HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Max Got Excited became a stakes winner Friday when he rallied through the stretch for a 2 1/2-length win over Cool Cowboy in the $175,000 Bachelor at Oaklawn Park. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third to Kale’s Angel.
The six-furlong race was for 3-year-olds and was run on a sloppy, sealed track. Francisco Arrieta was aboard the winner for trainer Brett Creighton.
Max Got Excited ($11.20) settled off pacesetter Kale’s Angel, who set pressured fractions of 21.91 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.64 for the half-mile. Max Got Excited angled out at the top of the stretch and overtook the leaders to cover the distance in a sharp 1:09.92.
Max Got Excited, who entered the Bachelor off a fourth-place finish to Clever Again in the Hot Springs Stakes, is a son of Aurelius Maximus. He has now won 2 of 7 starts for earnings of $160,478 for Keene Thoroughbreds.
Oaklawn closes its meet Saturday with two stakes, one of which drew the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.