Saturday’s $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park has been on Willis Horton's mind for Will Take Charge ever since his blaze-faced chestnut sewed up last year's Eclipse Award as outstanding three-year-old male.
"It's been on my radar all the time," the Arkansas native said after Will Take Charge drew post 2 against six others for Saturday's G1 event.
”It's here in my home state and it's a big race, too, and that's the reason. He's got a lot of fans here."
"I wanted to put him out there this year. I don't think there's a horse in the country as good as he is, because he's going to bring his race every time and he's going to give it his all.
“He should be a hard campaigner this year."
Will Take Charge is a two-time winner at Oaklawn, where he'll run as the 123-pound highweight under regular rider Luis Saez.
He took the Smarty Jones Stakes and the Rebel Stakes early last season before going on to bigger and better races for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, acing the Travers, Pennsylvania Derby and Clark Handicap along with a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose.
In the Breeders' Cup Classic, Will Take Charge ran much better than Saturday’s rival Moreno, who was right there in the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby, missing the former by a front-running nose and fighting gamely to preserve the place in the latter.
However Moreno fizzled in the Breeders' Cup, fading to 10th after vying for the lead early on but had his reasons.
"In the race itself he fractured a splint bone," trainer Eric Guillot said.
"He had five months off and spent three out of training. He's been training great now, and here in California there was really nowhere for him to run.
“He's a good, quality horse so we might as well go and see how he comes back as a 4-year-old at this point."
While Moreno was just getting back into training, Will Take Charge got his season started with two strong seconds in the G1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park and the G1 Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park.
In the 1 1/8-mile Donn, Will Take Charge ran his typical closing style from sixth to miss by 1 1/2 lengths behind a track record run by upset winner Lea.
In the Santa Anita Handicap he was closer to the pace, but could not run down Game On Dude and had to settle for second.
The Oaklawn Handicap also features WinStar Farm's Revolutionary, who won the 2013 Louisiana Derby. ran third in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Belmont Stakes before going to the sidelines for trainer Todd Pletcher.
He returned in January with a good allowance victory, but faltered to seventh last time out in the Donn at Gulfstream when caught six wide on the far turn.
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Revolutionary in place of Javier Castellano, who will be in Lexington to ride at Keeneland.
