Plainsman Starts 7-Year-Old Season With Razorback Win

He may be 7, but the best may be yet to come for Plainsman  .

After closing out his 6-year-old campaign with a solid third in the Dec. 4 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), the battle-tested son of Flatter   took a step forward in his 2022 debut, posting a neck victory in the $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) Feb. 12 at Oaklawn Park.

"He was training better than ever," trainer Brad Cox said. "I kind of felt like he was going to be on his game."

Now a winner of nine of 28 career starts, Plainsman became an equine millionaire ($1,203,207 in earnings) through his victory Saturday. And there could be much more to come with races such as the March 19 $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) and the April 23 $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) on the horizon at Oaklawn for the Shortleaf Stable-owned horse.

"(Plainsman) likes it here and this is home for (owner) Mr. John Ed Anthony and he wants to support the program here," Cox said. "He will definitely campaign here for the rest of the winter and spring and hopefully this is the start of a big year for him."

Plainsman, who carried 120 pounds, certainly turned in a determined effort under Eclipse Award-winning jockey Joel Rosario as he dueled throughout with Thomas Shelby  and jockey David Cohen. The two rivals raced alongside each other through splits of :23.18 and :47.78 before the multiple grade 3 winner edged away to a narrow lead at the eighth pole and fended off a gritty Thomas Shelby.

"I didn't give (Joel) many instructions. It was just like, 'Just break.' He seemed to be fresh and hadn't breezed in two weeks, so I kind of felt like he was going to be (forwardly placed)," said Cox, who received a second straight Eclipse Award two days earlier. "He's a tough horse. I always felt like he's a horse that runs his best when he turns for home and he's right there in position. If he can get the lead at some point, he's a very tenacious, hard-trying horse. I know he's a hard horse to get by once he gets the lead, so I felt pretty confident that he could maybe hold off the horse on the inside (Thomas Shelby)."

Plainsman, the 9-5 favorite, paid $5.80 to win for covering the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.79.

"He broke very well out of there. I could have probably gone (to the lead) on the first turn, but (Thomas Shelby) decided to go, too, so I kind of just sat on the outside all the way there to see what happens," Rosario said. "He did well. He kept fighting. The last part, it looked like the other horse was coming back, but then (Plainsman) did. He wanted to win."

Bred in Kentucky by Joseph Minor out of the Street Sense   mare S S Pinafore , the half brother to the grade 3-placed Liam  is the second of seven foals from his dam, who also has a Quality Road   yearling filly and was bred to Authentic   for 2022.

He was bought at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $350,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

M and M Racing's Thomas Shelby, a 6-year-old Curlin   gelding trained by Robertino Diodoro who was racing in graded stakes company for the first time, was 1 3/4 lengths clear of George Sharp's California-bred Popular Kid  (Popular ).

"I've actually ridden Plainsman in the past and I know he's got some speed to him. He's the kind of horse they let free run," Cohen said. "But even though we went a little quick early, we slowed down pretty good second quarter. He's got all the fight in the world to him."

Lone Rock , the 2-1 second choice in the field of eight and 122-pound highweight, was a well-beaten sixth for Diodoro in a race significantly shorter than the grade 2 wins at 1 5/8 miles and 1 1/2 miles he registered in 2021.

"It just wasn't his day," Diodoro said about the Majestic Warrior  gelding. "Little bit short, too."

Video: Razorback H. (G3)

Miss Bigly Prevails in Bayakoa

Any type of help is appreciated in winning a horse race.

In Saturday's $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares at Oaklawn, Miss Bigly  posted her initial graded stakes success through some assistance from a surprising source.

A month ago in Oaklawn's Pippin Stakes, Miss Bigly was forced to chase the speedy Coach  and paid a price in the stretch as she settled for second in the mile stakes, three lengths behind Coach.

The two distaff runners met again in the longer 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa and once again Coach flashed her early speed for Cox. But this time, the mare who hooked her early was not Miss Bigly. It was Matera , also trained by Cox, and they raced a moderate half-mile in :47.88.

So, while Coach won the duel between the two Cox runners and turned for home with the lead, Miss Bigly and jockey Ramon Vazquez were content to rate in fourth before launching a strong stretch kick between horses. 

"My filly," trainer Phil D'Amato said about Miss Bigly, "I think she had been making that early move in her last couple, just by circumstance, and today she was able to just relax a little more, wait and conserve with her little late burst, and I think that made the difference."

Making up ground quickly,  the 6-year-old daughter of Gemologist  surged past a tiring Coach leaving the eighth pole en route to a 1 1/4-length victory over late-running She's All Wolfe .

"I just thought she got a very patient ride by Ramon Vazquez. He was just saving ground there, just waiting for an opportunity," D'Amato said. "You could tell she was loaded and he got the perfect split in between those two horses at the top of the lane and once she kind of inched in between there, I thought she would have a good chance."

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock and owned by Agave Racing Stable, Living The Dream Stables, and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, Miss Bigly is out of the stakes-placed Citidancer  mare Miss Puzzle  and won for the eighth time in 26 starts while raising her earnings to $641,242. Miss Puzzle is also dam of dual grade 1 winner Fashion Plate  and stakes winner Mr. Candy Bar . Her most recent foal is a 2020 Australian-born Flying Artie colt. 

Miss Bigly covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.82 and paid $12.80 to win as the fourth choice in the field of six.

She was initially bought by Big Chief Racing for $20,000 from the Lane's End consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and in January 2020 was claimed for $30,000 by Eddie Kenneally. She made one winning start for Kenneally before running for Agave Racing Stable and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, making one start with trainer Michelle Lovell before being sent west to D'Amato.

Robert Zoellner's She's All Wolfe, an Oklahoma-bred daughter of Magna Graduate , rallied from last to grab second at 36-1 odds for trainer Donnie Von Hemmel, a head in front of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Tim and Anna Cambron, and Brady and Zane Carruth's Jilted Bride .

Coach was fourth.

Video: Bayakoa S. (G3)