Photo: Oaklawn Park
Calling
it the most successful season at Oaklawn in his career, trainer Steve
Hobby is set to pull up stakes Friday and move his operation to Delaware
Park for the summer.
The
soon-to-be 56-year-old trainer ranked third in earnings this
winter/spring behind Bob Baffert, who dominated stakes races including
the $1 million Arkansas Derby and
meet-leading trainer Steve Asmussen who started 75 more horses. Hobby
went 21-for-87 and his horses earned $823,414.
“It’s been a great meet,” he said. “It was the best ever, money-wise, and we should have a good summer coming up.”
The
stars who helped pad the earnings this year are on the trail to major
events in the coming months, including CresRan LLC’s Tiz Miz Sue, winner
of the Azeri Stakes
(G3) in March and third-place finisher in the Apple Blossom Handicap
(G1) last Friday. Already in the Mid-Atlantic region are 3-year-olds
Junebugred and Launch Commander for JoAnn and Alex Lieblong. Junebugred
won the Smarty Jones Stakes in January but developed
a hairline fracture after finishing sixth in a division of the
Southwest Stakes (G3).
“Tiz
Miz Sue will get a three-week vacation in Fair Hill in Maryland and
then we will point to the Obeah,” said Hobby, referring to the Grade 3
prep race in June leading
up to the Delaware Handicap (G2). “We finished second in there to Havre
de Grace. Hopefully it works as a good prep for us this time.”
Junebugred
and Launch Commander are already on the comeback trail at Fair Hill
Training Center, the private facility in the horse country of northeast
Maryland. The latter
broke his maiden last fall at Belmont Park and finished second in the
Toccet Stakes at Aqueduct in November before he was sidelined.
“They’re
both just starting back,” said Hobby. “Both went up there early and
have been using the aqua-trainer. Launch Commander has been back on the
track for a couple
weeks and Junebugred will probably make it back next week. We are
hoping for some big races with them. A fresh 3-year-old in the fall is
not a bad thing to have.”
Hobby
added that venerable retired stakes winner Chindi will also make the
trip. The strikingly white stable pony won the 1998 Count Fleet Sprint
Handicap (G3) and has
logged plenty of miles in both his racing days and since retiring to
“four-legged equine consultant” status, but Hobby says despite his 18
years of experience, he still has one immature quirk.
“No
matter what, he will not travel alone,” said Hobby. “He has to have a
horse or a human or a goat – something with him, or else he cries like a
baby. I’ve had van drivers
stop for gas and go into the store and he’ll start whining and crying
right there. He always wants somebody with him.”
Oaklawn’s Barn Area Closes Tuesday
While
most horses have already made their way to Kentucky, Chicago, Texas and
various other places, a couple hundred horses remain in the Oaklawn
barn area. The last day
for training at Oaklawn until late November is Tuesday and the barn
area will officially close at 4 p.m. that afternoon.