Robertson readies Amy's Challenge, Beau Oxy for Oaklawn stakes tests

When entries are drawn on Wednesday for Saturday’s pair of stakes races at Oaklawn Park, trainer McLean Robertson expects to be represented in both events.

That's Amy’s Challenge in the $125,000 Carousel Stakes for older female sprinters and Beau Oxy in the $100,000 Bachelor Stakes for 3-year-olds, also run at six furlongs. Amy’s Challenge will be making her third start of the year following a second-place finish in Oaklawn’s Spring Fever Stakes last time out and a fourth-place finish in the American Beauty Stakes. She won the 2019 editions of both events last season. “She’s a beautiful horse. She likes it here. She’s doing well,” Robertson said. “The first time (this year) maybe I didn’t have her fit. I think she needed the race. The second time I thought she ran really well in defeat. She got into a little trouble but was still coming.” The 5-year-old mare by Artie Schiller has won six races in 14 career starts. That includes a 3-for-4 record at Saturday's distance and a 7: 3-2-1 mark at Oaklawn. Bellafina and Mia Mischief lead the probables for this year’s edition of the fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward Carousel, but Robertson thinks Amy’s Challenge is up to the task. “She’s training really well. It’s a tough race, but she will be tough too,” Robertson said. Although he also had multiple graded stakes winner Hotshot Anna nominated to the Carousel, Robertson is opting to give the 12-time winner some time off to be ready for later in the year. “We’re going to wait for a race on Polytrack or grass for her," he said. "She recently ran on the dirt and just ran ok. She’ll get a little break and run on Polytrack or grass later in the year,” Robertson said. Hotshot Anna, a 6-year-old daughter of Trappe Shot, has won the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) over synthetic in consecutive seasons.

2020 Carousel S. (LS)

For the Bachelor, Robertson nominated three horses but figures to send out one of them.  “I’m leaning towards just Beau Oxy," he said. "Marvin is still an ‘a-other-than’ (allowance condition), and two weeks back is probably too quick for (recent maiden winner) Skol Factor. It will probably depend on what gets entered and how many go in there. "With the climate everywhere, everyone wants to try to run one more time. We’ll see how it goes with the entries tomorrow.” Beau Oxy, a 3-year-old gelded son of Oxbow, broke his maiden on his third attempt last October at Hawthorne but more notably won a match race against Predator in an allowance optional claiming affair at Fair Grounds on Feb. 8 this year. A field of five scratched down to only two runners, with Predator being the post-time favorite. However, at 2-1 win odds, Beau Oxy galloped out to the wire after Predator was eased in mid-stretch. A winner of two races in six career starts, Beau Oxy had been trained by Robertson’s father, Hugh Robertson, prior to his last start, where he finished fourth in Oaklawn’s Gazebo Stakes last month. “He was at Fair Grounds. With a couple weeks left in the meet down there mom and dad went to Omaha and sent their horses that were good enough to a farm near here (Hot Springs),” Mac Robertson said about how he reacquired Beau Oxy for his barn. The Bachelor will most likely feature the entry of Bob Baffert’s Eight Rings.

2020 Bachelor (LS)