4/29/26 Barn Notes
Compiled by Robert Yates
It’s a two-man race with three days remaining.
Ramon Vazquez leads Francisco Arrieta 70-66 for the top spot in the Oaklawn rider standings after each jockey won three races Sunday. Cristian Torres is third with 63 victories. Oaklawn’s 2025-2026 meeting concludes with racing Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Vazquez is seeking his first career Oaklawn riding title after a string of top five finishes. Vazquez finished second in 2015, 2016 and 2017, third in 2019 and fifth last season.
“We keep fighting,” Vazquez said following Sunday’s ninth and final race. “I don’t want to give it up. I want to keep fighting for my dream. Francisco’s got good business, too. He was leading rider last year, so I know he’s tough to beat. We’re fighting for the title.”
Vazquez won Sunday’s second race aboard favored Doubledaddy Issues ($5.80) for trainer Al Cates, third race aboard favored Itzel ($4.40) for trainer Peter Miller and the ninth race aboard Taken On the Run ($17.80) for trainer Brett Creighton.
Torres, a two-time Oaklawn riding champion, finished second in Sunday’s ninth race, which marked his final mount of the meeting. Torres is scheduled to ride Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs. Vazquez and Arrieta are scheduled to ride Friday at Churchill Downs.
Vazquez is named on 23 horses Thursday and Saturday at Oaklawn, with Arrieta named on 19 horses.
Vazquez has already set single-season Oaklawn personal bests in 2025-2026 for mounts (378), victories (70) and purse earnings ($3,781,229). A native of Puerto Rico, Vazquez has ridden regularly at Oaklawn since 2012. Vazquez became the 11th rider in history to reach 500 career Oaklawn victories Feb. 20.
Vazquez makes Oaklawn, Lone Star Park and Remington Park his year-round circuit. He has a home near Oaklawn. Vazquez is represented by agent Cody Autrey, who also books mounts for Torres. Vazquez has collected riding titles at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, Prairie Meadows, Lone Star Park and Remington Park..
Arrieta was Oaklawn’s co-leading rider in 2021-2022 and topped the standings again last season.
Still Bringing the ‘Payne’
The oldest horse to win at the 2024-2025 Oaklawn meeting is also the oldest horse to win at the 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting.
Payne, still going strong at 11, will try to become a two-time winner this season at Oaklawn in Saturday’s sixth race, a $12,500 claimer for older horses at six furlongs.
Payne, the 2-1 program favorite, exits a one-length victory April 10 at Oaklawn, when he mowed down $20,000 claimers with a late rush to win by a length at six furlongs. Payne was making his first start for high-percentage trainer Rob Atras, who brought an eight-horse string to Oaklawn late in the meeting. The gelding, who races for Thaddeus Weir’s Bellablue Racing Stable, was transferred to Atras after previously being with trainer Wayne Potts.
“I’ve been following that horse since, I think, Chad had him in New York,” the New York-based Atras said, referring to trainer Chad Brown. “I think they sold him and I used to talk to Chad’s assistant about him. I’ve always followed him and the fact that he showed up in the barn is, like, really cool. He’s just a cool horse.”
A gelded son of Grade 1 winner Paynter and multiple stakes winner Vertical Vision, Payne began his racing career as a 2-year-old in 2017 at Churchill Downs with trainer Brad Cox. Payne broke his maiden July 6, 2018, at Belmont Park for Brown – a five-time Eclipse Award winner – before becoming popular at the claim box this decade, notably enjoying a long and successful run with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Payne was a barn favorite for Asmussen, who also trained Vertical Vision.
The April 10 victory was Payne’s 14th in 58 starts overall and pushed his earnings to $961,728. Payne originally sold for $42,000 in 2015 at Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. Payne ran fifth for Brown in the 2020 Westchester Stakes (G3) before selling for $125,000 later in 2020 at Fasig-Tipton’s July Horses of Racing Age Sale.
Payne was still testing graded stakes company at 10, running in the 2025 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn. The gelding’s best work has come at Oaklawn, where he’s compiled an 8-6-3 record from 21 starts and bankrolled $505,650.
“That day he was just feeling really good,” Atras said of the April 10 race. “I know we ran him just a little bit cheaper, but he’s 11 and he’s not going to get any quicker. Let’s get him in a spot where we think he can win. The way he did it was so exciting. We were hoping he would run good because he was feeling really good, looking good. Just such a cool horse and everyone always talks to me about him. I got texts and everything.”
Horses 10 and older are ineligible to run at Oaklawn unless approved by racing secretary Pat Pope and track stewards, according to the condition book. Payne’s actual birthday is April 9, 2015, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.
Probable post time for the sixth race is 2:56 p.m. CDT.
Finish Lines
Racing resumes Thursday at Oaklawn. First post is 12:45 p.m. CDT. … There are 154 horses entered for Saturday’s 13-race closing-day card. First post is 12:15 p.m. … Trainer Mike Maker has won his last four starts at Oaklawn, including favored Spoiler ($5.60) in Sunday’s first race. Maker was three-for-three last Saturday. … Take Charge Milady is in foal to multiple Oaklawn stakes winner and two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, trainer Kenny McPeek said Tuesday afternoon. Take Charge Milady won the Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies last year at Oaklawn for McPeek.
