For now anyway, Banishing is a sprinter.

A star last season in Hot Springs, Banishing launches his 2025-2026 Oaklawn campaign in Saturday’s $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes at six furlongs.

Trained by David Jacobson, Banishing has already had a busy and highly productive 2025. The well-traveled 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding sports a 4-4-1 record from 11 starts and earnings of $1,615,930.

In 2025, Banishing became a stakes winner at six furlongs ($145,000 Byerley Turk Overnight Jan. 23 at Oaklawn); 6 ½ furlongs (Jeff Hall Memorial July 20 at Ellis Park); One mile ($500,000 G3-Oaklawn Mile March 29); and 1 1/8 miles (G2-Charles Town Classic Aug. 22 at Charles Town). Banishing was also beaten a neck in a seven-furlong stakes race (G1-Churchill Downs May 3 at Churchill Downs) and a head in a 1 1/16-mile stakes race (G3-Razorback Feb. 23 at Oaklawn).

“I don’t know,” Jacobson said Sunday morning, when asked about Banishing’s best distance. “I haven’t figured it out yet. I guess after his career, we’ll look back and see what it is. But so far, he does everything. It doesn’t matter.”

Banishing hasn’t started since finishing 12^th in the six-furlong G1-Breeders’ Cup Sprint Nov. 1 at Del Mar. In addition to the Byerley Turk – Banishing’s stakes debut – the gelding won a six-furlong allowance race last December at Oaklawn.

Jacobson, wintering at Oaklawn for the second consecutive season, said Banishing is “starting over” in the Ring the Bell.

“We came here and I was sprinting him,” Jacobson said. “And depending on how he’s doing and how the races fall, maybe we’ll try for the Oaklawn Mile again. He seemed to be good at that distance. Maybe the Razorback, all of those races. I hope this race will be a prep for those going forward. I’d like to keep him here. I’d like to not ship him. You never want to ship if you don’t have to. This is my home base, my backyard, so I’d like to keep him here.”

Jacobson trains Banishing for his son, Zachary (Jacobson Racing), and Lawrence P. Roman, who purchased the gelding for $80,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2024 July Horses of Racing Age Sale. Overall, Banishing has a 9-5-3 record from 25 starts and earnings of $1,939,909.

Luis Saez will ride Banishing (3-1 in the program) in the Ring the Bell. David Jacobson tied for 10^th in last season’s Oaklawn standings with 15 victories.

The Apprentice

Apprentice jockey Ronnie Huckaby has been busy since Oaklawn opened for training in late October, getting on a slew of horses each morning in advance of its 64-day split season that begins Friday.

Cody Ungles said he isn’t surprised.

Ungles was Huckaby’s valet when the jockey topped the apprentice standings earlier this year at Prairie Meadows and will have the same role during 2025-2026 at Oaklawn.

“You’re not going to outwork the kid,” Ungles said. “Hard worker. That’s something you can’t teach.”

Huckaby, who turned 20 Dec. 2, will be making his Oaklawn debut a little more than a year after launching his riding career at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Huckaby’s first career victory – his fifth career mount – came Nov. 25, 2024, at Remington Park aboard Devious Diva for trainer Boyd Caster.

Huckaby added 22 victories at Prairie Meadows to finish 10^th overall and No. 1 among apprentice riders.

“I had a good meet,” Huckaby said.

Originally from Vinita, Okla., Huckaby said his ticket to Thoroughbred racing was trainer Scott Young, who attended high school with the jockey’s parents. Ronnie Huckaby said he was riding bulls when Young, approximately 2 ½ years ago, called and asked if he would be interested in switching species. Young resides in Pryor, Okla., about 20 miles south of Vinita.

“I said I would try it and that’s how I got into it,” Huckaby said. “He sent me to a farm and I learned how to ride. Then, I went to the track.”

Huckaby rode last winter and spring at Sam Houston Race Park and Will Rogers Downs. He said testing the deeper waters at Oaklawn wasn’t a difficult decision because his agent, Brian Assmann, also represents Tyler Bacon, champion apprentice in 2024 at Prairie Meadows and last season in Hot Springs. Bacon, now a promising journeyman, has 199 career victories.

Huckaby said he was also able to form business relationships at Prairie Meadows with several Oaklawn regulars, including four-time Oaklawn leading owner Danny Caldwell and trainers Tim Martin and Lynn Chleborad.

“I always wanted to ride here,” Huckaby said. “It’s kind of the big leagues. I talked to him (Assmann) about it and he said we’ll give it a shot. Now we’re here, trying to make it work. I’ve been getting on about eight or nine every morning so far.”

Huckaby will begin his Oaklawn riding career with a seven-pound apprentice allowance, state steward James Lages said.

Ungles has had a Midas touch at Oaklawn, working as a valet for its last six champion apprentice jockeys.

Ungles was the valet for Kelsi Harr when she was Oaklawn’s leading apprentice rider in 2020. Ungles repeated in 2021 with Joshua Morales, 2021-2022 with Chel-c Bailey, 2022-2023 with Erick Medellin, 2023-2024 with Joseph Bealmear and last season with Bacon.

“No pressure,” Huckaby, jokingly, said.

Huckaby is named on 14 horses for nine trainers over the first three days of racing. At least two other apprentice jockeys (Amanda Poston and Amir Mendoza) are scheduled to ride regularly at Oaklawn in 2025-2026. Poston has five career victories, the first three coming last season at Oaklawn. After arriving from Panama, Mendoza was winless in his first nine American starts at the recently concluded Churchill Downs fall meet.

Finish Lines

First race post time for Friday’s opening-day 10-race card is 12:30 p.m. CDT. Gates open at 11 a.m. The 64-day split season – Oaklawn’s 100^th racing season overall – ends May 2. … Oaklawn’s annual price-rollback promotion is Saturday. Two corned beef sandwiches and one soft drink are $1. … Trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs begins 2025-2026 with 375 career Oaklawn victories. He is the ninth-winningest trainer in Oaklawn history. … Ray Bryner is overseeing Southern California-based Peter Miller’s Oaklawn division. Bryner was previously at Oaklawn as an assistant for trainer Kenny McPeek.