Nodouble winner gets Rainbow nod

Storm And a Half never heard the roar of the crowd, but if a horse can experience vicarious thrills through sons and daughters he can.

Though unraced, the 18-year-old son of Storm Cat and graded-stakes winner Lu Ravi is important to the Arkansas thoroughbred industry as a super sire. His 20-odd stakes winners include Downthedustyroad, the 2006 Grade 1 La Brea winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert after an Oaklawn campaign for Rick Jackson. Storm And a Half, brought to Arkansas by Hot Springs owner-breeder Leon Millsap, now stands in Iowa after years of service at McDowell Farm in Sparkman.

In a year of record Oaklawn purses, another Storm and a Half product has a chance today for a unique stakes sweep. We Be Stormin, a 3-year-old gelding, seeks his fourth consecutive victory in the $75,000 Rainbow at six furlongs. A second-out juvenile winner at Louisiana Downs last fall, We Be Stormin takes on fellow 3-year-olds for the first time after twice beating older state-breds at Oaklawn. He comes off a nose victory over Rock City Roadhog in the March 8 Nodouble Breeders', also at six furlongs.

With Al Cates training for the four-man Hogwild Stables, and Ramon Vazquez riding from post six, We Be Stormin is the 7-5 program favorite against six rivals in the 42nd Rainbow.

Those odds would be considerably lower if not for Weast Hill, a strong 3-2 second choice off his debut race -- a front-running romp of 7 1/2 lengths Feb. 26. Bred and owned by Starsky Weast, of Star City, and trained by Brad Cox, Weast Hill is a product of Oaklawn stakes winner Rockport Harbor and the Elusive Quality mare Copperelle. Breaking from post three, Weast Hill keeps Jesus Castanon in the saddle.

One must dig for dirt against either horse, although one potential knock against both is that their last races came in the slop, sometimes giving a false picture of a horse's form. Another is that Weast Hill can expect more pace pressure after getting away with a 47.29-second opening half last time.

Trainer Ron Moquett is represented by the coupled entry of Oaklawn winner Meanbone and Keeneland debut winner All Aboard, homebreds that Moquett's Southern Springs Stables races in partnerships. Ricardo Santana Jr. is named aboard Meanbone, who adds blinkers, and Greta Kuntzweiler on All Aboard.

Completing the field are Comic Bird, a first-time starter by champion Summer Bird bred and owned by K.K. and Devi Jayaraman; four-race maiden Big Creek Road; and debut Oaklawn winner Bud Ro, a tiring eighth in the Nodouble Breeders'.

Post time for the Rainbow, the last of five 2015 Oaklawn stakes for Arkansas-breds, is 4:42 p.m. Oaklawn races Wednesday-Saturday this week, closing on Easter Sunday. The meet-ending Racing Festival of the South begins Saturday with the $400,000 Grade 3 Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies.

Sports on 03/29/2015

Upcoming Events