Southwest: Owner Flurry dares to dream of Kentucky Derby
Hot Springs, Ark.
Hot Springs native Staton Flurry hopes to check off earning the Oaklawn leading owner title from his bucket list by the end of the meet. The 33-year-old could check off one more item, owning a top Kentucky Derby prospect, with a strong performance by Carbone in Saturday’s Grade 1, $800,000 Southwest Stakes.
Flurry, who was leading owner with nine wins heading into Friday's races, thought he had lost all chances of competing in Oaklawn’s rich 3-year-old races this year when a promising Justify colt suffered a setback. But then the opportunity came along to buy into another top 3-year-old.
After Carbone’s second straight career win Dec. 31, Flurry reached an agreement with Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt, who bred the son of their champion sprinter Mitole, and became a partner with the Houston-based couple.
“It’s actually a funny story,” Flurry said of acquiring a share of Carbone. “What first caught my attention before his first race was his name because of my friend Steve Carbone. And then he runs off the screen that day. The day he won the allowance race at Oaklawn, I was equally impressed. After the race, I was walking out as (trainer) Steve (Asmussen) was walking in. I congratulated him and asked if he thought the Heiligbrodts would ever consider selling a share. He sent me their number right away and about two and half weeks later, we came to an agreement we were both happy with.”
Carbone, who is 2-for-2, drew post 7 in the field of 12 and will be reunited with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who also was Mitole’s regular rider.
“He’s a monster of a horse,” Flurry said. “He has so much class and sense. A lot of 3-year-olds are still mentally immature at this stage, but when he schooled the other day, he never turned a hair. I’m excited to see him run Saturday.”
Flurry said he hoping that Carbone performs well enough to make it to the Arkansas Derby (G1) on March 30.
“There’s nothing better than winning at my home track in front of my family and friends,” Flurry said. “Winning the title is my main goal right now. But having a horse win the Arkansas Derby would be like winning a Triple Crown race for me.”
The Southwest offers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for Kentucky Derby 2024. Post time for the Southwest is 5:50 p.m. EST.
Liberal Arts, who will make his 3-year-old debut in the Southwest, leads the field in Kentucky Derby points with 13. He earned 10 for winning the Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 29 in his last start and three points for his third-place finish in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) Sept. 16. Both races were at Churchill Downs.
“He’s doing very well,” trainer Robert Medina said. “He’s gotten a little thicker. His attitude has gotten a little more aggressive in the right way. He’s always been an aggressive horse in his training, but his work (Jan. 23 when he went a half-mile in 47.0 seconds at the Thoroughbred Training Center) was his best ever. We’re looking forward to Saturday.”
Just Steel, who earned five Kentucky Derby points for finishing second in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 1, returns in the Southwest. He was beaten 2 1/2 lengths in the Smarty Jones by the late-running Catching Freedom after holding a narrow lead in the final furlong.
“I really feel like I was a little bit to blame,” Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “I was a little concerned about maybe getting him tightened down too much early, with the four-race series in mind. He came up a little bit short the last sixteenth. I blame myself a little bit. He ran a really strong race, but he did come up a little bit short. Hopefully, we can build on that and he’ll definitely, I think, show a stronger race this time. But I don’t want his best race in January or February. I’d like to see it in maybe April or May.”
The other horses in the field with Kentucky Derby points are Springboard Mile winner Otto the Conqueror with 10 points, Springboard Mile third-place finisher Magic Giant with three and Smarty Jones fifth-place finisher Mystik Dan with one.