The way One Liner got the last laugh in the Southwest Stakes last Monday at Oaklawn Park should scare away some competitors moving forward.
The Todd Pletcher student One Liner was expertly handled by jockey Jorge Velazquez. The complexion of the race changed when Cool Arrow was scratched. That runner had drawn the rail and had contending speed so the way the stakes materialized was affected.
Uncontested, as expected, was forwardly placed but he went way too fast early. He was out of the gate quickly getting the first quarter mile in :22.93. His rider Channing Hill took a bit of a hold and the horse only had a length lead after a half mile in :46.55. Uncontested tried to carry on with his momentum after six furlongs in 1:10.98 but he was already tiring. Petrov picked up the running and had a length lead at the top of the lane but One Liner was waiting in the wings.
The son of Into Mischief had put away most of his rivals and at this point had dead aim at the finish line. For an instance, it looked like Petrov was home free but One Liner dug in despite racing like an inexperienced colt.
The youngster was roused three wide turning for home and won going away by three and a half lengths. His final time of 1:41.85 was solid considering the hot pace. Petrov, trained by Ron Moquett, finished second and Lookin at Lee came from second to last to get third.
One Liner earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. This was the best Beyer of those that won a major prep race this year.
Velazquez did not have the easiest time with One Liner. He had to coax the runner along, Velazquez: “He broke really well, and once he got around the first turn he relaxed for me. He pricked his ears and wasn’t really paying attention. I wasn’t concerned about getting to the other horses. I just wanted to get his attention. By the time we got to the three-eighths pole, I had to get aggressive with him and let him know it was time to get busy. Then he got aggressive and then he got competitive. From there, I knew he had it won.”
The pedigree of One Liner is interesting if one does the research. His sire was a Grade 1 winner routing and his dam’s lone win came sprinting on grass and this is her first to race. Go deep in the blood of One Liner and Albertus Maximus shows up. This runner took the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at nine furlongs and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and earn over $1.3 million.
This was Pletcher’s first win in the Southwest. Moquett was looking for that déjà vu feeling since his student Far Right had won the 2015 Southwest.
One Liner will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Smarty Jones, who won the Southwest before taking the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Pletcher was uncommitted as to the future of One Liner but the feeling is he will be patient moving forward.
He could start again in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park but that is not really great spacing when thinking about a start in the Kentucky Derby. The Arkansas Derby is a possibility but that is just three weeks before the May 6 Kentucky Derby and that may be too quick a turn around.
Races that may be better for One Line include the Florida Derby, the Bluegrass Stakes and the Wood Memorial. The Florida Derby will be run on April 1 and the Bluegrass and Wood will be run on April 8.
Since 2000, Barbaro, Big Brown, Orb and Nyquist have won the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. The last winner of the Bluegrass that won the Kentucky Derby did in it 1979.
In a 70-year span staring in 1930, 11 winners of the Wood Memorial won the Kentucky Derby. In 2015 Frosted won the Wood and was a late fourth in the Kentucky Derby.
Back in the day, having seasoning was mandatory in order to win the Kentucky Derby. Things have changed and having a fresh, fit and speedy horse is now more in vogue. Don’t be shocked if One Liner ends up on Saturday Night Live before it is all said and done.
