Sir Rick returns quickly, wheeling back for Oaklawn's Bachelor Stakes

With so few stakes races to go around due to the COVID-19 pandemic, trainers are left to make the best of the opportunities afforded them.

As such, Robertino Diodoro will wheel back 3-year-old Sir Rick on Saturday in the $100,000 Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park only 14 days after his most recent effort.

Sir Rick previously finished last of 13 runners, beaten by 33 ¾ lengths, in the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes.

While the Paynter colt was able to keep up with the brisk early pace, he stopped running midway through the 1 1/8-mile route over a sloppy track.

“They went way too fast,” Diodoro said. “He’s still a very immature horse. He acted up a little bit in the post parade which didn’t help him at all.”

But Diodoro has two good reasons to return Sir Rick, who two starts ago won Sunland Park's Mine That Bird Derby, to the races so soon.

First, Sir Rick will be adding blinkers for the first time since owner and breeder Rick Davis transferred the colt from the Asmussen barn to Diodoro following Sir Rick’s Jan. 18 win at Sam Houston Race Park. And second, Diodoro feels Sir Rick is more of a sprinter, with the Bachelor a six-furlong race.

“We wanted to put blinkers on him right from day one. He trains like a horse that could use them," the trainer said.

Sir Rick kept winning, however. There was no need to make a change.

"We kept saying that our first chance to get blinkers on him we would," Diodoro said, "and here it is on Saturday.”

Because Sir Rick ran hard for the opening stages of the Oaklawn Stakes, he galloped to the wire under jockey David Cohen, remaining fresh with two weeks between starts.

“I think he’ll be just fine. He’s a nice little horse. He’s trained back well,” Diodoro said. “I really like shortening him back up. Yeah, he’s won going a mile and stuff like that, but if you take a look at him, he’s definitely built like a sprinter. I think he’s going to run big on Saturday.”

Jockey Orlando Mojica will get the nod aboard Sir Rick, who drew post No. 8 of nine 3-year-olds contesting the Bachelor, featuring the 3-year-old debut of Grade 1 winner Eight Rings.

Overall, Sir Rick has won four of seven starts, with the Oaklawn Stakes marking his only off-the-board finish outside of his debut last July.

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Diodoro will also be represented Saturday by What a Fox, who entered his barn off a claim last fall, in the $125,000 Carousel for older female sprinters.

She won the next time out for her new connections later in the Keeneland meet, then, after an off-the-board finish at Churchill Downs in November, she started her 4-year-old campaign with back-to-back wins at Oaklawn.

In her latest effort -- her first against stakes company -- What a Fox finished third in the Spring Fever Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 29.

“She likes the track. She’s worked well,” Diodoro said. “She’s got a couple quirks to her. She runs in an extended blinker and stuff like that, but she’s turned out to be a nice little filly.”

The daughter of Bernardini out of Tale of the Cat mare Twisted Tale will be making her second start in stakes company with Cohen wearing the silks of owner Lawrence Roman.

What a Fox drew post No. 4 of eight Carousel contenders, including multiple graded stakes-winning morning line favorite Bellafina (post No. 1) and fellow multiple graded stakes winner Mia Mischief (No. 8).

“Obviously these races are coming up a lot tougher than they usually would but at the same time, we have no other options,” Diodoro said. “As long as she’s doing well and training well, we’re going to give it a try on Saturday.”

Diodoro knows his filly likes the track and the six-furlong distance of the Carousel is better suited to her than the Spring Fever Stakes' 5 1/2.

“The added half furlong is going to help her a lot," he said. "If you go back and look at her last replay, she was closing. Five and a half (furlongs) was just a little bit too short for her.” 

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