(Edited Oaklawn Park report)

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Showing a powerful move not seen since his shocking upset over Old Fashioned in the 2009 Rebel, Jer-Mar Stable’s Win Willy stayed off the pace, took command by mistretch and powered to a three-and-three-quarters score over Robert Yagos’ Spotsgone in Saturday’s $150,000 Razorback Handicap at a mile-and-a-sixteenth.  The four-year-old son of Monarchos  toured the distance in 1:43 4/5 over the fast track before a crowd of 19,292 gathered in near-perfect spring racing conditions.

Confidently handled by jockey Cliff Berry, the late-running gray responded to the removal of blinkers by trainer Mac Robertson and posted a win which should set him up nicely for a try at the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap, at a mile-and-an-eighth on Saturday, April 3.

Spotsgone made all the pace, :23.2, :47, 1:11.3 to hold the lead to midstretch.  Mad Flatter and Racing Bran tried to stay with Spotsgone early, but faded at the head of the streetch.  Berry had Win Willy in perfect striking position after steadying his mount in the first run past the grandstand and Win Willy had more than enough response when asked leaving the final turn. 

Phipps Stable’s 8-5 favorite, Gone Astray, making his 2010 debut, loomed a threat heading into the final turn, but failed to sustain his move and settled for third, one length behind Spotsgone, but out-running Prom Shoes in the stretch to hold third by a neck.  The remainder of the field included Jonesboro, Racing Bran, Acting Zippy and Mad Flatter.

For Win Willy the win took his career mark to five wins from 10 starts, with earnings of $412,643.

Just over an hour later George Krikorian’s Freedom Star went to the front and never looked back under patient handling by Calvin Borel to score in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes, for older fillies and mares.  It was the first stakes win of the career for the four-year-old daughter of Street Cry.  Trained by Bob Baffert, Freedom Star was able to cut out leisurely fractions of :23.4, :48, 1:12.4, en route to her final time of 1:44 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth. 

With Borel sitting chilly on the front end, it was jockey Cliff Berry who moved quickly at the winner leaving the final turn, a strategy he used in the earlier Razorback Handicap, but this time Freedom Star had plenty left and finished three-and-three-quarters lengths ahead of the consistent Euphony, racing in the silks of Pin Oak Stable.  Euphony finished a length-and-a-half ahead of William Stiritz’s Afleet Deceit.  Winchell Stable’s 2-1 favorite, War Echo, established a striking position early in the race, but lacked a rally when it came time to challenge the leader.

For Baffert it marked two consecutive wire-to-wire stakes scores at Oaklawn.  He sent out Conveyance to capture the Southwest Stakes on Feb. 15 in the same fashion and is expected to send champion Lookin at Lucky in next Saturday’s $300,000 Rebel Stakes. 

Freedom Star now shows a mark of four wins from nine starts with earnings of $197,160.  It remains to be seen if Baffert will nominate her to the Apple Blossom Invitational on April 9 or whether her record will be strong enough to earn a starting berth in the highly-anticipated $5 million mile-and-an-eighth dash, which will feature the first-ever match between champions Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.