Claiming no game in 2006
HOT SPRINGS — One of the many trainers displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Michael Pino came to Oaklawn Park this year hoping to retool his stable for his annual assault on Delaware Park.
But like many trainers who normally winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Pino said he was blown away by the ferocious amount of claiming during the Oaklawn season that ended Saturday.
Total claims over 53 days (three dates were lost to winter weather ) were 351 and totaled $ 6, 018, 500.
Both were easily the highest figures recorded at Oaklawn in at least nine years.
“It’s pretty amazing, I’ll tell you that,” said Pino, a topfive trainer the past five years at Delaware Park. “I think I’ve got some OK horses, but probably not, I guess, the amount or the quality I got from Fair Grounds.”
Pino claimed 16 horses, but said he missed on many more because of shakes, blind draws that occur when more than one person tries to claim the same horse.
Of the 351 claims, 131 involved shakes.
“Shakes was really the biggest thing,” Pino said. “I really don’t know how many I lost, but it was a lot. It was very frustrating. You kind of force your hand on getting horses.
“ Probably the ones you should have landed, you didn’t.”
Pino and Kenneth Marshall, who also claimed 16, ranked second behind leading trainer Cole Norman, who claimed 26.
Norman also lost a meethigh 32 horses through claims. Steve Asmussen (18 ) and Pino (14 ) were second and third, respectively, in that category.
Oaklawn’s position on the calendar always allows trainers a great opportunity to replenish stock for the remainder of the year.
But activity was so intense this year that Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson said he and racing secretary Pat Pope will analyze each claim to glean information for the 2007 meeting.
“The claiming has gotten insane and that really works against the smaller outfits,” Jackson said. “And it becomes a disincentive to run your horses. Claiming is critically important to the integrity of the sport and competition of the races. But there are times it can become counterproductive if claiming becomes the reason that you can’t run your horse.”
Jackson said it is his belief that many horses were taken out of circulation waiting to get out of jail, while some trainers were hesitant to run over fear of having their horses claimed.
Jail is the requirement that a claimed horse — when it next starts in a claiming race — must run for a claiming price at least 25 percent higher for the next 30 days.
Jackson said some trainers probably had no intention of running their claimed horses until the meeting ended.
Horses claimed at Oaklawn are not allowed to start at another track until the meeting ends.
Jackson said the frenzied claiming activity played a role in Oaklawn’s shrinking field sizes the final six weeks of the meeting and could lead to new policies being implemented for the 2007 season.
Pope said Marshall, who started only seven horses, wasn’t stabled at Oaklawn.
“I’m a free-trade advocate, but you’ve always got be careful of what you do,” said Alex Lieblong of Conway, an owner and member of the Arkansas State Racing Commission. “We’ve got to figure out something, but I don’t know if [eliminating jail time ] is the answer.”
Lieblong had two of his horses claimed Saturday. Stew is good
The big splash jockey Stewart Elliott made at Oaklawn in 2004 with Smarty Stewart Elliott’s Oaklawn stakes victories YEAR RACE HORSE 2004 Southwest Smarty Jones 2004 Rebel Smarty Jones 2004 Arkansas Derby Smarty Jones 2005 Honeybee Round Pond 2005 Fantasy Round Pond 2006 Essex Rockport Harbor 2006 Azeri Round Pond 2006 Carousel Platinum Princess 2006 Bayakoa Capeside Lady 2006 Fantasy Ready to Please Jones continued this season, his first in Hot Springs as a regular member of the riding colony.
Elliott finished with 25 victories to finish 10 th in the standings and rode a meet-high five stakes winners.
“I got off to a great start and then got days [riding suspension ], but everything’s been pretty good,” said Elliott, who rose to national prominence in 2004 as the regular rider of champion Smarty Jones. “I had a good meet. I really liked it here. I’ll probably come back.”
Elliott, a fixture in the Mid-Atlantic region who came to Oaklawn to ride first call for trainer John Servis, was especially choosy with his mounts early in the meeting.
But as the season progressed, he made inroads with such top trainers as Steve Asmussen and David Vance.
He rode two stakes winners for Asmussen, two for Servis and won Friday’s $ 250, 000 Grade II Fantasy Stakes aboard Ready to Please for trainer Todd Pletcher.
“I couldn’t complain about anything,” Elliott said. “The meet’s been good.”
Elliott has ridden 10 stakes winners the last three years at Oaklawn. Hello to Kentucky Trainer Harold Williams said Sayhellotolarry will probably return to allowance company at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., following his eighth-place finish in Saturday’s $ 1 million Grade II Arkansas Derby. It was the stakes debut for Sayhellotolarry, who had sparkled in two victories earlier in the Oaklawn meeting. “It was a tough spot,” Williams said. “Too big of a mountain to climb.” Sayhellotolarry, who broke
1 from post 13, was beaten 17 / 2 lengths by Lawyer Ron after remaining within striking distance until the second turn.
Williams said Sayhellotolarry was pretty knocked out after the race and probably won’t run again until June.
“We’ll try a little smaller jump when he’s ready next time,” Williams said. “I think he’ll get through it. He’s a nice horse.”
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