For Immediate Release

Unbeaten Denim and Pearls and local stakes winner Valentine Candy are program favorites for the $200,000 Year’s End Stakes and $150,000 Renaissance Stakes, respectively, Sunday at Oaklawn.

The one-mile Year’s End for fillies and six-furlong Renaissance highlight a 10-race program exclusively for 2-year-olds, the second in Oaklawn history. Racing begins at 12:30 p.m. (Central), with probable post times for the Renaissance and Year’s End, 3:18 p.m. and 4:14 p.m., respectively.

Both races drew seven entrants.

Denim and Pearls (2-1) will be making her first start around two turns for trainer Brad Cox after winning her Oct. 21 debut at Keeneland by a nose sprinting and stretching out to a mile in an entry-level allowance Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. Denim and Pearls won that race by 3 ½ lengths.

“Physically, she looks like she can handle two turns,” Cox said. “She’s been training at the Fair Grounds and doing well. I’m excited about her.”

Also entered in the Year’s End are Floating Beauty, unbeaten Tapit Jenallie, the early 5-2 second choice, Asternia, Neom Beach, Ice Cold and Pula.

Tapit Jenallie has won her two starts by a combined 13 ¼ lengths for trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. She exits a 5 ½-length score in the seven-furlong $100,000 My Trusty Cat Stakes Nov. 10 at Delta Downs.

Ice Cold (3-1) broke her maiden by 10 lengths against Indiana-breds in the 1 mile, 70-yard $100,000 Miss Indiana Stakes Oct. 4 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and was second behind Denim and Pearls last month. Ice Cold is a half-sister to Indiana-bred standout Corningstone, a multiple stakes winner of $400,948. Both horses are trained by Kenny McPeek, who won four races on Oaklawn’s inaugural card for 2-year-olds in 2022, including the Year’s End with future Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose.

“They’re not alike,” McPeek said, comparing Ice Cold and Corningstone. “One’s a Mitole (Ice Cold) and Corningstone’s a Kantharos. They’re definitely apples and oranges. But they both won that Indiana-bred route stake by (large margins).”

Valentine Candy (8-5) looks to become the first two-time stakes winner at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting in the Renaissance. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Valentine Candy was a romping 6 ¾-length winner of the opening-day $150,000 Advent Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 8. Asmussen is also scheduled to start Booth (3-1), a blowout debut winner sprinting Oct. 7 at Keeneland.

“Very fast horses,” Asmussen said. “Very fortunate to have them. Obviously, 3-year-old sprint races – Oaklawn gives us a nice opportunity to do it.”

The Renaissance also drew Googol Joke, Normandy Hero, General Shipman and supplemental nominees Tejon Pass and Frost Free.

Normandy Hero (5-2) finished second, beaten a half-length, in the six furlong $200,000 Bowman Mill Stakes Oct. 28 at Keeneland for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Valentine Candy was 3 ¼ lengths farther back in third. Normandy Hero, in his last start, finished third in the $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.

“We think he’s a horse that can win a stakes down the line,” Brisset said. “I don’t think he wants to go too far, so we’ll see what happens.”

Tejon Pass exits a third in the seven-furlong $100,000 G3-Bob Hope Stakes Nov 19 at Del Mar for trainer Peter Miller.

Both the Year’s End and Renaissance are being run for the second time. The Year’s End is a steppingstone to Oaklawn’s 8 ½-furlong $250,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Jan. 27.

Oaklawn’s signature sprint stake for 3-year-olds, the $200,000 Bachelor, is April 27. The inaugural $150,000 Ozark Stakes for 3-year-olds is Feb. 10. Both races are six furlongs.

For Immediate Release

Call it the perfect early birthday gift.

Luis Quinonez became just the 83^rd jockey to reach 4,000 career North American victories when he guided late-running Izeonpoint ($47.40) to a one-length score in Friday’s fifth race at Oaklawn, according to statistics compiled by Equibase, Thoroughbred racing’s official data gathering organization.

Quinonez, who turns 57 Jan. 6, reached the milestone on his 27,632^nd mount, according to Equibase, which bases the jockey’s totals on mounts in the United States and Canada. He was Oaklawn’s leading rider in 2007.

Quinonez recorded his 3,999th career victory in Oaklawn’s final race Dec. 16, but was winless with two mounts the following day. With Oaklawn dark last week (Christmas), Quinonez’s milestone chase resumed Friday. Quinonez finished seventh aboard Warhorse West in the second race – the jockey’s first mount of the day. Izeonpoint was his second.

“People asked me: ‘When are you going to win, blah, blah, blah?’ Quinonez said Saturday morning, shortly after working Stuck N Snow for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel, a longtime client. “I just tried to stay cool, be myself and just tried to let it happen. I’m very happy that it happened.”

