Ring The Bell, Mistletoe Head Oaklawn Dec. 9 Stakes

The $150,000 Ring The Bell Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs, attracted a field of nine at Oaklawn Park Dec. 9. Grade 3 winner Tejano Twist  should attract most of the public's betting support. The Chris Hartman-trained 4-year-old is coming off a sharp win in the Bet on Sunshine Stakes Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs and shoots for his fourth victory of 2023 and ninth win overall.

Owned by JD Thoroughbreds and Joey Keith Davis, the Kentucky-bred Tejano Twist has shown a strong affinity for this strip. The Practical Joke   gelding won an optional claimer to start the year here at Oaklawn. He then followed up that effort with a second-place finish in the King Cotton Stakes Jan. 28, topped off by a 1 1/2-length victory in the Whitmore Stakes (G3) March 18. Jockey Chris Landeros is back aboard.

The gelding's biggest threat is likely Corinne and William Heiligbrodt's Ryvit . The Competitive Edge   colt comes off a career-top 108 Equibase Speed Figure after winning the Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Mahoning Valley Race Course Nov. 20.

The Steve Asmussen-trained 3-year-old colt is 3-for-4 at Oaklawn and 5-for-7 at today's scheduled six furlongs. Jockey Keith Asmussen rides back for his father and is 4-for-4 when piloting the grade 3 winner.

A potential longshot threat is the John Ortiz-trained Top Gunner  who is 3-2-0 from six tries at Oaklawn and looks like the field's potential front-runner coming out of the Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

Lovely Ride Shoots for Mistletoe Repeat

The $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes, scheduled for race 9 on the Saturday card, drew a competitive field of 11 3-year-olds and up going the one-mile distance.

The Candy Ride   mare Lovely Ride  will look for a repeat after taking last year's sloppy track edition when returning off a four-month layoff. The John Holleman, Flying P Stable, and Larry Nafe-owned 5-year-old mare will attempt a similar feat this year returning off a six-month freshening for conditioner Sean Williams. Williams is replacing trainer Robertino Diodoro who is currently serving a 15-day suspension to start the meet. When last seen back on May 29 at Lone Star Park, Lovely Ride finished a well-beaten fifth in the Ouija Board Stakes on turf.

The Allied Racing Stable-bred mare is 7-4-1 from 19 starts and is the field's top money earner at $575,238.

Some other noteworthy contenders include the Michael Maker-trained Misty Veil , who gets some class relief while dropping out of consecutive grade 3 events. This former bottom-level claimer, now graded-stakes placed, had success over this racetrack last spring.

HWL Partnership's Coastal Charm , trained by Steve Hobby, has won four of seven starts this year and won the one-mile Dig A Diamond Stakes when last seen here April 29. The Gary and Mary West-bred Ghostzapper   filly returns off a three-and-a-half month freshening and is proven off the bench.  

The Norm Casse trainee Effortlesslyelgant  stretches back out after a fourth-place finish as the favorite in an allowance optional claiming try at Churchill Downs Nov. 8. The Liam's Map   3-year-old filly, bred by Offshoot Farm, is eligible to bounce back in this spot having taken a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn March 19. She was hardly disgraced in the Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland the following race when flashing good speed before tiring to fifth.