Patch Adams Meets Gaming in Southwest Stakes

The Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) continues at Oaklawn Park Jan. 25 in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3). A field of 10 traveling 1 1/16 miles introduces an exciting new talent to the Derby trail while giving some familiar names a chance to prove themselves among the leading contenders. Patch Adams takes that critical next step into stakes company after a sensational Nov. 30 maiden victory that saw him finish just.33 off the Churchill Downs' seven-furlong track record. The Into Mischief colt's 10 1/2-length romp was an improvement off a third in his October Keeneland debut. "It's always nice when you get a start under one and they move forward," trainer Brad Cox said immediately after the maiden victory. "We took the blinkers off, we'd been working him by himself and he certainly acted like he was ready to run a big race." A homebred for WinStar Farm, who is joined in ownership by CHC and Siena Farm, will be need to be ready for another big effort as he stretches around two turns for the first time. He has been working steadily at Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown, Fla. since the maiden score and has logged a bullet five-furlongs in each of his last three breezes. Among his chief challengers is Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Gaming, an Eclipse Awards finalist for Champion 2-year-old male who is shipping in from California for six-time Southwest-winning trainer Bob Baffert. The son of Game Winner disappointed in his last start when following his runner-up performance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with a 6 1/2-length defeat when third in the Dec. 14 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) as the 1-2 favorite. He drew the rail for his attempt to get back in the winner's circle for owners Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The Southwest is the second stop on Oaklawn's Derby trail, awarding qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale. The first stop, the Jan. 4 Smarty Jones Stakes was won by Coal Battle, which flattered the form of Triton Thoroughbreds' Speed King. The son of Volatile did all the dirty work while dueling on the lead in the Dec. 13 Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park, getting caught by Coal Battle in the final strides to finish second by a half-length. Now with that two-turn experience under his belt, Speed King aims to improve and pick up a stakes win for trainer Ron Moquett. Several other familiar faces to the Derby trail will look to add to their point totals, including: Tiztastic, second in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) and third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Render Judgment, third in the Gun Runner Stakes and fifth in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Trainer Kenny McPeek won this race last year with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Bon Temps, a maiden who finished fourth in the Smarty Jones for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Sandman, a $1.2 million purchase at the 2024 Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale who got back in the win column with a one-mile allowance victory at Oaklawn Dec. 13 after finishing fifth in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) and third in the Street Sense.