Last Samurai Seeks Encore Victory in Oaklawn Handicap
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Photo: Coady Photography
Last Samurai wins the Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park
For handicappers, the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) offers a well-balanced field of seven with the promise of some intriguing betting prospects.
Yet when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks at the April 22 test at Oaklawn Park, he sees a Breeders' Cup stakes.
"This is a tough, tough race," said Lukas, who will send out 2022 Oaklawn Handicap winner Last Samurai , the 2-1 second choice in the morning line. "It looks like a Breeders' Cup race. You have them all in there. I guess when you put up that much money at this time of year they will all show up. You can make a good case for four or five of them in there pretty easy. It's only seven, but it's a good seven."
Without question the enticement of a $1 million purse has brought together a collection of the top older distance dirt runners for a 1 1/8-mile showdown that could position one of them as the pro-tem leader of a muddled division.
Aside from Lukas' 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon, the field also includes Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Stilleto Boy , who was third in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1); grade 1 winner Proxy , who was second by a neck to Stilleto Boy in the Big 'Cap and has placed in seven graded stakes; the speedy grade 1 winner Classic Causeway ; and Charge It , who a year ago was second in the Florida Derby (G1) and won the Dwyer Stakes (G3) by a whopping 23 lengths.
It's an impressive group, and while Charge It is the 8-5 favorite, it's Willis Horton Racing's Last Samurai who is entering in career-best form and has a definite affinity for Oaklawn. The son of the First Samurai mare Lady Samuri has won four of his nine starts at Oaklawn, with two seconds, and is exiting back-to-back wins at the Hot Springs track in the 1 1/16-mile Essex Handicap (G3) and Razorback Handicap (G3) in his last two starts.
"The hill is getting steeper, but he's in great form and is on his home court, so maybe that can helps us a little," Lukas said. "We'll go over there with great respect for the field, but there won't be any excuses. The weights and the added distance won't hurt us."
Last Samurai joined the Lukas barn last summer following his win in the 2022 Oaklawn at 12-1 odds for trainer Dallas Stewart and was winless in seven starts until he turned the corner with a 1 1/2-length victory in the Feb. 18 Razorback.
"He's filled out and gotten a lot stronger and is thriving," Lukas said about the $1.9 million earner. "He's performed better than we expected."
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Last Samurai was bought for $175,000 from the Gene Recio consignment at the 2020 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and would provide a highly emotional moment for his connections with an encore victory in the Oaklawn. Willis Horton, who founded the stable, passed away in October and the stable is now run by his son, Kevin, and racing manager, Case Clay.
"It would be exciting for the Hortons since Mr. Horton passed away and the family is relating to him through the horses. Everyone in the barn seems to be running well for them," Lukas said. "His son, Kevin, has been running things with Case Clay and they haven't missed a beat."
Though Charge It is the morning line choice at 8-5, he will get two pounds fewer than highweighted Last Samurai (121-123) under the handicap conditions.
The Oaklawn promises to be a pivotal outing for the highly regarded Todd Pletcher-trained son of Tapit .
Charge It gained acclaim with a second in the Florida Derby in his third start but then finished a disappointing 17th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). After the Whisper Hill Farm homebred's lopsided win in the Dwyer revived the buzz, foot ailments brought his 3-year-old season to an abrupt end. After an allowance optional claiming win at Gulfstream Park to open 2023, the Tapit 4-year-old settled for second as the 3-5 choice in the March 4 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).
Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy and Godolphin's Proxy staged a lively battle in the final furlong of the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita Handicap with the Ed Moger Jr.-trained son of Shackleford holding off Proxy in a driving finish.
The West Coast-based Stilleto Boy broke his maiden at Oaklawn in 2021 and owns a mark of 1-1-2 in four starts at Hot Springs.
Proxy, a homebred son for Godolphin who won last year's Clark Stakes (G1), has yet to race at Oaklawn.
Both Proxy and Stilleto Boy will tote 122 pounds.
Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper's Classic Causeway set the pace in the Essex but settled for second, a length behind Last Samurai. Trained by Ken McPeek, the son of Giant's Causeway is a graded stakes winner on dirt and turf.
The field also features the 10-year-old gelding Rated R Superstar , a million-dollar earner at Oaklawn, and grade 3 winner Senor Buscador .
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, April 22, 2023, Race 10Entries: Oaklawn H. (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Rated R Superstar (KY)
David Cabrera
116
Martin Villafranco
20/1
2
2Last Samurai (KY)
Cristian A. Torres
123
D. Wayne Lukas
2/1
3
3Stilleto Boy (KY)
Kent J. Desormeaux
122
Ed Moger, Jr.
8/1
4
4Proxy (KY)
Joel Rosario
122
Michael Stidham
4/1
5
5Senor Buscador (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Todd W. Fincher
15/1
6
6Classic Causeway (KY)
Francisco Arrieta
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
6/1
7
7Charge It (KY)
Luis Saez
121
Todd A. Pletcher
8/5
