Oaklawn names respected Wiggins to new post

Wiggins
Wiggins

Oaklawn Park has created a position that, in management's estimation, fits its first holder to a T.

Hal Wiggins, original trainer of Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Rachel Alexandra, has been named racing integrity officer at the track. He will serve as a liaison between management, the board of stewards and key Arkansas Racing Commission staff, working to ensure Oaklawn's racing program is conducted at the highest standards.

Oaklawn made the announcement Wednesday. Louis Cella, Oaklawn vice president, said the new role is "designed just for an individual such as he, who has the knowledge, experience and respect of his fellow horsemen. We strive to be forward thinking in all things racing and this is another example of our commitment to integrity."

Arkansas Racing Commission Chairman Alex Lieblong says Wiggins' appointment "sends an additional message that Oaklawn takes the integrity of this sport very seriously. I applaud them for creating this position and I applaud them for hiring Hal. I don't think you could have asked for a better person. He's been in racing a long time and knows when something doesn't smell right. He also had a good way of communicating. If you can't get along with Hal, then something is wrong."

For more than 30 years, Wiggins was a successful horseman, best known for his work with 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, Oaklawn's Martha Washington and Fantasy winner under his care. He trained the filly to a runaway victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs before her sale to a group headed by the late Jess Jackson. Under Steve Asmussen's training, Rachel Alexandra became the first Preakness-winning filly in 85 years and won two other Grade 1 races against males in her 3-year-old season.

In recent years, Wiggins has worked as a steward and served on the Texas Thoroughbred Association board of directors and as president of the Paddock Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to Thoroughbred aftercare.

"I don't think Oaklawn could have found a better person to work with the horsemen in protecting the integrity of our sport," said Linda Gaston, president of the Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association chapter. "He's a horseman first and we know he'll do a wonderful job in this new position."

Wiggins and wife Renee live in Louisville, Ky.

"My hat is off to Oaklawn for creating this position," Wiggins said in a release. "The Oaklawn operation has a splendid national reputation and I'm honored to have the opportunity to be a part of it. This is a new position, and we'll all be learning together. But, I'm convinced we can make a difference, for the horseman and the fan. I'm really looking forward to it."

* If either horse maintains his spring form, Limousine Liberal or Whitmore could stage a donnybrook on opening day of Keeneland's fall season.

Those are two of the 11 sprinters going six furlongs on the dirt in Friday's 165th running of the Grade 2 $250,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix in Lexington, Ky. The Phoenix shares top billing with the 66th running of the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades, a Grade 1 race for 2-year-old fillies at a mile and sixteenth.

Limousine Liberal, trained by Ben Colebrook, holds the Keeneland track record at 6 1/2 furlongs. Second by a nose to A.P. Indian in last year's Phoenix, Limousine Liberal won the Grade 2 Churchill Downs and Grade 3 Aristides this spring. He comes off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt July 29 at Saratoga.

Limousine Liberal breaks from post five with Jose Ortiz aboard and carrying 122 pounds.

Whitmore, also assigned 122, won two Grade 3 races in the spring, Oaklawn's Count Fleet Sprint Handicap included, for trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett. The 4-year-old gelding finished third in Laurel Park's Grade 3 DeFrancis Memorial Dash Sept. 16 after a layoff. Manny Franco rides from post position 11.

Uncontested, Oaklawn's Smarty Jones winner in January, goes in the Phoenix after a last-out win at Churchill Downs. Harry Rosenblum, of Little Rock, is co-owner and Wayne Catalano trainer of the 3-year-old colt, who gets Corey Lanerie up from post eight with 118 pounds.

Sports on 10/05/2017

Upcoming Events