4/25/26 Barn Notes
Compiled by Robert Yates
Millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Battle will make his long-awaited return to the races in the $200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes May 2, trainer Lonnie Briley said Saturday morning.
Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for the 1 1/16-mile Lake Ouachita, which anchors Oaklawn’s closing-day 2025-2026 program. The card will also feature the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship Stakes for state-breds at 1 1/16 miles and the $135,000 Trail’s End starter-allowance marathon – traditionally the final race of the Oaklawn meeting – for older horses at 1 ¾ miles.
Coal Battle will be making his 4-year-old debut in the Lake Ouachita. He completed major preparations for the race by working 5 furlongs in 1:04 after the surface renovation break Saturday morning under exercise rider Logan Speyer, who is Briley’s step-grandson. The track was muddy.
“My goal was the Oaklawn Mile, then the (Oaklawn) Handicap,” Briley said. “I missed them and this was the only thing they had for him. (Churchill Downs racing secretary) Ben Huffman had said they had a race for him at Churchill he wanted me to run in. I need a race for a race right now. But he’s training good, working good.”
Coal Battle was entered in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) March 28, but Briley said the colt was scratched because of a minor illness. Coal Battle wasn’t entered in last Saturday’s $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2).
Coal Battle has 10 published workouts at Oaklawn since Feb. 4, highlighted by a strong five-furlong gate drill April 17. Coal Battle recorded a bullet (:59.80) and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.20.
“He worked good out of the gates,” Briley said. “Today, I told Logan, ‘Just go an easy five-eighths. You do 1:02, 1:03, I’m happy.’”
Coal Battle is unraced since a runner-up finish in the Indiana Derby (G3) July 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Coal Battle was preparing for the Zia Park Derby Nov. 25 at Zia Park when Briley pulled the plug on the colt’s 3-year-old campaign following a half-mile workout Oct. 4 at Keeneland. That came on the heels of Briley scratching Coal Battle from the Oklahoma Derby (G3) Sept. 28 at Remington Park.
“He’s good right now,” Briley said. “He’s training good, he feels good. Hopefully, he’ll run good. Kind of worried about that mile and a sixteenth first time back.”
Coal Battle was one of the stars of the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting. The son of millionaire Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front won two Kentucky Derby qualifying races, $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2), before finishing third in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Coal Battle ran 11th in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) June 8 at Churchill Downs before his final 2025 start in the Indiana Derby.
Racing for Norman Stables (Robert Norman), Coal Battle has a 5-1-2 record from 11 lifetime starts and earnings of $1,287,675 and is a four-time stakes winner.
The Oaklawn racing department listed five other probables Saturday morning for the Lake Ouachita – First Division for trainer Kenny McPeek, Mackman (Matt Shirer), Seize the Night (Cipriano Contreras), Subsanador (Richard Mandella) and Willy D’s (Mike Maker).
Subsanador, who is based in Southern California, won the $1 million California Crown Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles Sept. 28 at Santa Anita in his final start last year.
The Great Race
Jockey Ramon Vazquez rode one winner Friday to maintain a three-win lead (66-63) over Cristian Torres in the race for leading rider. There are five days remaining in the 2025-2026 meeting.
Vazquez won the first race aboard Miss Ida B ($12.80) for trainer Bentley Combs. Torres also rode a winner Friday, taking the $135,000 Southern Hospitality Overnight Stakes aboard favored Have Faith ($5.20) for trainer Dallas Stewart.
Francisco Arrieta (60 victories) is third in the Oaklawn standings after winning Friday’s seventh race aboard favored Balls in Ur Court ($3.60) for trainer Eric Foster. Torres and Arrieta are two-time Oaklawn riding champions. Vazquez is seeking his first Oaklawn riding title.
Finish Lines
Oaklawn canceled Friday’s second and third races because of lightning delays, reducing the card to eight races. … Trainer Dallas Stewart moved to 13 for 59 at the meeting with favored Have Faith ($5.20) in Friday’s $135,000 Southern Hospitality Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs. Have Faith received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 77 for her three-quarter length victory. … Coastal Breeze, the final scheduled starter for trainer Tom Amoss, finished eighth in Friday’s eighth race. Amoss announced his retirement March 16 and said he started Coastal Breeze to become eligible for a trainer participation bonus (one starter during the final eight days of the Oaklawn meeting). Amoss (4,278 career victories) retires as the 15th-winningest trainer in North American history, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. Amoss won 110 career races at Oaklawn, including seven this season. Amoss’ stable is now under direction of his former assistant, Kinnon LaRose. … Time for Truth ($7.20) won Friday’s eighth race for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman. It was Hartman’s 297th career Oaklawn victory.
