Jerry Caroom paced along the apron of Oaklawn Park like an expectant father before his race of interest Friday.
Caroom owned the Rainbow Stakes program favorite and was understandably nervous in advance of the $100,000 race for Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds. In fact, the Hot Springs native had been on edge since Hoonani Road, a debut winner Feb. 10, scored a length-and-a-quarter victory in a $79,000 entry-level allowance March 16.
"Bringing him back in two weeks is pretty quick," Caroom, a longtime Oaklawn racegoer, said frequently during the buildup to the 45th Rainbow.
Hours before the race, Caroom provided this update: "The horse is fine. Everything at the barn is fine. The trainer (pointing to Wayne Catalano) is fine."
Hoonani Road is that and more, still unbeaten after winning the Rainbow in front-running style by a widening 2 3/4 lengths. Although he has run faster at the meet, the chestnut gelding was not asked for speed through a fast-rated six furlongs in 1:11.37.
"A very nice effort now going three for three and winning a stakes at the end," said Catalano. "We're very happy with his performance."
Paying $2.80 as odds-on favorite, Hoonani Road did not exactly take anyone by surprise after two victories by a combined margin of 10 3/4 lengths.
"I thought he was 10 lengths better than anyone in the race," said Scotty Caroom, who like his older brother competed athletically at Lakeside High School.
An Arkansas Derby-winning trainer (Crypto Star in 1997) after a long riding career, Catalano took over Jerry Caroom's stable following the death of Jack Van Berg. A University of Arkansas graduate and CEO of a Houston-based lighting company, Caroom became acquainted with Van Berg in California and helped steer the Hall of Fame trainer to Arkansas in 2014. Hoonani Road, which Caroom bought privately from breeder Bobby Lee Hall last May, was one of the last horses Van Berg "picked out with me," Caroom said, before the trainer's passing in December.
"I've won several races but nothing like this," said Jerry Caroom. "It's nice to be in a race like this with so many good people and with a horse so well trained and well behaved."
Hoonani Road broke sharply under Channing Hill and went the opening quarter in 22.60 seconds and the half in 46.80. Spanish Avenue, pressing the pace in second, pulled within a head near the quarter pole, whereupon jockey David Cabrera "thought I could beat him."
Once the field turned for home, Hill asked Hoonani Road for more and the son of millionaire Jonesboro responded on cue, seeing but not feeling his rider's whip in deep stretch.
"Perfect trip. I mean he broke good, did everything super good, settled down the backside like I had hoped," said Hill, trainer Catalano's son-in-law. "Only thing he did wrong was not switch leads but he's such a cool little horse, a great horse to be around, a great horse to do everything with."
Spanish Avenue, who like Hoonani Road and show horse Zack Ridge Road scored his first victory against $20,000 maiden claimers, held second by 5 1/2 lengths. Zack Ridge Road, claimed for $12,500 two races back by trainer Norman McKnight, was third by three lengths over Oaklawn debut winner Spotitude. Completing the field, in order, were East Moon Lake, Hamazing Vision, first-time starter Bebop Shoes, Suspicious Eyes and Ray's Big Boy.
Hoonani Road, whose actual third birthday is April 15 (one day after the Oaklawn meeting ends), has earned $121,200.
Asked what's next for the Rainbow winner, Catalano said, "Vacation. We're going to give him a little break."
Ladies first: The 40th Rainbow Miss Stakes today contains no mystery guests. Six Arkansas-bred 3-year-old fillies are entered, all having raced at Oaklawn and with five winning.
Two were sold at auction, Firewater Rocket for $50,000 last year in Ocala, Fla., and Georgia's Reward for $29,000 in November 2015, when less than a year old, in Lexington, Ky. Half were unraced at 2, their owners waiting to take advantage of record Oaklawn purses that have been raised twice since the meeting started in January.
Georgia's Reward, a second-out winner for trainer Ron Moquett, has some of the bluest blood on the backstretch with Medaglia d'Oro and Tapit as grandsires. Zippy Lou, the only maiden, is sired by Storm and a Half, whose son J.E.'s Handmedown surprised in winning the $100,000 Nodouble Breeders' last month at Oaklawn.
Two homebred starters have ties to past Oaklawn stakes winners. Usual Suspect, owned by Starsky Weast of Star City, is a half-sister (by Primary Suspect) to Weast Hill, who dominated the Arkansas-bred ranks in his 3- and 4-year-old seasons. Trainer Brad Cox brings back Usual Suspect eight days after the April foal (thus not yet 3 by the calendar) trounced $20,000 maiden claimers by six lengths. Fernando De La Cruz keeps the mount on Usual Suspect, whose speed from the rail post could be key to the outcome.
Dutch Treat races in the colors of Hot Springs lumberman John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable, which as Loblolly Stable won the Arkansas Derby three times. Anthony also raced Dutch Treat's maternal grandsire, Oaklawn stakes winner Idabel, whose daughter Final Bel produced a gray or roan filly by $1,000 sire Double Irish in February 2015.
A last-out winner going long for trainer Bill VanMeter, Dutch Treat has tractable speed, which jockey Ramon Vazquez could find useful from the outside post. Dutch Treat has earned a race-high $89,552 in six starts, one of her three seconds coming by a neck to last-out Fair Grounds Oaks runner-up Eskimo Kisses going a mile Feb. 1 at Oaklawn.
Also entered is the Kenny Smith-trained Spunky Town. Ninth of 10 races on a March-ending card starting at 1:05 p.m., the Rainbow Miss goes at 5:09 p.m. Oaklawn's racing and gaming centers are closed on Easter Sunday with live racing resuming on the first of two Wednesday cards at the meeting.
Sports on 03/31/2018