Proxy Takes Long Way to Win Oaklawn Handicap

As the rest of the field bumped, brushed, battled, scraped paint, and dug in with everything they had for a $1 million purse, the lackadaisical Proxy  took until the final eighth of the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) to even snap into focus. Once the 5-year-old son of Tapit   found high gear, though, he rushed up outside some of the country's top older horses to win by a head in a three-way photo that showed Last Samurai  in second, a nose ahead of Stiletto Boy in third. 

A stewards' inquiry into various stretch swerves that did not involve the winner yielded no changes to the final order.

HE GOT THERE!

#4 PROXY (@gainesway Tapit) wins the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for @godolphin under @JRosarioJockey. Check out the @JockeyCam and drone cam in this thriller! #2 Last Samurai second, #3 Stilleto Boy third; no change after an inquiry. pic.twitter.com/O43EUgilZJ

— TVG (@TVG) April 22, 2023

A Godolphin homebred trained by Michael Stidham, Proxy's first win in three tries this year set him on a path to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) that will feature stops in New York for their best older-horse races at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

"There are some beautiful, wonderful races there at a mile-and-a-quarter that will fit him," Stidham said. "Even further than that will work for him."

The Oaklawn Handicap was 1 1/8 miles for the other six horses but for Proxy it may have been closer to 1 1/4 miles. Joel Rosario—who rode Proxy to a grade 1 win in the Clark Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs last fall—intentionally kept his mount in the clear throughout, even when there was room to move closer to the rail. Proxy also rallied wide into the stretch.

"One thing Joel knows is he doesn't really like the dirt in his face," Stidham said. "He's keeping him out there, I think, to keep him out of the dirt and keep him engaged in the race, and it worked."

Proxy settled in fourth early, raced off the rail around the first turn and drifted even farther out down the backside as Last Samurai moved past him on the inside. 

Stiletto Boy, who won the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) by a neck over Proxy last month, jumped to the lead and set the pace through fractions of :23.23, :47.64, and 1:12.56. Classic Causeway  stuck to the outside of Stiletto Boy, always within a half-length before weakening at the top of the stretch. 

Proxy was being asked by Rosario midway on the far turn but did not have a response. What looked like a horse coming up empty was, in retrospect, more like a horse that had his mind elsewhere.     

As Stiletto Boy continued in front, Last Samurai kept coming on the rail. Favored Charge It  briefly moved into contention but made contact with a veering-out Stiletto Boy and gave up. As those two bumped approaching the eighth pole, longshot Senor Buscador  and Proxy started to gain ground on the outside. 

Proxy passed the dueling midstretch leaders in the closing strides, completing 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.68. He paid $9.40 to win while improving his record to 5-6-2 from 16 starts and increasing his earnings to $1,775,970.

After his late run in the Big Cap came up short, Stidham decided Proxy could use some help. For Oaklawn Park's signature race for older horses, Proxy wore cheek pieces, a form of headgear in which lengths of material attached to the bridle run down the sides of a horse's head. They serve a similar purpose as blinkers.

Rosario—who a week before won Oaklawn's $1 million Apple Blossom (G1) for older females with an extraordinary ride on late-running Clairiere —again demonstrated his penchant for getting closers to the wire in front. 

"Proxy always makes it hard to watch, the way he tends to kind of lose interest at different parts of the race," Stidham said. "But today he got there and got there in time."

Senor Buscador was a clear fourth, followed by Charge It, Classic Causeway, and 10-year-old Rated R Superstar .

Proxy is out of the dual grade 1-winning Include  mare Panty Raid . Agent John Ferguson went to $2.5 million to purchase Panty Raid as a broodmare for Godolphin in 2008 at The November Sale at Fasig-Tipton. The dam has four winners from five foals to race. She dropped an Into Mischief   filly in 2022 and was bred back to Essential Quality   for this year.

Video: Oaklawn H. (G2)