HOT SPRINGS, AR - The accomplished Spirit Wind bids for a stakes victory at a fourth track in Saturday’s $150,000 Poinsettia at Oaklawn.

The 5 ½-furlong Poinsettia, for fillies and mares, 3 and up, is the ninth of 10 races, with probable post time 4:14 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 12:30 p.m.

Spirit Wind will be making her Oaklawn debut for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who has a string of horses in Hot Springs for the first time this season. Spirit Wind and stablemate Haulin Ice were cross-entered in the $140,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes at six furlongs Saturday at Gulfstream Park, but Joseph said both horses arrived Tuesday at Oaklawn to compete this weekend.

Haulin Ice, a standout Arkansas-bred, will run in Sunday’s ninth race, a $133,000 open allowance sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Joseph entered five horses in the Sugar Swirl.

Spirit Wind is the 8-5 program favorite for the Poinsettia, which drew a field of 12. A 5-year-old daughter of Bahamian Squall, Spirit Wind has a 7-3-2 record from 15 starts and earnings of $644,090. Her past performances are littered with top-shelf female sprinters, including champions Echo Zulu and Ce Ce and Grade 1 winners Vahva, Alva Starr and Brightwork.

The speedy Spirit Wind captured the 2023 Sugar Swirl (she was then with trainer Carlos David), $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint Stakes May 27 at Lone Star Park and the $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) July 24 at Saratoga. All three races were six furlongs.

Miller Racing (Myron Miller) privately purchased Spirit Wind following the Sugar Swirl and she moved to Joseph’s barn.

“She’s obviously had a great year for us,” Joseph said. “She was able to win that graded stake at Saratoga, which was big, and she won a couple of other stakes along the way. Just trying to cap it off in this race. Thought it was a good spot; 5 ½ to six (furlongs) is probably her best distance.”

Spirit Wind is scheduled to break from post 7 under Fernando Jara. Spirit Wind removes blinkers after wearing the equipment in her last six starts. She exits a troubled third, as the even-money favorite, in the six-furlong $300,000 Dream Supreme Stakes Nov. 9 at Churchill Downs.

“She never ran in a full blinker,” Joseph said. “She ran with an extended blinker early on when we got her. She had a tendency to lean out, so we put it on. She ran well in it, but last time she didn’t break as well as we think she should. Just figured we would take it off. She’s run without it before, so things should be fine without it.”

Spirit Wind is seeking her sixth career stakes victory. She was a two-time stakes winner in 2022 at Gulfstream Park for now-retired trainer Ralph Nicks.

Spirit Wind’s top challengers include Fibber (9-2) for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman, who claimed the 3-year-old daughter of Frosted for $100,000 out of a third-place finish in a May 25 sprint at Churchill Downs. Fibber won her first two starts for Hartman, including the $175,000 Audubon Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs Aug. 11 at Ellis Park. Fibber has never faced older horses.

Royal Spa (4-1) is seeking her first career stakes victory. The Rodolphe Brisset trainee was a 2023 allowance winner at Oaklawn. High Class (10-1) won the 2023 Poinsettia for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Holly Dolly (12-1) has won her last five starts for trainer H. Ray Ashford Jr.

Asternia (12-1) is seeking her first victory since the $200,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old fillies March 16 at Oaklawn. Asternia, who is trained by Randy Morse, is also entered in Sunday’s ninth race at Oaklawn.

Laura’s Charm, Dealing Justice, Pistol, Makeup, Ms. Bucchero and Girls Weekend are also entered in the Poinsettia.

Friday Racing Results

Speed King will get another shot around two turns in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25 at Oaklawn, trainer Ron Moquett said Frida.

The Southwest, raised to a record seven figures after previously being worth $800,000, is Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races. The series begins with the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 4.

Speed King, in his second start and two-turn debut, finished second, beaten a half-length by Coal Battle, in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13.

“We understand there’s some good horses coming for the Southwest, but we believe we’ve got a good horse,” Moquett said.

Speed King, from the first crop of Grade 1-winning sprinter Volatile, was a front-running 2 ¼-length debut winner Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs. Speed King, who went off 22-1, covered six furlongs in 1:10.25 to generate an Equibase Speed Figure of 93.

Speed King received a 95 Equibase Speed Figure for the Springboard Mile, which was run at night.

After grabbing the early lead under Rafael Bejarano, Speed King, the 2-1 favorite, was shadowed down the backstretch and around the second turn by Dr Ruben M. Speed King shook clear in the upper stretch, but he couldn’t hold off Coal Battle on the outside approaching the wire.

The final time over a fast track was 1:39.25. Speed King took the 12-horse field through a :47.76 half-mile and 6 furlongs in 1:12.21.

“If you look at the card, he was the only horse that ran well, that fought throughout the entire race,” Moquett said. “Even in the other stakes races, everybody won from the off the pace. He went up there and set some really fast fractions and fought down the lane. Congratulations to the horse that won, but I believe that we spent a little too much time staring at the screen (infield video board) on the inside, looking at that, instead of running.”

Moquett said he doesn’t anticipate any equipment tweaks for the Southwest, which he won in 2015 with Far Right.

“These screens are farther away and we’re not running at night,” Moquett said, referring to Oaklawn’s infield video boards.

Moquett trains Speed King for one of his most treasured clients, Ted Bowman (Triton Thoroughbreds). Moquett and Bowman teamed to win the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) in 2006 at Churchill Downs with Seek Gold, a 99-1 shot.

Bowman, who resides in Hot Springs, purchased Speed King for $100,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.

Speed King collected five Kentucky Derby qualifying points for his runner-up finish in the Springboard Mile. The Southwest will offer 42 total points (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward Kentucky Derby starting eligibility.

Sandman, a sharp Dec. 13 allowance winner at Oaklawn, is also pointing for the Southwest, trainer Mark Casse said. Sandman has four Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Mystik Dan, the 2024 Southwest winner, captured the Kentucky Derby.

Finish Lines

Millionaire Red Route One, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, is among 31 nominees to the $175,000 Tinsel Stakes Dec. 28 at Oaklawn. The Tinsel is for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. … Gypsy Mischief, a 3-year-old Into Mischief colt who is entered in Saturday’s third race at Oaklawn, has a blue right eye, a rare color for a Thoroughbred. Gypsy Mischief finished fourth in his career debut Nov. 8 at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. … Lassie My Girl ($9.60) recorded the most lopsided victory of the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting (10 ¾ lengths) in Sunday’s ninth race for trainer Melton Wilson.