Southwest Moves to Feb. 3 as Oaklawn Navigates Weather

After racing was canceled Jan. 19-21 due to severe winter weather, Oaklawn Park moved the Southwest Stakes (G3) card from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3.

The $800,000 Southwest Stakes serves as Oaklawn's second of four prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, carrying a point scale of 20-10-6-4-2 to the top five finishers.

Feb. 3 will prove an important day on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail as it now hosts four Kentucky Derby preps. Previously scheduled for that day are the Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack, the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and the Robert. B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park, all of which carry the same point scale as the Southwest.

The $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes, which was originally scheduled for Oaklawn's canceled Jan. 20 card, will now run Jan. 27. The other stakes that accompanied the Southwest will also be moved to Feb. 3. This includes the $250,000 Martha Washington Stakes which serves as a prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, awarding the same point values as its Derby counterpart. The $150,000 American Beauty Stakes and $150,000 King Cotton Stakes will also move.

The $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) will be moved from Feb. 3 to Feb. 2.

The $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2), the third stop on Oaklawn's Road to the Kentucky Derby, is still scheduled for its original Feb. 24 date, now just three weeks after the Southwest. The final stop, the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) will be run March 30.