An oldie but goodie, Hawaakom led a Presidents Day parade at Oaklawn Park.
And right up the rail, Corey Lanerie evoking a stretch move made famous here and at other tracks, most notably at Churchill Downs, by Hall of Fame jockey -- and three-time Kentucky Derby winner -- Calvin Borel.
An 8-year-old son of deep-closing 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, Hawaakom presented trainer and co-owner Wesley Hawley both his first Oaklawn stakes victory and in a graded event in Monday's Grade 3 $500,000 Razorback Handicap.
Lanerie compensated for being 4 pounds overweight, resulting in Hawaakom carrying 118, with a winning move straight from the Borel playbook. A rail-skimming ride culminated a last-to-first rally in the 11-horse field, Hawaakom winning by a length and three quarters after finishing a distant second to eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner in last year's Razorback.
"There's not any Gun Runner (since retired) anywhere in the country," said Hawley, whose chestnut gelding almost doubled his career earnings with $300,000 Monday.
A past Oaklawn winner, Hawaakom scored his first stakes victory since the 2017 Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds. Second in that race was Dazzling Gem, a stylish winner on Monday's card and pointing, trainer Brad Cox said, to Oaklawn's $300,000 Essex Handicap March 17.
Hawley has set a bigger goal, the Grade 2 $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap April 14, for Hawaakom, here making his second start of the year after four months off.
"We made a plan and were able to follow it perfectly," said Hawley. "We took that time off and ran him once in New Orleans (third in defense of the Louisiana Handicap Jan. 13) to get him ready for this race. It doesn't always happen that way."
Lanerie took care of the rest, moving Hawaakom from seventh midway on the second turn to fourth at the head of the stretch.
"The horse fits the trip really well. He loves the inside," said Lanerie, riding Hawaakom for the first time. "I came to a couple holes I was a little scared of but my horse showed all the courage and never hesitated, and he did all the work."
Hawaakom paid $20.80, $8.20 and 6.20, his mile and sixteenth in 1:45.14 over a surface rated sloppy. Leofric, previously 4 for 4 at Oaklawn, placed second by a length and a half over longshot Rocking the Boat after inheriting the lead in the stretch.
"For one second I thought we had it," said Luis Saez, aboard the Cox-trained Leofric, "but the winner was just too fast from the rail. I didn't really see him until he was passing."
Untrapped, the 2-1 favorite, had some traffic problems late and placed fifth. Farther back (10th) was last-out Fifth Season winner Sonneteer, whose connections, brothers Keith and Kent Desormeaux, later won the Grade 3 $500,000 Southwest with 3-year-old My Boy Jack.
Sports on 02/20/2018