D'code (Speightstown), a jaw-dropping 8 1/4-length debut winner sprinting at Oaklawn Park Dec. 14, will make his highly anticipated two-turn debut in Friday's postponed $1-million GIII Southwest S. in Hot Springs.
The Tom Durant homebred and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' earned a field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure while defeating 10 rivals that day. He recorded the fastest six-furlong time in Oaklawn history for a 2-year-old stopping the clock in 1:09.57.
D'code exits from post two with Luis Saez at the controls in the 1 1/16-mile affair, good for 20-10-6-4-2 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
“It's a tall order, but the horse really seems to be doing good,” trainer H. Ray Ashford Jr. said. “He acts like he can run that far. Getting the right fractions, obviously, will help a lot, too. I would think he will be forwardly placed. That looks like his running style. There are unknowns, but we think he's good enough to try.”
With 5-2 morning-line favorite and GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner Litmus Test (Nyquist) instead awaiting the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Mar. 7, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will still be represented by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Buetane (Tiz the Law). The runner-up in last summer's GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful S. and the GII San Vicente S. Jan. 10 was scratched out of last weekend's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park in favor of this spot, his first attempt around two turns.
“Going two turns, we'll see what he does,” Baffert said. “He's doing really well. He's worked well. We'll see how he fits in with those.”
Liberty National (Maxfield), named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' following an impressive maiden win around two turns at second asking at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, could be coming in under the radar for Ken McPeek. The $525,000 Keeneland September graduate was a better-than-it-looked second as the favorite in the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds last time Dec. 20.
“If you watch the gallop out on the Gun Runner, he's three (lengths) in front another sixteenth past the wire,” McPeek said. “He was probably five lengths the best horse.”
Florida-bred Strategic Risk (Noble Bird) won his last two starts by a combined 13 1/2 lengths for Hall of Famer Mark Casse, including the local prep Smarty Jones S. Jan. 3.
The Southwest was originally scheduled for Jan. 31, but Oaklawn moved its Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 programs to this week following a winter storm that closed the track for training for nine days.
Kentucky Derby points (20-10-6-4-2) will also be on the line in Friday's rescheduled Listed $200,000 Withers S. at Aqueduct, headed by the Chad Brown-trained duo of Ottinho (Quality Road) and Schoolyardsuperman (Practical Joke).
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