HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Majestic Oops wrapped up an unforgettable day for jockey Abel Cedillo on Saturday, when she became a stakes winner in the $200,000 Dig a Diamond at Oaklawn Park.
Earlier in the day, Cedillo welcomed a newborn son, according to an announcement by Oaklawn.
“I wasn’t there, but he knows I’m his dad,” Cedillo, who has just arrived at Oaklawn from Kentucky, said in an interview conducted by the track’s Nancy Holthus.
Majestic Oops ($21.60) broke well and settled in third behind Rose Palace and Our Pretty Woman, who raced together through fractions of 23.54 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.33 for the half-mile. Majestic Oops joined the pair through six furlongs in 1:12.05 then sprinted clear in the lane for a 2 3/4-length win over Hoosier Philly. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back in third to In Just My Heels.
Majestic Oops covered the mile for fillies and mares in 1:37.05. The track was fast for the race that ended at the sixteenth pole.
“She broke really sharp, put me right where I wanted to be, right outside the speed,” Cedillo said, “and at the quarter pole I just asked her a little bit and she took off.”
Cedillo was aboard for trainer Dan Ward, who conditions the daughter of Majestic Harbor for the partnership of Sublime Stables and Janet Kropp. Majestic Oops earned $114,000 to improve her career totals to 6 for 28 for earnings of $376,559.
Hoosier Philly earned $38,000 to push her career earnings past $1 million. The Grade 2 winner has won 6 of 19 starts and she is a half-sister to Kentucky Derby candidate American Promise. Hoosier Philly is a daughter of Into Mischief owned by Gold Standard Racing and she has been trained throughout her career by Tom Amoss.
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