This week in Arkansas is the Grade I running of the Oaktree Handicap for horses four years old and up. The Oaktree will be run over a mile and one eighth on the dirt track on Saturday with a total purse of $750,00 up for grabs. The weather the past week has been calm and cool, but no rain is suspected to be in our forecast, so look for the dirt track to be listed as fast for Saturday\u2019s races. Two horses short of a full field has drawn into this years running of the Oaktree Handicap, lets take a brief look at each of our contenders.
Breaking from the rail will be Open The Gate <\/b> (Jump Start x Distant View x Raja Baba) and is owned and trained by deantroops<\/i>. This five year old bay horse has been lightly raced with a total of twnety-five lifetime starts including an impessive elven wins, all on the dirt. The bay horses most recent start came in the elven furlong Grade II The Benny Badger Stakes where the horse went off well and looked to be about to perform a wire to wire finish, however, he tired in the strecth and was caught by late closers at the wire and finished seventh. His most recent win was two starts before in The Near Between North Cap where he stayed tucked behind chasing the front-runner in second until the last turn of the race where the horse gained the lead, crossing the wire two and one-fourth lengths in front with a speed figure recorded of one hundred six.
Favorite Formulated Risk (GB) <\/b> (Beat Hollow (GB) x Bahri x Nureyev) and out of the stakes-running dam Carolina Roll is next. This five year old bay horse is trained and owned by karen<\/i> and has also been lightly raced with twenty-six lifetime starts incuding nine wins, four places and seven shows. The horses most recent start came in Louisiana during the Grade III Saints Handicap where the horse had a bit of an unusual start and hung around the back of the back for a large portion of the beginning of the race. Half way though the nine furlong race the horse began to pick off tiring horses and was gradually moving up and came thundering to the wire to clinch the win by half a length with a speed figure of one hundred nine.
Longshot Alyczar <\/b> (Silver Deputy x Alydar x Bold Ruler), owned by jedi<\/i> is next. This four year old bay colt has been lightly raced with seventeen lifetime starts including five wins. This Saturday will be the colts first graded stakes debut race after a majority of allowance starts and one ungraded stakes start. The stakes start was in The Revirado Challenge on an off dirt track where the colt stuggled with his only start in less than ideal conditions, and finished eighth. The horses most recent win was his moost recent race, a nine furlong allowance caliber race in West Virginia where he stalked the front runners and took control of the race at the turn to win by two lengths with a career best speed figure of one hundred nine.
Next is Scent From Dubai <\/b> (Essence Of Dubai x Octagonal (NZ) x El Gran Senor) and is trained by elesto<\/i>. This five year old bay horse has a total of thirty-three lifetime starts including sixteen finishes on the board, seven of these wins. The horsesmost recent start came in Vermont during The Tout Ou Rien Handicap where he came from off the pace in ninth and began picking off front-running horses further on during the race to finish fourth, still a good ten and a half lengths back behind the victor. The horses\u2019 most recent win came in late January during The King Cat Handicap in Ohio where he once again came from off the pace to win by the barest of noses and setting a speed figure of one hundred five.
Following will be Guns Of August <\/b> (Deputy Commander x Glitterman x Danzig) and is out of the race-winning dam Ms. Lady. This five year old bay horse is owned and trained by waremblem4<\/i> and has a total of twenty-nine lifetime starts, including four wins, eight places and six shows to his title. The stunning horses msot recent start was in The Swiss Affair (IRE) Memorial in which he stalked just behind the leaders in the race up until the wire where he became in possition to challenge for the lead. However, the wire came up short with the horse still in second, only a head back. The horses most recent win came in May of last year during an allowance caliber race in Kentucky where he again stalked the front runners and took command in the final turn coming for home and won by three and one-fourth lengths with a speed figure recorded of ninety-seven.
Gg<\/i> owned Fly For Buda <\/b> (Sadler\u2019s Wells x Blushing Groom (FR) x Rube The Great) is next in the field. this five year old bay horse has a total of thirty-one lifetime starts and career earnings totaling over three million dollars. The horses most recent start came down in Florida in the Grade I Glenn Handicap where he stalked the early pace just back in fifth and began picking of tiring horses at the mid-point of the race to finish second, beaten by a mere nose. The horses most recent win was just the start before, in the Grade II Willing and Able Stakes where the horse went wire to wire to win by one length over the rest of the field and posting a speed figure of one hundred thirteen, a lifetime best for the horse.
