No Parole 'to do what he does best' in Oaklawn sprint start
The 3-1 program favorite for Friday’s 10th race at Oaklawn Park, a first-level allowance sprint for 3-year-olds, was beaten 49 lengths in his last start. But that was at 1 1/16 miles and in a $1 million race, the Grade 2 Rebel on March 14.
Now, trainer Tom Amoss and co-owner Maggi Moss are putting Louisiana-bred sensation No Parole back in his comfort zone – six furlongs – where he won his first two career starts by a combined 27 ½ lengths against state-breds at Fair Grounds.
“You know how it is in the spring, with the young horses,” Amoss said. “Everybody’s looking for a horse. No Parole got a lot of attention after his two wins at the Fair Grounds sprinting. They were good-looking wins. He won very easily. I realize there’s disappointment when you are running a horse in a Derby prep and he doesn’t run very well. But, in fairness, Maggi Moss and I knew that we were experimenting and trying something that we didn’t necessarily have the answer to.
"That’s how horse racing is. He told us what he can and can’t do," Amoss continued. "He doesn’t want to go that distance, so we’ve given him time to freshen up, get back to himself and then now we’re going to do what he does best.”
A son of Grade 1 winner Violence, No Parole has led at every point of call in his three victories, including a 6 ½-length score against state-breds in the $100,000 Premier Night Prince Stakes on Feb. 8 at Delta Downs. The one-mile Premier Night Prince marked No Parole’s two-turn debut.
Joe Talamo is named to ride No Parole from the rail Friday.
“So often, post position dictates a lot of what you’re going to do,” Amoss said. “It’s in a race that’s full of speed. On the one hand, we’ve got good natural speed ourselves, but we also need to protect our position against the rail. No Parole is going to be in that first flight of horses and not lose position by having to take back behind other speed horses, and there are a lot of them in there. Our strategy is kind of made up for us – protect the rail and kind of be in that first flight.”
Other entrants in the 12-horse field include American Butterfly (9-2) for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Mr. Tip (12-1) for trainer Jack Sisterson, Dark Oak (8-1) for trainer Rey Hernandez, unbeaten Hop Kat (7-2) for trainer Eddie Kenneally and Juggernaut (12-1) for trainer Keith Desormeaux.
With options limited nationally because of COVID-19, more and more new faces like Sisterson, Hernandez, Kenneally and Desormeaux have started popping up in Oaklawn’s entry box.
“Everybody’s calling audibles,” said the Fair Grounds-based Amoss, who has a string this year at Oaklawn. “On the one hand, it makes for some great racing at Oaklawn and really cosmopolitan fields from all over. We saw that last weekend in the Apple Blossom, so it’s great for the fans.
"It makes racing a lot tougher for the trainers and the owners, but hey, I’m not complaining. At least we have an outlet to run our horses.”
RELATED: Friday's Oaklawn Park entries