HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Instant Replay became a stakes winner Saturday, when he edged Caldera by three-quarters of a length in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park. It was another length back in third to First Division.
The Bathhouse Row, which was for 3-year-olds, offered its winner a berth into the Preakness Stakes. Instant Replay is not nominated to the Triple Crown, but trainer Brad Cox said earlier this week that making him eligible would be open for discussion based on performance Saturday.
Instant Replay has given Cox and breeders Gary and Mary West something to talk about. The son of Maximum Security had one horse beat though six furlongs of the 1 1/8 mile-race, came four wide into the stretch, and whittled away at the advantage of the leaders to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:52.06.
Instant Replay closed into Hymn’s fractions of 23.54 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.92 for the half-mile and 1:14.70 for six furlongs. Hymn finished fourth Saturday.
“They slowed down quite a bit so I very wasn’t pleased going down the backside,” winning rider Flavien Prat said in an infield interview conducted by Oaklawn. “But I moved early. I got him going. Turning for home, honestly, I thought I was going to just get a piece and he hit another gear.”
Instant Replay was turning back some in distance as he had finished third last out in the Louisiana Derby, a 1 3/16-mile race at Fair Grounds. The winner and runner-up from the race are scheduled to run back in the Kentucky Derby.
Instant Replay is the third Bathhouse Row winner for Cox and second for the Wests, who teamed together to win the race in 2022 with Home Brew. Cox also won the race in 2021 with Fulsome.
Instant Replay has now won 3 of 7 starts for earnings of $313,358. He is from the female family of Belmont Stakes winner Editor’s Note.
*Jockey Rocco Bowen escaped serious injury when unseated out of the gate in the seventh race, according to his agent, Gene Short. Bowen was up afterwards while his mount, We Need a Favor, raced with the field and was picked up by an outrider past the wire Saturday.
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