In post number seven is Privileged <\/b> (Gone West x Danzig x Buckpasser) and is trained by saver<\/i>. This four year old bay colt has had a total of twenty-three lifetime starts including six wins. The colts most recent start came in the Grade I Diplomat Way Handicap where he came from off the pace way back in eleveth and rallied for fifth, just staying in the money. The colts most recent victory came in October during the Grade III Hudson Hawk Stakes where he, once again came from far off the pace and began putting horses away quickly in the latter half of the race, this time taking the win by two lengths over the rest of the field and setting a speed figure of one hundred seven.
Following is Al Hirt <\/b> (Dixieland Band x Kris S. x Boldnesian) and is owned by zooomr<\/i>. This four year old homebred bay colt has had a total of twenty lifetime starts and four of these have been wins. The colts most recent start came in the ten furlong Our Tans Challenge where he bagan the race a little off the pace in seventh and then began taking down horses in the final stages of the race to finish just on the board in tird, just three lengths back from the winner. The colts most recent win came in May of last year during the Grade II Captain Hook where he ran much the same style of race, coming from off the race to challenge tiring horses in the stretch, this time winning by a length and three-fourths over his closest competitor.
Next will be Biting Insects <\/b> (Fusaichi Pegasus x Seattle Slew x Blushing Groom (FR)) and is out of the dam I Need Dough. This is the oldest horse in Saturday\u2019s race at six years old and is owned and trained by mcjonny4<\/i>. This six year old homebred has had a total of thirty-two lifetime starts including eight wins. The hoses most recent start came in The A.P. Jello Memorial where he sat back stalking the front runnings in sixth and made a bid mid-point in the race for the lead. He came up slightly short, finishing second by half a length. The horses most recent start came in early July during the Grade II Pinto Handicap where he came from far off the pace in twelth and began picking of struggling horses immediatley, gradually working his way up to the lead where he stayed and won by one and three-fourths lengths with a speed figure posted of one hundred eight.
Tresstable<\/i> trained and owned longshot U Boat Commander <\/b> (Deputy Commander x Exclusive Native x Bold Bidder) is next. This four year old homebred colt has a total of fourteen career starts. The bay colts most recent start came in the Grade III Whirlaway Cap where he had a poor start, breaking twelth and never regaining his compusure, finishing tenth by a well-beaten twelve lengths. The colts most recent victory came in May of last year during the nine furlong The Fourth Spice Challenge where the colt came from mid-pack to challenge the leaders and conquering them, winning by two and three-fourths lengths over his nearest competeition with a speed figure of ninety-nine.
Toxicsuperfreakout <\/b> (Orientate x Thunder Gulch x Sword Dancer (IRE)), out of the stakes-running dam Gulchess is next. This four year old chestnut homebred is trained by darylcal<\/i> and has a total of twenty-two lifetime starts with five wins, four places and one show so far. The colts most recent start came in the Grade II Florida BB Sprint Championship II where the colt took off after the leaders, stalking behind in third, however the colt gradually dropped back throughout the race, apparently not having his best day, and finsihed a disappointing fourteenth, thriten and three-fourths lengths back. The colts most recent win came in March of last year during the Grade II Louisiana Derby where he went wire to wire in the eight and a half furlong race and posted a speed figure of one hundred.
Breaking from the far outside post position will be Forgotten Halo <\/b> (Jolie\u2019s Halo x L\u2019Enjoleur x Crimson Satan) is next. This stiking lgiht grey homebred horse is owned and trained by stoners<\/i> and has a total of twenty-five lifetime starts. This five year old horses most recent start came overseas in Germany during The Metro Ack Handicap where the horse talked the front runners in third for the first few furlongs of the race and then took command at the turn and drawing away to win by three and one-fourth lengths over his nearest competition and posting a speed figure of one hundred nine with jockey T. Small riding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Formulated Risk Off As Early Favorite<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3823\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}