5/1/26 Lake Ouachita & Ark Breeders' Championship
By Robert Yates
$200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes – Saturday, May 2
Oaklawn has crushed it this season in the older horse division, with its extensive two-turn stakes schedule attracting, among others, Sovereignty, Journalism, White Abarrio, Skippylongstocking, Magnitude, Full Serrano and Nu What’s New.
On the final day of its 2025-2026 meeting, Oaklawn was able to squeeze in another top older runner in millionaire Subsanador, the 2-1 program favorite for Saturday’s $200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.
The Lake Ouachita headlines a 13-race card that begins at 12:15 p.m. CDT. Probable post time for the Lake Ouachita, the seventh race, is 3:35 p.m.
Subsanador’s resume includes multiple Group 1 victories in his native Argentina and a victory for his Hall of Fame trainer, Richard Mandella, in the $1 million California Crown Stakes (G1) in September 2024 at Santa Anita. Owing to an ankle issue, the Southern California-based Subsanador has started just once since the California Crown, that a fourth-place finish behind dazzling Oaklawn debut winner Cornucopian in the seven-furlong San Carlos Stakes (G3) March 29 at Santa Anita.
Mandella said there were no options for Subsanador at Santa Anita, so the 7-year-old son of Fortify was sent to Arkansas for the Lake Ouachita.
“We got him back ready to run and the only thing I had was a sprint out here,” Mandella said. “We just got a race into him is basically all we did and he’s trained very well since and I didn’t have anything here. An allowance race didn’t fill, so I had him nominated to the race there Saturday. I thought it set up good, so that’s why he’s there.”
Mandella hasn’t started a horse at Oaklawn since Omaha Beach won the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2019. The Lake Ouachita, Mandella said, isn’t a prep for any specific race.
“Just trying to get him started back, hopefully on a winning trend,” Mandella said.
Subsanador is scheduled to break from post 7 under Ramon Vazquez and carry 119 pounds. Subsanador is seeking his third American stakes victory after claiming the Philip H. Iselin (G3) in August 2024 at Monmouth Park. He won the 1 1/8-mile California Crown in his next start, then was sidelined 18 months.
“It took a while for it (ankle) to get right, but he’s very good right now,” Mandella said.
Seven other horses are entered in the Lake Ouachita, including millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Battle, Willy D’s and First Division.
Coal Battle (9-2) will be facing older horses for the first time. He is unraced since finishing second in the Indiana Derby (G3) July 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Willy D’s, the 7-2 second choice in the program, exits a victory in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) March 21 at Turfway Park
.First Division (4-1) narrowly missed winning two stakes races earlier in the Oaklawn meeting for trainer Kenny McPeek. First Division returns to stakes company after a sparkling 4 ¾-length allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles April 9. All three of First Division’s career victories have been at Oaklawn.
"Loves it down there,” McPeek said. “We’ll give him a break after this run. Probably won’t run until later in the year, but he’s been so productive down there, let’s get right back in and see if he can do that.”
American Promise, the 2025 Virginia Derby winner, Oaklawn stakes winners Seize the Night and Mackman and Digital Ops complete the field.
Millionaire Grade 1 winner Saudi Crown edged Mystik Dan, McPeek’s 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, by a nose to win last year’s Lake Ouachita.
$200,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship – Saturday, May 1
Zippy Mark is the 5-2 program favorite for the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship Stakes for 3-year-olds at up at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn.
Probable post time for the Arkansas Breeders’ Championship, the 12th of 13 races on the closing-day program, is 6:25 p.m. CDT. Racing begins at 12:15 p.m.
The Arkansas Breeders’ Championship – the richest event for accredited Arkansas-breds – drew a field of 11, including defending champion One Ten Stadium for trainer Ron Moquett, 2023 winner Willow Creek Road for trainer Rodolphe Brisset and stakes-placed Honey’s to Blame.
Kenny McPeek trains Zippy Mark and Honey’s to Blame for Arkansas attorney John Holleman.
Zippy Mark ran fourth in last year’s Arkansas Breeders’ Championship, but the 5-year-old Mark Valeski gelding is four-for-eight overall at Oaklawn. Zippy Mark has won his last two starts at the meeting by a combined 10 lengths, including a state-bred starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles April 10.
“Lovely horse to be around,” McPeek said. “Easy-peasy, total pro, run him short, run him long. Ask him the question, he gives you the answer. It’s nice.”
Honey’s to Blame (6-1) will be making his sixth start at the meeting. He broke his maiden sprinting against state-breds Dec. 13, then beat open company in a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 8. The latter race propelled Honey’s to Blame into the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) – Oaklawn’s third Kentucky Derby qualifying race – March 1, where he finished seventh.
Poor starts, McPeek said, have contributed to close losses in the 3-year-old’s last two starts. Honey’s to Blame was second, beaten a neck, in a state-bred allowance race at 1 1/16 miles March 26 and third, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes at 1 1/8 miles April 18.
“I tend to buy horses with a really long hip on them,” said McPeek, who co-owns Honey’s to Blame. “And when you do that, they can carry it over long distances of ground. But sometimes, they don’t rise and leave there all that quick and he’s a little clumsy, too. So, between the two, I think he’s had some bad luck leaving there. Between the two horses, I would like to think we could win that race.”
One Ten Stadium is seeking his first victory since a 37-1 upset in the 2025 Arkansas Breeders’ Championship. Willow Creek Road exits a front-running state-bred allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles March 15.
Hess, Cybertown, Ready Shoes, Two Dollar Eddie, Triple Up, Rock Solo and Miracle Mack complete the field.
Cybertown (9-2) finished second in last year’s Arkansas Breeders’ Championship and exits a runner-up finish behind Hess in a state-bred allowance race at 1 1/16 miles April 16 for trainer Shea Stuart.
Hess (10-1) will be ridden by Keith Asmussen, who was aboard One Ten Stadium for his victory in last year’s race.
