Lake Hamilton & Bachelor Stakes Recap 2026
Compiled by Robert Yates
Contact: Chris Ho, Vice President of Marketing, cho@oaklawn.com, 501-623-4411 ext. 4201
Friday, May 1, 2025
Photo Credit: Coady Media
GOLD SWEEP - Lake Hamilton Stakes - 4th Running
Photo Credit: Coady Media
TWO SEVEN O - Bachelor Stakes - 40th Running
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oaklawn Stakes Race Recaps
$200,000 Lake Hamilton
A stakes winner at 2, Gold Sweep is now a stakes winner at 5 after posting a 3 ¼-length upset victory in the $200,000 Lake Hamilton for older sprinters Friday afternoon at Oaklawn.
Walter De La Cruz rode Gold Sweep for co-owner/trainer John Haran, who claimed the now-5-year-old son of deceased sprint champion Speightstown for $40,000 exactly one year earlier at Oaklawn.
Gold Sweep began his racing career with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and broke his maiden in the 2023 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park, the horse’s second lifetime start.
After winning the first three runnings of the Lake Hamilton with the now-retired Skelly, Asmussen finished second in the 2026 edition with multiple graded stakes winner Booth, who was followed, in order, by Tejano Twist, 7-5 favorite Zero Sugar, Surveillance, Sharp Swinger, Dapper Moon, Hola Joey and Mikel W.
Gold Sweep raced third, just off the pace, through an opening quarter of :21.83 and a :44.89 half-mile. Gold Sweep collared Booth with a three-wide move turning for home and drew clear in the final furlong. The winning time for six furlongs over a fast track was 1:09.03.
A 13-1 outsider, Gold Sweep paid $28, $10.80 and $6. Booth paid $5.60 and $3.60. Tejano Twist paid $3.
Gold Sweep ran third behind Tejano Twist in the $250,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) at six furlongs March 14 at Oaklawn. The Lake Hamilton was Gold Sweep’s fifth victory from 22 lifetime starts and raised his earnings to $452,454.
Oaklawn concludes its 2025-2026 meeting with a 13-race card Saturday. First post is 12:15 p.m. (Central).
Lake Hamilton Stakes Quotes
Winning Jockey Walterw De La Cruz (Gold Sweep): “I got a perfect trip. I was behind the speed. I couldn’t ask for a better trip. When I asked him at the quarter pole, he took off.”
Winning Co-Owner/Trainer John Harana (Gold Sweep): “I was pretty confident he was going to put in a good performance. He’s been acting great the last couple of weeks, training really good. Thankfully, we got it done. It’s been a rough meet, to be honest. We had a lot of seconds, a lot of thirds, but we tried to turn it around. This horse, he’s been such a good horse to train and be around since we’ve had him. Very honest horse. Gotten all kinds of calls, they want to send him to (stud), this kind of stuff. But I think he’ll get to run another year here. There are better things next year.”
$150,000 Bachelor Stakes
Two Seven O stretched his winning streak to four after outdueling heavily favored Stradale in Friday’s $150,000 Bachelor Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters.
Ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, Two Seven O finished a neck ahead of Stradale, with Oscar’s Hope another two lengths farther back in third. Good Civilian, Dirty Rich, Tiz Mary’s Comet and Violence in Red completed the order of finish. Doublecents and One More Freud were scratched, reducing the starting field to seven.
Stradale, on the outside, drew abreast of Two Seven O near the eighth pole but could never grab the lead. A claim of foul by Keith Asmussen, the rider of Stradale, against Two Seven O for alleged interference in deep stretch was disallowed by stewards. The winning of 1:09.08 over a fast track was the third-quickest in Bachelor history.
Two Seven O paid $15.60, $4.80 and $2.80. Stradale (2-5) paid $2.20 and $2.10. Oscar’s Hope paid $2.60.
Two Seven O, a gelded son of Dialed In, was making his stakes debut for trainer David Fawkes and owners Aaron and Victoria Haberman and Matthew Scull. They claimed Two Seven O for just $20,000 out of a maiden victory Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs. Two Seven O opened his 3-year-old campaign with two victories at Oaklawn, including a first-level allowance score March 28.
Two Seven O has 4-1-0 career record and earnings of $224,400.
Bachelor Stakes Quotes
Winning Jockey Edwin Gonzalez (Two Seven O): “My horse was waiting a little bit for the horses. I was sitting perfect on the backside. I was waiting to give the green light to him. When I gave him the green light, he gave me everything and fought to the wire. He was running. When that other horse (Stradale) came up to me on the outside, he saw him and came back and won the race.”
