California Connections Enjoy Time at Oaklawn

It's the race within a race.

Seven Southern California-based trainers have divisions this year at Oaklawn Park, and through Feb. 29, the 22nd day of the scheduled 57-day meeting, Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and Phil D'Amato each had four victories to lead the pack. They were followed by John Sadler (three), Peter Miller (three), Peter Eurton (two), and Doug O'Neill (one).

Sadler, wintering at Oaklawn for the first time, notched his third victory with favored Edgeway, a 3-year-old daughter of Competitive Edge  who was a frontrunning debut winner in Saturday's first race. All three of Sadler's victories have been for nationally prominent California owner Kosta Hronis, who was in town to watch Edgeway and his stakes-winning older female sprinter Artistic Diva make her 2020 debut in the Spring Fever Stakes.

"We're enjoying it," Hronis said moments after Artistic Diva finished fifth in the Spring Fever. "Great racetrack. Great fans. We appreciate being here. We loved the first race. Edgeway looked really sharp. 'Diva' just ran a little too fast that first quarter and didn't have enough in the tank."

Hronis, solely or in partnership, has approximately 20 horses with Sadler at Oaklawn. Hronis already had 19 starters at the meeting through Saturday and was tied for fifth in the owners' standings. He's been particularly active at the claim box, taking seven horses, including two in partnership, for a combined $261,000. Four of the horses were claimed for a hefty $50,000 apiece. Hronis has also lost six horses through claims.

"That's us," Hronis said. "But we do that all the time, so that's nothing new for us. We're in town, and we're getting claimed on and we're claiming. That's part of the claiming game."

Edgeway and Artistic Diva were ridden by Tyler Baze, another familiar face in Southern California who now rides regularly in Hot Springs, Ark.

Oaklawn's lucrative purse structure, the highest of any winter venue, helped lure former Southern California riding stalwarts Joe Talamo and Martin Garcia to Hot Springs as regulars for the first time in 2020. Garcia (16 victories), Talamo (15), and Baze (12) all entered Sunday among the top six in the jockey standings.  

"You've got great purses here and a great fan base," Hronis said. "This is racing country, so everybody wants to be part of this."

In 2017, Sadler and Hronis teamed at Oaklawn to win the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares with champion Stellar Wind and the Northern Spur Stakes for 3-year-olds with Cistron. They also finished second in the 2018 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) with Accelerate , who was named the country's champion older dirt male that year.

Richard Baltas is the seventh Southern California-based trainer with a string at Oaklawn. Baltas' horses didn't arrive until 3 1/2 weeks ago, and he only had two starts at the meeting through Saturday. Hollendorfer has spent much of the meeting on site, while D'Amato was at Oaklawn on Thursday for Rockin Ready's allowance victory. 

Hollendorfer and D'Amato entered Sunday tied for eighth in the overall standings.