Photo: Oaklawn Park
An unexpected entry, a rolling thunderstorm and a wet track combined
to give Heaven’s Runway a surprising third-place finish behind Super
Ninety Nine in Monday’s Southwest Stakes (G3), but those unique
circumstances are tempering any Derby Fever among his connections. The
3-year-old colt will likely make an all-or-nothing play to get into the
Kentucky Derby (G1) by racing next in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1)
at Oaklawn April 13.
With a new points system in place to gain entry into an
oversubscribed Kentucky Derby, by holding on for the show spot at nearly
60-1 in Monday’s race Heaven’s Runway managed to make only a small blip
on the radar screen. The three points he earned for owners Dr. K.K.
Jayaraman and his wife Dr. Devi Jayaraman and trainer Joe Martin won’t
help much in May. But rather than chase points in a race like the
$600,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) here next month, the team will rest up and
aim for the season finale in April.
“The Doc seems to be really planning on going straight to the
Arkansas Derby,” said Martin Wednesday morning. “I know he would need
points, but right now he seems pretty convinced. We’d have to win the
Arkansas Derby, I know, but Doc seems pretty sure this is what he wants
to do.”
Jayaraman is best known for campaigning Summer Bird to a championship
season in 2009 with wins in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Travers (G1) and
Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Famously demanding of his trainers, he has
hired and fired dozens of conditioners in 25-plus years in racing –
including himself, he often adds with a chuckle. Martin credited
Jayaraman for entering Heaven’s Runway at the last minute despite three
previous disappointing races on natural dirt. His last win came in the
Fitz Dixon Memorial Juvenile on a synthetic surface at Presque Isle
Downs last September.
“He’s doing good and we’re so happy with the way he ran [Monday],”
said Martin. “It’s always great to run like that and show up at big
odds. This colt, when he won the Presque Isle race, he was a big price
(16-1) and I won that race last year with another horse (Big Wednesday,
22-1) also at a big price. So I know strange things can happen in races
like that. And that mud can change a lot of stuff.”
Other thoughts on the Southwest:
Trainer Steve Hobby, Big Lute, 7th: “He’s tired. He made
those two runs at him and it took a lot of him. He did everything
professionally though. We’ll give him the chance to tell us what’s
next.”
Trainer Tim Ice, Brown Almighty, 8th: “That was our last
race on dirt. He’s trained really well on the dirt, but he was just
climbing Monday. We could blame the track, but the owners and I don’t
like excuses. He’s already proven himself on the turf, so hopefully
we’ll have a really nice turf horse this year. His next race will
actually be the OBS Sales Stakes on the Polytrack (March 11), but then
we’ll nominate to all the big turf stakes.”
Trainer Danele Durham, Texas Bling, 9th: “God Bless him,
he never even ran hard enough to get a work out of it. He’s doing great.
We’ll send him back to track tomorrow and get ready for the Rebel. You
hate to blame the track because they all had to run over it, but our
horse just didn’t handle it. Kudos to the winner.”
Trainer Lynn Whiting, Officer Alex, 10th: “He should be alright. He
took too long in one place. We’ll shorten him up and look for a little
different competition.”