Last seen locally on New Year's Day, Angel of Empire likely gets a chance to duplicate his sire's 2017 success in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.
Although none of the three local Kentucky Derby prep-race winners is coming, Angel of Empire finished second in the Smarty Jones and won the subsequent Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. He is among 11 prospects for Saturday's $1.25-million event at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. Entries are to be drawn today for Oaklawn's oldest and richest race, also for the Grade 3 $600,000 Fantasy Stakes, inside the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle at 11:40 a.m. A nine-race live card starts at 12:35 p.m.
The Grade 3 $400,000 Oaklawn Mile and the restored $200,000 Hot Springs also are on the card during a weekend with stakes races Friday and April 2. The Derby and Fantasy offer 200 qualifying points five deep to 3-year-olds eligible for the Kentucky Derby May 6 and the previous day's Kentucky Oaks, respectively, both marked for 149th runnings at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Classic Empire, after a troubled spring in Florida, clinched a Derby spot winning the '17 Arkansas Derby for since-elected Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. He won the previous year's male juvenile championship.
Trained by Brad Cox, Angel of Empire avenged his Smarty Jones second to stablemate Victory Formation at Fair Grounds. Cox pointed Angel of Empire to the Arkansas Derby after entering two horses, including multiple graded winner Instant Coffee, in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby Saturday at Fair Grounds. As is the Fantasy for the Oaks, the Arkansas Derby is worth 100 points to the winner toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby with 40, 30, 20 and 10 points to the next four finishers.
Though his Cox-trained Victory Formation is off the Kentucky Derby trail, North Little Rock owner Frank Fletcher ships in Rocket Can from Florida for the nine-furlong Oaklawn classic, first won by Holl's Image in 1936 for a $5,000 purse. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Rocket Can won the Grade 3 Holy Bull Feb. 4 and placed second behind champion Forte in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth March 4. Fletcher, an automobile dealer, has won Oaklawn stakes for Mott and other trainers but covets the Arkansas Derby the most.
In Tim Yakteen's name, Reincarnate finished third in the Grade 2 $1 million Rebel at Oaklawn after previously racing for Bob Baffert, who is temporarily barred from Churchill Downs. Reincarnate was among several Rebel starters compromised by racing luck over a sloppy track. Arabian Knight, undefeated in two starts after winning Oaklawn's Grade 3 Southwest for Baffert, is off the Kentucky Derby trail.
Red Route One, a stone closer, ran second in the Southwest and Rebel for Steve Asmussen, who has more than 10,000 training victories, a North American record, but is 0-for-24 in the Kentucky Derby. Rebel winner Confidence Game is pointing at two April preps in Kentucky or may train up to the Kentucky Derby, said trainer Keith Desormeaux, who is entering Kolomio, which he claimed for $50,000 Feb. 3 in a one-mile turf race at Santa Anita, in the Arkansas Derby. Desormeaux races Kolomio for Matthew Bryan, together campaigning 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator.
Others expected to enter, per the Oaklawn racing office, are Airtime for trainer Robertino Diodoro, Bourbon Bash (Wayne Lukas), Harlocap (Asmussen), Interlock Empire (Ken McPeek), King Russell (Ron Moquett), Mendelssohns March (McPeek) and Two Eagles River (Chris Hartman).
Seven are likely for the Fantasy, the racing office said, with Cox-trained Wet Paint, a two-time Oaklawn stakes winner, the likely favorite going a mile and sixteenth. Oaklawn star Secret Oath, third in the Arkansas Derby, won the 2022 Oaks for Hall of Famer trainer Lukas, who is enjoying a whirlwind local season at age 87.