HOT SPRINGS, AR – Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. reached a career milestone Sunday at Oaklawn when he guided Lassie My Girl to a two-length victory in the $150,000 Natural State Breeders’ Stakes for Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, 3 and up, at one mile.

The Natural State represented Santana’s 2,000^th victory in North America (United States, Canada and Puerto Rico), according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Santana is an eight-time Oaklawn riding champion.

Lassie My Girl, who finished seventh in the 2024 Natural State, marked the first career stakes victory for trainer Melton “Pee Wee” Wilson. Wilson conditions Lassie My Girl for owner Byron Brockman of Conway, Ark.

Punchy Girl finished second, three lengths ahead of previously unbeaten Caliente Star, who was followed, in order, by Gold Strategy, Arr Piratetreasure, defending champion Kantex, Courtney Fay and Appealing Addie. Caliente Star, in her two-turn debut, was the 3-2 favorite. Bennykayandsuzytoo and She’s a Dreamer were scratched.

Lassie My Girl ($11.20) tracked front-running Punchy Girl for much of the race before taking command on the outside turning for home. Lassie My Girl completed a mile over a “good” track in 1:38.72.

A 5-year-old daughter of Double Irish, Lassie My Girl raised her career earnings to $344,457 with her first career stakes victory. She has a 4-5-2 record from 20 starts overall. Lassie My Girl opened the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting with a 10 ¾-length state-bred allowance victory sprinting Dec. 15 under Santana.

Santana, 32, was Oaklawn’s leading rider in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He is the fourth-winningest rider in Oaklawn history with 795 victories, the first coming Jan. 21, 2011.

A native of Panama, Santana rode his first United States winner Sept. 21, 2009, at Delaware Park.

Santana recorded his first career Grade 1 victory aboard Creator in the 2016 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn and was the regular rider of multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Mitole, the country’s champion male sprinter of 2019. Both horses were trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who has been one of Santana’s biggest backers.

NATURAL STATE BREEDERS’ QUOTES

WINNING JOCKEY RICARDO SANTANA JR. (LASSIE MY GIRL): “I’m really blessed to win (my) 2,000^th (North American career race) at Oaklawn. That’s the track that opened the door for me. I finished the 2,000, winning it for “Pee Wee” (trainer Melton “Pee Wee” Wilson). Since Day 1, he’s always been helping me. And winning his first stake, and winning my 2,000^th, I’m really blessed. She’s always (been) a decent filly. She was running open races and she was always trying hard. My feeling was I thought the longer (the race), she was going to be more comfortable. She was going to (tell me) where she wanted to be and take it from there.”

WINNING TRAINER MELTON “PEE WEE” WILSON (LASSIE MY GIR): “I told my owner (Byron Brockman) after we finished seventh in this race last year that I was going to win it this year. I’ve been pointing for this the whole time. I sprinted her and sprinted her because there was nothing going long. I know she can’t go a mile and sixteenth. She might, but I don’t see it. A mile is her lick.”