Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Lawyer Ron Wins Southwest Stakes
Posted on Sunday, February 26th, 2006
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Lawyer Ron moved a step closer to the Kentucky Derby with his fourth straight win, leading gate-to-wire for a three-quarter length victory over Steppenwolfer in Saturday’s $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
The 3-year-old colt, ridden by John McKee, has now won all five career starts on dirt and is 0-for-7 on the grass.
Lawyer Ron, whose owner James Hines Jr., died Tuesday in an apparent swimming pool accident, is trained by Bob Holthus. Lawyer Ron covered the mile in 1:40 and held off a late charge from Steppenwolfer. Red Raymond, also trained by Holthus, was third.
Lawyer Ron opened the year with a victory in the Risen Star at Louisiana Downs, and will be pointed next to the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 18, followed by the Arkansas Derby on April 15 - the same route Smarty Jones took before winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2004.
Sent off as the 1-2 favorite in the 10-horse field, Lawyer Ron paid $3, $2.40 and $2.20. Steppenwolfer, ridden by Corey Lanerie, returned $4.20 and $3.60, and Red Raymond paid $7 to show. Holthus won last year’s Southwest with Greater Good.
McKee said Lawyer Ron settled in as the field reached the backstretch, and then "I let him start running.
I heard Steppenwolfer come to us, but I kept him to his business and he gave me a strong finish."
Steppenwolfer, 2-for-2 this year coming into the race, also is a Derby prospect.
"If he can give me that same late move at the longer distance of the next race (the Rebel), we might make it real interesting," Lanerie said.
The Rebel is 1 1-16 miles, and the Arkansas Derby stretches out to 1 1-8 miles. The Kentucky Derby on May 6 is 1 1/4 miles.
"Going a mile, I didn’t know if we could handle everything," Steppenwolfer trainer Dan Peitz said. "Our horse wants to run farther."
Music School was fourth, followed by Mark of Success, Sharp Attack, Kingsfield, Celluloid Hero, Travelin Leroy and Agrapha.
The Southwest was postponed Monday because of icy conditions. Hines, Lawyer Ron’s owner and breeder from Owensboro, Ky., died Tuesday. His funeral was Friday. The $150,000 winner’s purse goes into a trust overseen by Ron Bamberger, a lawyer for whom the horse is named.
"Lawyer Ron Wins Southwest Stakes" was posted on Sunday, February 26th, 2006 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Monday, February 27th, 2006 12:00 pm By horseswild
What an impressive wire-to-wire win.
For a moment there Lawyer Ron was pressured and to his credit he had enough to win the Southwest Stakes by 3/4 length showing fans at Oaklawn Park that he is a serious Derby horse.
Lawyer Ron paid $3 to win on his fifth straight start on the dirt.