Mr. Big News Exits Oaklawn Stakes Win in Good Shape

Following his 46-1 score in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Stakes April 11 at Oaklawn Park, Mr. Big News returned to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in good order the day after the race, trainer Bret Calhoun said April 13.

"Everything's good. He shipped back to the Fair Grounds on Sunday morning early. He got back about 2 o'clock in the afternoon Sunday and made the trip very well, came out of the race well, and everything's good," Calhoun said.

The 3-year-old Giant's Causeway colt earned automatic berths to the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1) back at Oaklawn and the Preakness Stakes (G1), which will likely be rescheduled from its traditional date in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-week turnaround for the Arkansas Derby has Calhoun inclined to be patient and wait for a later race, though. With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) pushed to Sept. 5, Churchill Downs announced it will add qualifying point races to the Road the Kentucky Derby series.

"The problem is obviously not knowing where and when the point races will be, but I'm sure it's hard for Churchill to put that schedule out right now not knowing when and where there is going to be racing," he said. "I think there are going to be plenty of more points races. Obviously we're almost five months away from Derby, so there's going to have to be a little of a change in the point races going forward. I'd like to probably just sit, be patient, and wait for another spot."

Mr. Big News, campaigned by Chester Thomas' Allied Racing Stable, broke his maiden in January at Fair Grounds with a last-to-first rally going 1 1/16 miles. He then ran fifth in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) with an inside trip.

"I thought the Risen Star was a sneaky good race. If you just look at it, glance at it, you don't think much but he was beaten about four lengths, he was down inside the whole way and never did get to be a free-running horse like I think he wants to be," Calhoun said. "He doesn't really care for being jammed up on the inside and all the kickback. I thought that was a little bit better of a race than it appeared, and I think he came back and proved that.

"I think he's a horse that's on the improve, getting better all the time, and I think he wants the distance. With that being said, we'll keep marching on the Triple Crown trail and see where he takes us."

Allied Racing Stable, Spendthrift Farm, and Eric Gustavson's millionaire Mr. Money and Tom Durant's Digital also made the trip to Oaklawn Park and back for Calhoun. Mr. Money, making his first start back since seventh in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), ran sixth in the Oaklawn Mile, and Digital was sixth in the Oaklawn Stakes.

Calhoun said he didn't think Mr. Money, who won four consecutive graded stakes last season, cared for the track that was rated wet fast at the time of the Oaklawn Mile.

"He'd been on a lot of different surfaces last year and I really expected he would handle the off going but he just never looked comfortable or confident over it, so I'll kind of draw a line through that and move on," the trainer added. "We don't know where we'll go next. The fact is there's not a lot of racing to point towards right now. But he did come back good and that's the main thing. We got a race under our belt and we'll try to find another spot as soon as things get a little clearer."

The plan for Digital was to run the 3-year-old at Keeneland, which canceled its spring meet, and then the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs, whose stable area opening is delayed until at least April 28. Churchill Downs' meet was slated to begin April 25. Calhoun said the plan is to aim Digital for shorter races going forward.