5/12/26 Barn Notes
Compiled by Robert Yates
Trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs closed with a rush to reach a milestone during the recently completed 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting.
Moquett won two races closing day, May 2, to become just the seventh trainer in Oaklawn history with 400 career victories. Moquett hit 400 by winning 20 races over the final 32 days of the meeting, a torrid stretch that began March 6. Moquett’s 400th victory came with Sinner’s Sin ($43.80) in a $140,000 allowance sprint. Rafael Bejarano rode Sinner’s Sin for Oaklawn owner Louis Cella.
“It’s like you go through phases where none of the races you need to go, go,” Moquett, 54, said about two hours after his milestone victory. “I was struggling for a little bit, then the owners picked me up and everybody kept going. It’s all good. I’m glad to get to that number.”
Moquett had 25 victories overall to finish second in the trainer standings. Moquett also finished fourth in purse earnings ($2,101,172), with $1,356,197, or almost two-thirds of that total, amassed during the final 32 days of the weather-shortened 62-day meeting. Moquett won two stakes races during the final five days of racing – $200,000 Dig a Diamond April 25 with Queen’s Martini and the $150,000 Natural State Breeders’ April 30 with Queen Mallard.
Only Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen (1,055), Bob Holthus (867), David Vance (679), Jinks Fires (480), Don Von Hemel (444) and Cole Norman (408) have more career Oaklawn victories than Moquett.
“That’s pretty good,” Moquett said. “There’s only six in front of me. That’s the way I like it.”
Moquett saddled his first career Oaklawn winner Feb. 10, 1999. He is best known for campaigning 2020 Eclipse Award winner Whitmore (champion male sprinter), who shares the Oaklawn record for career stakes victories with seven.
Moquett is now based in Kentucky.
Ringing the Bell Again
Oaklawn allowance winner Durante captured the John A. Nerud Stakes for older sprinters Saturday at Aqueduct.
Eight-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. rode Durante ($16.50) to his neck victory for owner/trainer David Jacobson. The winning time for 6 furlongs over a good, sealed track was 1:10.45.
Durante became the fourth starter from the $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes at 6 furlongs Dec. 13 at Oaklawn to win a 2026 stakes race.
Ring the Bell winner Roll On Big Joe won the $150,000 King Cotton Feb. 8 at Oaklawn, third-place finisher Tejano Twist won the $250,000 Whitmore (G3) March 14 at Oaklawn and runner-up Banishing won the Godolphin Mile (G2) March 28 in the United Arab Emirates. Durante ran sixth in the Ring the Bell. There were seven starters.
The Ring the Bell marked the seventh career Oaklawn start for Durante, who won a 2025 allowance race in Hot Springs. He ran fifth in the 2024 Ring the Bell. A 7-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor, Durante has an 11-8-7 record from 48 lifetime starts and earnings of $1,125,853. He is a three-time stakes winner.
Finish Lines
Amir Mendoza, Oaklawn’s runaway leading apprentice jockey in 2025-2026, is named on two horses Tuesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis, where he is now based. Mendoza was scheduled to have his first career mount at Horseshoe Indianapolis Monday, but Campaign Promises was scratched from the third race. Mendoza is named on horses later this week at Churchill Downs. Mendoza, through his agent, Joe Santos, said late in the Oaklawn meeting that he will try to ride “seven days a week” this summer by traveling to tracks in Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois. … Oaklawn-raced Hit Parade is entered in the Cleopatra Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the turf Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. … Training hours Wednesday – Oaklawn’s final day to be open this season – are 7 a.m.-9 a.m. (Central), according to Oaklawn. All horses are to be off the property by 2 p.m. Wednesday.