Quinonez rode Izeonpoint for trainer Renay Borel and owner Martin Guzman. Borel is the wife of Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel, a two-time Oaklawn riding champion who recorded his 4,000^th career North American victory Feb. 16, 2005, at Oaklawn. Borel had ridden Izeonpoint in her last six starts, but the jockey is now based at Delta Downs in Louisiana. Quinonez was riding Izeonpoint for the first time in the $7,500 claiming sprint for females. Last of 11 early, Izeonpoint began moving toward the leaders late on the turn and struck the front in deep stretch.

“I watched the races when Calvin rode her,” Quinonez said. “It set up perfect for me. She was very professional. Every time a hole opened up in front of me, she moved right through it. I said, ‘Oh God, she’s doing the work for me.’ ”

Izeonpoint marked Quinonez’s first mount for Renay Borel, who saddled her first horse in 2019. Conversely, Quinonez has had 1,665 mounts for Von Hemel. They have teamed for 266 victories, including three stakes at the 2012 Oaklawn meeting with Alternation.

“Just really happy for Louie,” Von Hemel said Saturday morning. “We chatted about it yesterday morning and what his prospects were for the weekend. Just wished him a lot of good luck. He’s one of the good guys. Just thrilled for him.”

A native of Mexico, Quinonez recorded his first career North American victory May 10, 1989, at Canterbury in Minnesota. In addition to Oaklawn, Quinonez owns riding titles at Canterbury and Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

Quinonez became an American citizen approximately 20 years ago and now resides in Jones, an Oklahoma City suburb.

Asked about retirement, Quinonez said: “Not yet.”

“My daughter said, “Well, dad, you can’t retire until you win 4,000,’ ” Quinonez said. “So, I got there. I’m going to ride another year or two. I don’t think I’ll ride a lot, but I still feel good. As long as I feel good and make the weight, I’ll keep going. Feel good about it and make the people, the trainers and the owners happy. That’s all I can do.”

Izeonpoint was the 643^rd career Oaklawn victory for Quinonez. Quinonez rode his first Oaklawn winner Jan. 31, 1998, and is now the ninth-winningest rider in Oaklawn history. Quinonez began riding in 1989 and his mounts have earned more than $81 million overall, according to Equibase.

For Immediate Release

HOT SPRINGS, AR (Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023) – Courtland Farms’ High Class notched her first career stakes victory in the $150,000 Poinsettia for female sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn.

A 3-year-old daughter of super sire Into Mischief, High Class sprinted to the lead at the start, shook I’m the Boss of Me turning for home and held off Chandana to win by a neck. High Class ($4) was the even-money favorite in the seven-horse field.

Ridden by Cristian Torres, High Class covered 5 ½ furlongs over a fast track in 1:05.72. The victory, her fourth in her last five starts, raised High Class’s career earnings to $313,047. She is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

High Class entered the Poinsettia off two consecutive allowance victories this fall at Churchill Downs. The Poinsettia was for 3-year-olds and upward.

Live racing resumes Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (Central), with 10-race card featuring all races for 2-year-olds, including the six-furlong $150,000 Renaissance for sprinters and the one-mile $200,000 Year’s End for fillies.

Poinsettia Quotes

Winning jockey Cristian Torres: “She’s a real nice filly. I rode her at Churchill and we won beautifully over there, an allowance race. She came back after that race I rode her with (Luis) Saez and she won again, going 5 ½ (furlongs). She’s been very consistent, her last few races, so I’m glad Mr. Steve (Asmussen) gave me the opportunity to ride her back and she got it done. She likes to battle. She likes the competition. She got the job done.”

Winning trainer Steve Asmussen: “I was awfully concerned getting away from the gate. She didn’t break as good as she usually does from the 1 hole. Cristian (Torres) did what he needed to from the post position.”

Finish Lines

Otto the Conqueror is pointing for the $800,000 G3-Southwest Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 27 at Oaklawn, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Friday morning. Otto the Conqueror, who is based at Oaklawn, won the $300,000 Springboard Mile Dec. 15 at Remington Park in his last start. … Jockey Eduardo Gallardo is named on horses Saturday and Sunday at Oaklawn. Gallardo (deep leg bruise) hasn’t ridden since a Dec. 15 spill at Oaklawn. … Lucky Boss ($46.40) was a nose winner of Friday’s sixth race, a $140,000 first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles, to become the first two-time winner at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting. It marked the second victory on the card for the meet’s leading rider, Emmanuel Esquivel, and the meet’s co-leading trainer, Cipriano Contreras. They also teamed to win the second race – by a nose – with Smokin’ Hot ($10.20).