On Saturday at Oaklawn Park, the featured race is the $100,000 Hot Springs Stakes. A six furlong contest on the main track, the stakes race has drawn a field of seven colts and geldings.
Ivan Fallunovalot tops the competitive field as the morning line favorite at odds of 7-5 for trainer W.T. Howard. A six-year-old son of Valid Expectations, the bay gelding is a twelve time winner and a multiple stakes winner. He was second in the Hot Springs Stakes last year and will be coming into this race off of a victory in the King Cotton Stakes, his first start since finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). Calvin Borel will be aboard and they will break from post position three.
Second choice at morning line odds of 8-5 is Subtle Indian for trainer Robertino Diodoro.A homebred for Mercedes Stables, the four-year-old gelding is by Indian Charlie and has won five of his seven starts. He returned to action in January off of seven-month layoff following two poor performances and has won both starts against allowance company. Ramon Vazquez will be aboard and they will break from the rail.
Also in the field at morning line odds of 12-1 is Den’s Legacy for trainer Ron Moquett. A six-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro, the bay is a four-time winner and was a graded stakes winner as a juvenile but has been off the board in his last three starts. He is making his first start off of a four-month layoff and will try to improve off of his recent form. Ricardo Santana, Jr. will be in the irons and they will break from post position two.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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