third in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Oaklawn in Hot Springs. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe) HOT SPRINGS -- There is no clearer nor more meaningful signal to the end of a meet at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort than the running of the Trail's End, a nearly two-lap…

Unbeaten in three career starts, Newgrange will take another step on the Triple Crown trail when he tops a field of 11 set for Saturday's $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Kentucky Derby might not be the major spring destination for the son of Violence, as his trainer Bob Baffert is currently banned, but regardless another graded stakes…

Hot Springs is the site for some fabulous racing on Saturday... featured will be both the Bayakoa Stakes and the Razorback Handicap! Race 1: 10-5-4-9 Race 2: 6-5-3-8 Race 3: 4-2-5-8 Race 4: 13-4-2-12 Race 5: 8-1-9-5 Race 6: 6-3-1-8 Race 7: 10-4-2-5 Race 8: 2-7-1-6 (Leg C: Cross Country Wager) Race 9: 10-2-5-11 Race 10: 9-2-5-3 (Leg E: Cross Country…

Clear Vision wins Saturday's Tropical Turf at Gulfstream Park. Photo by Ryan Thompson, courtesy of Gulfstream Park Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Clear Vision upset the feature at Gulfstream Park, Under the Stars was a popular winner at Santa Anita and South African trainer Justin Snaith qualified two horses for November's Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland, all…

With the Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby paused until Jan. 22, fillies take the spotlight Saturday. Under the Stars (8-5) leads a field of six lined up for the Grade 2, $200000 Santa Ynez Stakes. Post time from Santa Anita is 7:06 p.m. EST, with TVG showing the seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. The Santa Ynez pays out Road to the 2022…