Cinco Charlie Heads Field for Gazebo
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Multiple stakes winner Cinco Charlie is among seven horses entered in the $100,000 Gazebo Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters Saturday at Oaklawn. Probable post time for the Gazebo, the ninth of 10 races, is 5:09 p.m. (Central).
Cinco Charlie, who is trained by Steve Asmussen, is the most accomplished member of the field. The versatile son of Indian Charlie has won 6 of 10 career starts, including the $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) last June at Churchill Downs and the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby Jan. 24 at Sunland Park in New Mexico. The Bashford Manor was six furlongs. The Riley Allison was a mile. He is coming off a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 21 at Sunland.
Cinco Charlie, the 9-5 program favorite, is scheduled to break from post 2 under Ricardo Santana Jr. and carry equal top weight of 122 pounds.
Unbeaten Subtle Indian (2 for 2) makes his stakes debut for trainer Robertino Diodoro after the gelding cleared his first allowance condition by 4 ½ lengths Jan. 23. Subtle Indian has led at every point of call in both career starts, but drew the rail for Saturday’s six-furlong race.
“Hate the 1 hole, but that’s what we’ve been dealt, so we’ve got to deal with it,” Diodoro said. “The horse is doing real good. He’s doing great, actually.”
Subtle Indian, who will be ridden by Chris Landeros, is the 5-2 second choice in the program.
Like Cinco Charlie, Bayerd (9-2) and Hebbronville (5-1) are cutting back to a sprint. Bayerd, also trained by Asmussen, is coming off an eighth-place finish in the $300,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 22. He ran second in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 19. The 1-mile Smarty Jones is Oaklawn’s first major prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1).
“Just timing and where we’re at,” said Asmussen, who won the Gazebo in 2013 with King Henny, of Bayerd’s return to sprints.
Hebbronville hasn’t started since finishing sixth, beaten 5 ½ lengths, in the Smarty Jones. Hebbronville, who finished a neck ahead of Cinco Charlie in last fall’s $200,000 Futurity (G2) Belmont Park, was much farther back early than trainer Lynn Whiting expected in the Smarty Jones.
But Whiting said he believes Hebbronville will be much more involved early from post seven under new rider Jesus Castanon.
“I like the draw,” Whiting said. “I like the way race is coming up. There’s plenty of gas in there.”
American Sailor, A M Milky Way and Bourbon Cowboy are also entered. Bourbon Cowboy was beaten a half-length by Cinco Charlie in the $50,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 20 at Fair Grounds.
The complete field for the $100,000 Gazebo Stakes, in post position order, with riders and morning line odds: Subtle Indian, Chris Landeros, 5-2; Cinco Charlie, Ricardo Santana Jr., 9-5; American Sailor, Joe Rocco Jr., 20-1; A M Milky Way, Cliff Berry, 12-1; Bayerd, Ramon Vazquez, 9-2; Bourbon Cowboy, Shaun Bridgmohan, 6-1 and Hebbronville, Jesus Castanon, 5-1.
Source: Oaklawn Park Press Release
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